🌚 Grow in the Dark Crops

If you’re looking to Europe for your next investor(s), then here’s some good news. We’ve done the heavy lifting for you: Our latest list features 120 VC Partners from across the continent.

You’ll find familiar names like Mudcake, Kost Capital, World Fund, Nordic Foodtech VC, Blue Horizon, Five Seasons Ventures, FoodLabs, Icos Capital, Re:Food, Clay Capital and CPT Capital. Plus there are plenty more Climate VCs with AgriFood startups in their portfolio that you might not have considered (yet). Could your startup be their next investment?

It wouldn’t hurt to take a look, right? Then head this way.

P.S. 100s of Investors, many mentioned in this article are heading to the HackSummit on 15-16th May, come and meet them there to close your first/next round - Early bird ends next Friday.

This week in FoodTech:
🍗 €3m to scale upcycled mycoprotein-based meat
🍏 37 gut health and microbiome startups to watch
🇪🇸 €7.5m for Galicia’s first plant-based protein facility

The Digest

📈 What’s up? The National Restaurant Association projects US foodservice sales to reach a record $1.5 trillion in 2025.

📉 What’s down? FDA food division head Jim Jones resigned this week, citing agency-wide cuts and a lack of support for staff which made it “fruitless” to continue in his position.

🦗 French insect protein startup Ÿnsect is preparing to sell off parts of its business after failing to secure €130 million in funding to scale its industrial production, with insolvency looming in the coming weeks.

🗑️ The EU has introduced its first legally binding food waste reduction targets, requiring member states to cut household, retail, and foodservice waste by 30% and processing waste by 10%, though climate groups argue the measures fall short of UN sustainability goals.

🪰 Good Watch: How small flies are revolutionising fertiliser production in Africa.

🕯️ The carbon footprint of the EU diet, shown with candles.

🧬 13 applications of AI in Agriculture and Food, explained.

🏆 Enter your startup into the 2025 edition of the FoodTech World Cup to pitch in front of Givaudan, Nestle Research + Development Lausanne and top tier VCs.

Fundraising

🍫 Zurich-based Food Brewer, which produces cocoa via plant cell culture, raised a $5.6 million seed extension round with strategic investments from Lindt & Sprüngli and Puratos’ Sparkalis to scale sustainable cocoa production.

🍗 Germany’s Kynda secured €3 million to scale up its fermentation technology and expand production of mycoprotein-based meat made from upcycled food waste, with its new factory set to open in Q2 2025.

💸 Spanish biomass fermentation startup MOA Foodtech secured a €2.3 million grant from the European Innovation Council accelerator program and a conditional €12.5 million equity investment from the EIC Fund to advance its AI platform, develop proprietary ingredients, and scale its sustainable yeast-based food solutions.

🏭 Texas-based ag drone maker Hylio raised $2 million via equity crowdfunding on StartEngine to scale production at a new facility, aiming to produce over 5,000 drones annually while positioning itself as a US-made alternative to DJI with proprietary software, FAA-approved swarm control, and precision agriculture tools.

🇯🇵 Kinish, based in Japan, raised $800,000 seed funding to advance its molecular farming technology. It is developing a proprietary rice plant that produces casein for sustainable dairy alternatives.

🐟 Steakholder Foods received a third installment of $250,000 from the Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation, bringing its total funding to $740,000 of a $1 million grant, in recognition of its advancements in 3D-printed meat and fish alternatives, particularly improvements in the flavour and texture of its 3D-printed eel.

Startup Milestones

🇯🇵 Forsea unveiled the world’s first cultured Unagi (eel) in Japan, marking a major milestone in sustainable seafood innovation.

✔️ Yeap announced that its upcycled yeast protein has met European regulatory requirements, paving the way for its sustainable, high-performance protein to enter the continent’s food market.

🇦🇹 Vienna-based Fermify has become the first company to submit a regulatory dossier for animal-free casein in Asia, filing with the Singapore Food Agency as it moves toward commercialising its sustainable dairy alternative.

🐓 AgriNerds has developed a predictive tool using NEXRAD data, telemetry, and satellite imagery to help poultry farms assess real-time avian flu risk by tracking waterfowl numbers near commercial flocks.

🧫 Biomanufacturing company The Cultivated B has developed TCB-32, a stable synthetic molecule that mimics basic fibroblast growth factor, significantly reducing costs and improving efficiency in cultivated meat and cell-based industries.

🥘 AI-powered meal planning platform Remy acquired UK-based food waste prevention app Kitche to expand its reach and enhance its efforts to reduce household food waste across the UK and Europe.

🌚 How it works: The science behind growing food in the dark.

Plant Based

📈 New York-based Blackbird Foods has been acquired by Ahimsa Companies, allowing the plant-based food maker to expand its reach, enhance manufacturing, and accelerate innovation while continuing to operate independently.

♻️ Spanish firms Hijos de Rivera and Inproteins, along with Xesgalicia, are investing €7.5 million to open Galicia’s first plant-based protein facility in A Coruña by late 2026, using circular methods to reduce food waste.

🪧 The Vegan Society of Aotearoa and the New Zealand Vegetarian Society have petitioned for legally enforceable labelling standards to prevent ‘misleading’ claims on vegetarian and vegan products.

🤝 Dutch supermarket Jumbo launched the country’s first plant-based yoghurts made from locally grown soy, partnering with De Nieuwe Melkboer to offer fibre- and protein-rich options under its 'Direct van de Boerderij' brand.

🥥 COYO is launching Australia’s first dairy-free oat and coconut yoghurt nationwide in March 2025, offering what it says is a creamy, gut-friendly, and sustainably sourced option for health-conscious consumers.

👀 A Georgia bill seeks to mandate clear labelling of plant-based and cell-cultured meat in food service establishments, distinguishing them from conventional meat.

Big Food

🇪🇨 OFI, Rikolto, and GIZ are partnering on a low-carbon agriculture project in Ecuador to help 2,800 cocoa farmers adopt climate-smart practices, improve resilience, and implement agroforestry for sustainable cocoa production.

🤝 Israel’s Ever After Foods is joining forces with Swiss manufacturing giant Bühler Group to develop a commercial-scale system for cultivated meat production using bioreactors at least 10 times smaller than the industry standard, enhancing efficiency and scalability.

🤖 M&S is rolling out lower-carbon parsnips grown autonomously using advanced robotics, drones, and sustainable farming methods, achieving a 47% carbon reduction in the growing phase through its Plan A Accelerator Fund.

🛒 Lidl UK launched on TikTok Shop this week, making it the first supermarket to sell directly on the platform, offering exclusive high-protein bundles and donating all proceeds to the NSPCC.

🥤 Coca-Cola is entering the prebiotic soda market with Simply Pop, a fibre-rich, “immunity-boosting” beverage launching in select stores and online via Amazon Fresh.

🫘 Heinz is inviting the public to pitch new flavour ideas for its Beanz range for the first time ever, with the top three winning entries set to become limited-edition products.

From the Community

Job opportunities with:

• Planted (Switzerland) are hiring for multiple roles

• Shiru (USA) are hiring for multiple research roles

• Project Eaden (Germany) are hiring a Retail Operations Manager

• Pymwymic (Netherlands) are recruiting an Investment Professional

👀 Join Tälist for an exclusive webinar exploring how AI is revolutionising the hiring process on march 6th at 7pm CET. Sign up here.

🚀 Tech4Regen accelerator is looking for innovative Food and Ag startups tackling planetary boundaries through sustainable solutions. Applications close Monday.

🎯 Apply to take part in EIT Food Accelerator Network'‘s 2-3 month, theme-based programme, delivered in a hybrid mode through six unique innovation Hubs in Europe.

🇨🇭 Join us at a FoodHack Meetup in Zurich - sign up here.

🏄🏽‍♀️ Why women-owned startups might be a better bet.

🍪 Not so fun: Healthy snack, anyone?

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Until next time - Stay Hungry