Food & Beverage

This function is exclusive for Premium subscribers

  • DATABASE (138)

  • ARTICLES (143)

    • DATABASE (138)
    • ARTICLES (143)

Launched in 2015 in Brussels, EIT Food was established by the not-for-profit European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) and funded by the European Union as an investor and accelerator. Its aim is to support mainly European startups in foodtech areas ranging from traceability to alternative proteins, with sustainability a key deciding factor in the startups it backs from pre-seed to Series-B level. The organization currently has 55 startups in its portfolio, which raised more than €91m in investments in 2020. Its most recent investments include 700,000 Swiss francs (€637,000) in the seed round in January 2021 of Swiss biotech SwissDeCode, a company that applies DNA testing to food traceability. Another investment was the December 2020 €900,000 seed round of Spanish compostable-packaging tech Food Sourcing Specialists.

The Plantbase Foundation is a non-profit institution run by entrepreneur and impact investor Willem Blom based in The Netherlands. Most of the Plantbase activities are backed by donors. At least 80% of the donations are used to support enterprises that facilitate the shift from animal agriculture to a vegan lifestyle. The foundation has invested in foodtechs involved in the meat, fish and dairy industries; as well as food delivery and apps. Its portfolio includes fast-growing startups like Heura, Meatable, Livekindly and Mission Barns. It also works with investment partners like Kale United, Mile High Vegan Network, Vegan Entrepreneurs Network and GlassWall Syndicate.

KEEN Growth Capital is an impact VC focusing on early-stage investments in companies that generate revenues of $200,000–$2m in the F&B, health or wellness sectors with an addressable market size above $300m. Investments in food segments include clean snacking, healthy eating and science tech-driven health products.Since 2017, the VC has been managing two capital funds. The KGC Fund I has yielded exits and late-stage valuations with returns of six to 75 times. The $40m KGC Fund II is directed at companies with a social and environmental impact in nutritional well-being, disease mitigation and life science technologies.

Orkla ASA is an Oslo-based supplier of branded consumer products to major markets in the Nordic and Baltic regions and Central Europe. Selected product categories are also available in India, known as MTR Foods brand. Popular brands include Felix, Toro, Panda and Abba.Originally founded in 1654, Orkla is one of Norway’s oldest business conglomerates and became public-listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ORKLY) in 1929. Orkla Foods accounts for 39% of the group’s operating revenues. Two other subsidiaries, Orkla Care and Orkla Food Ingredients generate about 43% of the group’s operating revenues. The Orkla Confectionery & Snacks division contributes about 15%.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is an international NGO operating across over 100 countries with projects initially focused on the protection of endangered species, which later expanded into other areas like the preservation of biological diversity, protection of natural resources, and the mitigation of climate change. It is considered the world's largest conservation organization, working with a network of different NGOs, governments, scientists, companies, local communities, investment banks, fishermen and farmers. The WWF was founded in 1961 and 55% of its funding comes from individuals and bequests, 19% from government sources, and 8% from corporations. With more than $1bn in investment capital, WWF has supported more than 12,000 conservation initiatives with over 5m supporters worldwide. The institution has been often criticized for not campaigning objectively because of its strong ties with multinational corporations such as Coca-Cola, Lafarge, and IKEA. In 2019 the institution reported 4% of its total operating revenue coming from corporations. 

Founded in 2015 in Guatemala City, the Invariantes Fund invests in technology startups based in the US and Latin America, across different market segments. It is the only VC based in Guatamala, and bills itself as the country’s first early-stage VC firm. As of June 2021, its portfolio includes 24 startups. Invariantes’ most recent investments include participation in the $21m Series A round of US edtech player Reforge, as well in the $130m Series B round of US-based Axiom Space, which is building the first international commercial space station. Both investments were in February 2021.

Based in Brussels, Astanor Ventures is an impact investor specializing in foodtech, agritech and blue ocean economy with focus on the environment and sustainability. Founded in 2017 by Eric Archambeau and George Coelho, Astanor has invested in more than 20 startups in Europe and the US. Archambeau and Coelho launched Balderton Capital in Europe and were early investors in Spotify, Betfair and LoveFilm.Astanor invests according to the principles for responsible investment (PRI), prioritizing technology-led solutions that connect the value chain, innovate on nutrition and accelerate regenerative agriculture. In November 2020, the firm closed fundraising for its $325m Global Impact Fund focused on food and agriculture technology that comply with the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Enlightened Hospitality Investments (EHI) is a New York-based growth fund launched by Danny Meyer and his Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). The fund leverages USHG's network of chefs, IT, marketers, and industry experts.Active since the early ’90s, it currently has $220m under management. To date, EHI has made eight investments bringing technology into the hospitality sector through companies operating in the food and beverage space.

Ahmir Khalib Thompson, better known as Questlove, is an American DJ, songwriter and filmmaker. He is the drummer and joint frontman of the hip-hop band the Roots and has also made several appearances in movies and television. He has been also a musical director at the 2020 and 2021 Academy Awards ceremony. The plant-based food investor was reportedly behind President Barack Obama’s upcoming birthday celebration in 2021. Questlove has backed plant-based food companies Impossible Foods and NotCo.Also in 2021, Questlove directed a film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, the Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), which won the US Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for documentary at the Sundance Film Festival.

Founded in 2017 in Hong Kong, Happiness Capital invests in seed to growth stage companies in the US, Europe, Israel, and China, with a focus on issues affecting global happiness within the areas of citizen trust, food, health, climate change, and reduced inequalities. It hosts its own annual contest, the Super Happiness Challenge , a global open innovation contest to fund individuals and startups with ideas and new products or services that tapped into unmet needs to achieve happiness, with a possible $1m in total investment on offer. The VC currently has 37 startups in its portfolio, around half of which are in foodtech and agtech. Its most recent investments include leading the $4.7m July 2021 seed funding round of NovoNutrients, the US-based biotech producer of alt-protein from fermentation using CO2 and other emissions, and co-leading the $29m February 2021 Series A round of Israeli 3D printed alt-meat startup Redefine Meat.

E²JDJ was founded in New Orleans in 2020 with an agtech and foodtech focus, including in the areas of cellular agriculture and synthetic biology. It has six startups in its portfolio and makes diverse investments. Its most recent disclosed investment was in the $4.7m July 2021 seed funding round of NovoNutrients, the US-based biotech producer of alt-protein from fermentation using CO2 and other emissions.

Marinya Capital is the family office ofJohn B Fairfax from the Australian Fairfax family, who originally established Fairfax Media, a large media company. Marinya largely invests in property and agricultural businesses but has also made at least two investments in tech startups and in an Australian VC. Its most recent disclosed investments were in the $4.7m July 2021 seed funding round of NovoNutrients, the US-based biotech producer of alt-protein using fermentation and CO2 and other emissions,  and in the $55m Series B round of Australia’s premier plant-based brand v2food in 2020.

Launched in 2015, the Stanford GSB Impact Fund invests globally in innovators and tech startups whether connected with the university or not and within the area of social impact in seven market segments: education, energy and the environment, fintech, food and agriculture, justice, healthcare, and urban development.  The university-owned fund invests from the pre-seed to Series A rounds and makes investments mostly from January to April. It currently has 11 startups in its portfolio. 

Founded in 2012, Purple Orange’s objective is to support the transition away from animals in the food chain, supporting early-stage food and biotech companies across the globe with a focus on alternative proteins and cellular agriculture. It currently has 12 startups from different nations in its portfolio. Its most recently disclosed investments have been in the December 2020 pre-seed round of Chinese cultured meat startup CellX and in the November 2020 $500,000 pre-seed round of Swedish plant-based food vending startup VEAT. 

Founded in 2012 in San Francisco, Joyance invests in the “vectors of happiness” that it classifies as areas of science, including genetics and bioscience, the microbiome, neuroscience, virtual and augmented reality,  and foodtech. It also invests in the area of social networking. Its investments are made through its management company, Ataraxia, and many have a European focus. It currently has 115 companies in its portfolio, with recent investments including in the August 2021 $3.6m seed round of Polish bionic limb manufacturer and in the July 2021 $8m Series A round of Israeli sports injury AI platform Zone7. 

Your payment was not successful.

Please make sure you have entered your payment details correctly. Or try again in a few moments.

small logo

The discount code you entered is invalid

Please make sure you have entered your discount code correctly. Or try again in a few moments.

Download successful.

Your sample has been sent. Please check your email.

By accessing and using www.compasslist.com and all pages within the domain (the “Website”), You accept and agree to have read, understood, accepted and agreed to be bound by the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy in full. If you disagree with all or any part of these Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, please do not use or continue any further use of this website. You acknowledge that you are aware that this Website contains an archive of existing content as at 31 December 2021 and is not being actively managed. We are under no obligation to update the content on this Website and, accordingly, no new content or articles will be posted to the Website after 31 December 2021.