🍄 Fungi finds its sweet spot

“You don’t get to choose the chaos, only how you prepare for it.”

These closing remarks caught my attention in Collaborative Fund’s latest playbook.

Here, VC Sophie Bakalar outlines 6 ways CPG startups can strategically navigate new tariffs without derailing growth.

To the FoodTechs navigating complex supply challenges, the tariff turmoil and rising uncertainty, you may not have the resources of giants, but you do have agility, resilience and speed on your side. Onwards.

This week in FoodTech:

🦄 25 Climate Soonicorns, including AgriFood
💸 €874,503 awarded to 4 agrifood startups
🦟 10 million in bridge funding for Ÿnsect

The Digest

🐮 The Bezos Earth Fund and Global Methane Hub launched a $27.4 million global initiative to reduce livestock methane emissions by funding research and breeding programs that select animals with naturally lower methane output, aiming for a long-term, science-backed solution to agricultural climate impact.

💡 Good read: How do you ensure your investors are in your corner and working alongside you to raise that next round? 6 FoodTech investors tell all.

⚠️ The chemical that could put you in jail, that could be in your breakfast.

🦄 VCs predict 25 Climate Soonicorns, including Food and AgTech.

Fundraising

💰 The European Investment Bank granted a €50 million loan to Swedish agricultural cooperative Lantmännen to build a pea protein processing plant in Lidköping.

🍣 Iceland-based First Water raised €39 million to support the first phase of its land-based salmon farming facility, part of a €825 million project aiming to produce 50,000 tons of sustainable salmon annually.

🛒 AI-powered food innovation company Starday raised $11 million Series A funding to expand retail partnerships and launch 14 new products across its brands, using data-driven insights to develop tailored offerings for major US grocery chains.

🐜 After entering insolvency proceedings in February due to funding challenges, French insect protein startup Ÿnsect secured €10 million in bridge funding from existing investors to stay operational, and is continuing efforts to sell assets and attract further investment.

🇰🇷 South Korean food tech INTAKE raised $9.2 million Series C funding to advance its yeast-based precision fermentation platform and scale its high-protein alternative to meat, dairy, and eggs, with plans to enter the North American market by 2026.

🇺🇦 Chicago-based cook-to-order delivery startup Sizl raised $3.5 million seed funding to expand its network of in-house kitchens staffed by Ukrainian and local chefs.

🌾 Veridi Technologies secured a grant of €2.5 million from the EIC Accelerator. It has developed an automated platform that uses machine learning to analyse nematodes in soil samples, aiming to make soil biodiversity diagnostics faster, cheaper, and more accessible.

🚀 EIT Food awarded €874,503 to four agrifood startups through its Fast Track to Market Initiative.

🦀 SeafoodAI secured investment from NEC X to scale its AI-powered CrabScan360 solution, which enhances traceability, compliance, and efficiency in the $11.5 billion crab fisheries sector.

New in Startups

🍯 US food tech MycoTechnology received regulatory approval to sell its honey-truffle-fermented flavour modulator, ClearHT, in the US, with commercial availability expected by early 2026.

🥣 Spanish company ​Vivagran is advancing the development and commercialisation of Tritordeum—a hybrid cereal combining wild barley and durum wheat—recognised for its high protein and fibre content, mild sweet taste, and resilience to heat and drought, making it a promising crop for the baking and brewing industries. ​

🇳🇱 NoPalm Ingredients launched REVÓLEO™, a new brand of sustainable, fermentation-derived oils and fats for food and beauty, offering high-performance alternatives to unsustainable palm oil.

🇸🇬 Singaporean precision fermentation startup TurtleTree debuted Intentional, a US consumer supplement brand featuring its animal-free lactoferrin, debuting with IronKind—a gut-friendly iron-regulating formula inspired by founder Fengru Lin’s personal health journey.

🐭 BioCraft Pet Nutrition is joining forces with Prefera Petfood to scale production of a cat food made with 99% cultivated mouse meat.

Protein

🪺 Sydney-based Vow has become the first company to gain regulatory approval for cultivated meat in Australia and New Zealand, receiving FSANZ clearance for its cultured quail following earlier approvals in Singapore and Hong Kong.

🍗 TiNDLE Foods launched its plant-based chicken products in over 500 Kroger-owned stores, marking its largest retail expansion to date and bringing its total footprint to more than 1,300 locations across 36 states.

🍦 Two Spoons Creamery launched a high-protein, zero-added-sugar ice cream designed to be compatible with GLP-1 medications.

🍭 The Every Company debuted a sugar-free, protein-rich syrup made with its signature recombinant egg protein, expanding its precision fermentation portfolio with a versatile ingredient designed for a wide range of beverages.

🦆Japan’s first cultivated meat company, IntegriCulture, unveiled prototype dishes and packaged products made from cell-cultured duck liver, developed with industry partners and government support.

Big Food

🤝 Arla Foods and DMK Group plan to merge into Europe’s largest dairy cooperative, uniting over 12,000 farmers under the Arla name with €19 billion in revenue, aiming to boost innovation, product diversity, and market resilience amid declining milk supply.

🍷 Aldi launched the UK’s first own-label aluminium wine bottle, partnering with Broadland Drinks to offer a fully recyclable, lightweight alternative that cuts transport emissions.

🥣 The Texas Attorney General is investigating WK Kellogg Co for potentially violating consumer protection laws by marketing its cereals as “healthy” despite containing artificial food dyes linked to health risks.

🥂 C4 Energy launched C4 Liquid Gold, a limited-edition energy drink in a champagne bottle, with 200mg of caffeine and performance-boosting ingredients in a zesty citrus flavour.

From the Community

Get hired in FoodTech

• KITRO (Switzerland) is hiring a Food Waste Consultant

• Kellogg Co (USA) is looking for a Director of Scientific Affairs

• Plus 3 top tips if you want to work in VC.

👋 Join us at a FoodHack Meetup in Milan, New York, Dubai, Zurich. Sign up here.

🍄 A database of 60+ fungi startups.

🧀 Lidl in Germany, in partnership with ProVeg Incubator, is on a mission to discover startups with game-changing innovations in the category. Take part in their competition.

🙏 Just for fun: Asking for VC feedback

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Until next time - Stay Hungry