Sat, 06 Dec 2025

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 Failed Sarah Ferguson-backed app received £1m taxpayers' money

The former Duchess was an "ambassador" for vVoosh, founded by her friend Manuel Fernandez.

* A lifestyle app called vVoosh, backed by Sarah Ferguson, received over £1m in taxpayers' money but collapsed without launching a product.
* The company was founded by Manuel Fernandez, a close friend of Ms Ferguson's who described himself as an "ambassador" for the company and was an investor.
* Documents filed by the administrator show that vVoosh raised approximately £9m, including over £1m from the UK government through research and development tax credits.
* The company paid teams in the UK and India to work on the app but never launched it, with no income to fund further development.
* A breakdown in communication between directors and the founder led to the company's failure.
* vVoosh owes £324,609 to a former director (believed to be Mr Fernandez) and £50,000 to one of Ms Ferguson's companies, La Luna Investments.
* The administrators say there is significant uncertainty over how much money creditors will get back once the company is wound up.
* A charitable foundation set up by vVoosh has been removed from the register of charities due to its failure to operate.
* This raises further questions about the judgement of Ms Ferguson and her business relationships.
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