Lifestyle App vVoosh Collapses Before Launch After Raising £9m
vVoosh, a lifestyle app backed by Sarah Ferguson, collapsed before its launch despite receiving more than £1 million in UK government R&D tax credits as part of approximately £9 million raised. The founder, Manuel Fernandez, who described himself as an investor in the company and was a close associate of Ferguson, left the firm, and communication between the directors and creditors reportedly broke down.
The company was placed into administration in November 2025 after an Indian contractor threatened legal action and the business lacked income to continue development. The administrator's report highlighted a breakdown in communication between current directors, major creditors, and Fernandez, who resigned as a director earlier that year. The company is owed about £324,609 by a former director believed to be Fernandez, who had left the company in 2019.
Fernandez sold his North London home for about £1.3 million last summer and is believed to have left the UK. vVoosh owes £50,000 to La Luna Investments, Ferguson's company, which held just under 1% of the shares; the firm has over 60 small shareholders. American backer Mark Guzy has invested over £400,000 to maintain essential services and protect the software platform, which remains the main asset.
The Charity Commission is taking steps to remove vVoosh Charitable Foundation from the charities register due to inactivity and overdue reporting for more than four and a half years. HMRC declined to comment on the tax credits, and Fernandez denied allegations of withdrawing money from the firm, stating such claims would be disproved in legal proceedings.
