Start Right

What Start Right does

Start Right Foods is a privately held frozen breakfast CPG company founded in 2015 by former college athletes Clint Matthews and Kyle Rood in mid-Missouri. The company began operations with three waffle irons and a pickup truck, producing protein-packed Belgian waffles for local grocery stores, and has since evolved its core product into the Waffle Slider format — frozen breakfast sandwiches combining savory protein fillings (sausage, chicken, turkey, egg whites, cheese) between two maple-flavored waffle pieces. Its portfolio consists of four SKUs (Turkey Sausage & Egg White, Chicken & Waffles, Sausage & Cheese, Sausage & Egg), all delivering 16g of protein per serving at 240-340 calories. In 2023, the company reformulated its waffle recipe to be certified gluten-free using rice flour blends (Brown Rice Flour, Sweet White Rice Flour, certified gluten-free oat flour) and xanthan gum, expanding its addressable market to include celiac and gluten-sensitive consumers.

The company operates a wholesale/retail CPG business model, selling frozen Waffle Slider products through grocery channel partners including Sprouts Farmers Market, Wegmans, Dierbergs, Winn Dixie, ShopRite, Price Chopper, Fresh Thyme, Raley's, and various regional/independent chains across the US. Online availability is provided via Instacart and the specialty retailer Gluten Free Mall. Unit pricing is set at standard frozen food retail price points; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is product-led, with consumer discovery and purchase driven by in-store shelf placement and online grocery delivery. The company markets through organic social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok) and a brand hashtag campaign (#BreakfastIsSolved).

The company remains founder-led and bootstrapped (headcount 1-10, no institutional funding beyond a $0 BioGenerator accelerator round in 2019), with co-founders Clint Matthews and Kyle Rood handling wholesale and co-manufacturing inquiries respectively. There is no evidence of an API, software product, AI/ML capabilities, patents, trademarks, certifications, or M&A activity. Operating geographies are domestic US, anchored in the Midwest (Ballwin, Missouri) with manufacturing described as being in mid-Missouri.

Name

Start Right

Legal name

Start Right Foods

Website

https://startright.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Start Right Foods, founded in 2015 in mid-Missouri, manufactures and distributes a four-SKU line of protein-packed (16g) frozen Waffle Sliders through regional grocery chains and online platforms, serving health-conscious consumers and busy families seeking convenient, high-protein breakfast options.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Frozen Breakfast Foods

NAICS

Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing (311412), Frozen Food Manufacturing (31141)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)

akta.pro primary industry

Frozen Breakfast Foods (CRADADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Frozen prepared meals & entrées manufacturing (AFAKAHAA), Refrigerated & Frozen Doughs and Batters Manufacturing (AFAKACAM)

Keywords

• Frozen breakfast foods
• Protein waffle sliders
• Gluten-free breakfast
• Frozen breakfast sandwiches
• Convenient breakfast products

Headquarters

HQ city

Ballwin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Frozen Breakfast Food Retail Sales: Revenue generated from wholesale and retail sales of frozen waffle slider breakfast products through grocery store distribution channels and online grocery platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Start Right Foods manufactures and sells protein-packed frozen waffle slider breakfast sandwiches under the Waffle Sliders brand. The portfolio consists of four SKUs — Turkey Sausage & Egg White, Chicken & Waffles, Sausage & Cheese, and Sausage & Egg — each delivering 16g of protein per serving with gluten-free formulations. Products are distributed through major U.S. grocery retail chains and online grocery delivery platforms.

Product overview

Start Right Foods offers a single product line called Waffle Sliders — frozen breakfast sandwiches that combine protein-packed savory fillings (sausage, chicken, cheese, egg) between two Belgian-style waffle pieces. The portfolio consists of four SKUs: Turkey Sausage & Egg White, Chicken & Waffles, Sausage & Cheese, and Sausage & Egg. All products provide approximately 16g of protein per serving and are designed for quick, convenient breakfast consumption. The company, founded in 2015, has evolved from selling traditional Belgian waffles to the current slider format to better serve hectic morning routines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waffle Sliders Frozen protein-packed waffle-based breakfast sandwiches combining savory fillings (sausage, chicken, cheese, egg) between two waffle pieces. Available in four SKUs, each delivering 16g of protein per serving, designed for quick convenient preparation from frozen. Targeted at busy consumers and health-conscious individuals seeking nutritious on-the-go breakfast options.
• Turkey Sausage & Egg White Waffle Slider

Quantifiable outcome

• 16g protein per serving across all product varieties
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• InstacartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Partnership with Instacart for online grocery delivery, enabling consumers to purchase Start Right products for home delivery through the Instacart platform.
• Gluten Free MallminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialty online retailer partnership for gluten-free focused product distribution and customer acquisition.
• Clint Matthews (Co-Founder)coreOthersCo-founder handling wholesale inquiries and manufacturing partnerships for the company.
• Kyle Rood (Co-Founder)coreOthersCo-founder handling co-manufacturing inquiries and production partnerships.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Banza: Chickpea-based pasta, pizza, and frozen meal brand with strong protein/alternative-ingredient positioning. Comparable as a mission-driven, better-for-you frozen brand targeting health-conscious consumers with a similar specialty-natural channel presence.
• Tattooed Chef: Frozen plant-based prepared meals brand offering bowls, pizzas, and entrées in natural and mainstream grocery channels. Comparable as a growth-stage frozen prepared meal brand with similar retailer mix and target demographic.
• Sweet Earth (Nestlé): Plant-based and natural frozen meals brand (now part of Nestlé) offering burritos, bowls, and breakfast items. Comparable as a natural-channel frozen breakfast/fast-casual-format brand with overlapping target shoppers.

Direct peers

• Kodiak Cakes: Protein-focused frozen breakfast brand offering pancakes, waffles, and toaster items positioned around high-protein, whole-grain nutrition. Most directly comparable peer given its protein-anchored frozen breakfast positioning targeting health-conscious and active consumers, mirroring Start Right's value proposition.
• Jimmy Dean: Iconic frozen breakfast sandwich brand owned by Tyson Foods, offering sausage/egg/cheese breakfast sandwiches in the freezer aisle. Directly comparable as the dominant mass-market player in frozen breakfast sandwiches, the same category Start Right competes in.
• Evol Foods: Frozen prepared meal brand specializing in better-for-you frozen entrées with natural ingredients and trending formats (burritos, bowls, sandwiches). Comparable as a small-to-mid-size premium frozen food brand competing in the natural/specialty channel alongside Start Right.
• Real Good Foods: Frozen food brand emphasizing high-protein, low-carb, gluten-free positioning across pizzas, bowls, and breakfast items. Closely comparable value proposition and target consumer (fitness-conscious, dietary-restricted shoppers) with a similar growth-stage profile.

Broad incumbents

• Hot Pockets (Nestlé): Mass-market frozen handheld breakfast and snack brand owned by Nestlé. Comparable as a frozen handheld sandwich/bite format competitor, though targeting mainstream rather than health-conscious consumers.
• Amy's Kitchen: Large-scale organic and natural frozen meals brand offering burritos, pizzas, and entrées in the natural foods channel. Comparable as a mission-driven frozen brand with strong Sprouts/Wegmans-class distribution and similar premium positioning, though operating at significantly larger scale.
• Eggo (Kellanova): Dominant frozen waffle brand from Kellanova (formerly Kellogg's), offering a wide range of toaster waffles and breakfast items. Comparable as the incumbent leader in frozen waffles — Start Right's core ingredient base — though broader and less specialty-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@startrightfoods
• Facebookfacebook.com/startrightfoods
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/start-right-foods
• Instagraminstagram.com/startrightfoods
• TikToktiktok.com/@startrightfoods
• Xx.com/StartRightFoods

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Start Right