🔒 Sued and Sudden Shutdown

Building on this week’s momentum of an incredible HackSummit NYC (our favourite way to end the year), we’re excited to let you in on our first BIG announcement of 2026:

Save the date: HackSummit returns to Lausanne on 22-23 April.

This year marks our 5th Anniversary, and we’re celebrating with our most ambitious edition yet. Here’s what to expect:

• Retreat for Founders and Investors

• 1 Day focused on Industrial Renaissance

• 1 Day dedicated to Food Sovereignty

• Pilot Day for Startups x SME’s

Join us for the full experience, drop in for the Food Day or pick and mix what suits you best, there’s something for everyone.

Head this way to see what’s planned and book your ticket.

+ Here are a few highlights from Lausanne earlier this year…

This week in FoodTech:

• $34 million startup lawsuit and collapse

• €105 million fund for European AgriFood

• 16 alt coffee and chocolate startups

The Digest

📉 What’s down? Israeli cultivated meat startup Believer Meats has abruptly shut down just days after being sued over $34 million in alleged unpaid construction bills. Here’s an investor’s unsolicited take.

🌎 Top 100 investors and acquirers of AgriFood companies in Latin America.

🥤 A coalition of major food and beverage industry groups representing companies such as Kraft Heinz and Coca-Cola has sued Texas to block a new law requiring warning labels on products containing certain dyes and additives, arguing the mandated disclosures are false, misleading, pre-empted by federal law, and violate companies’ First Amendment rights.

🍄 A group of leading North American mushroom companies has formed the Functional Mushroom Council, a nonprofit that will advance research, set quality and transparency standards, and educate the industry and consumers, with the aim of solidifying North America’s leadership in the fast-growing functional mushroom market.

New in Funding

💰 Berlin-based VC FoodLabs closed its third fund with €105 million to invest in early-stage European foodtech startups across agriculture, food security and health, backed by a mix of family offices, institutional funds and strategic investors including Bitburger Holding, Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank, Red Bull, and Nestlé.

🎌 Australian digital food safety platform Squizify has expanded into Japan with a new subsidiary, leveraging its $10 million Series A to localise and scale its HACCP-compliance and operational intelligence software across Asia amid rising regulatory demand.

🇸🇪 Swedish startup Melt&Marble raised $8.5 million Series A funding from Industrifonden, the European Innovation Council Fund, Beiersdorf, Valio, Chalmers Ventures, and Catalyze Capital to scale production and commercialise its precision-fermented designer fats, starting with personal care applications next year.

🤝 Australia’s All G has formed a joint venture with France’s Armor Protéines and raised A$10 million ($6.6 million) to accelerate commercialisation of its precision-fermented bovine and human lactoferrin.

🍼 Harmony Baby Nutrition secured R$31.8 million ($5.8 million) in Brazilian government funding to scale production of its fermentation-derived, breast-milk-inspired infant formulas as it prepares for commercial launch and broader market entry.

☕️ Dutch coffee startup Wakuli raised €5 million in a Series A funding round led by the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund, with participation from Rabobank, ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund, and Icecat Capital, to scale its regenerative agriculture model that supports 16,000+ farmers, reduces emissions by up to 89%, and transforms the coffee value chain.

🌾 Paris-based ReSoil secured €4 million from Banque des Territoires, InvESS Île-de-France Amorçage, and Generali Impact Investment to scale regenerative agriculture projects across France and expand its digital carbon-management platform supporting farmers’ agroecological transition.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Indian plant-based nutrition startup Earthful raised ₹26 crores ($2.9 million) in a pre-Series A funding round, led by Fireside Ventures and V3 Ventures, to expand its women’s health and wellness product portfolio.

🇨🇦 Canadian AI software company Tracktile raised $1.25 million seed funding from BDC Seed Venture Fund, Island Capital Partners, and Graphite Ventures to enhance its AI operating system for SMB F&B manufacturers.

🍎 NewTree Fruit Company received a strategic minority investment from global beverage solutions leader Finlays, enabling NewTree to scale its sugar-removal fruit ingredient technology across North America.

New in Startups

🔬 Pow.Bio has partnered with Bühler Group to launch an integrated continuous precision-fermentation platform that accelerates biomanufacturing scale-up, cuts production costs, and boosts performance, designed to offer companies a faster, more efficient alternative to traditional fed-batch systems.

🤝 Fork & Good has formed a strategic partnership with Nutreco and Extracellular to combine cell feed innovation and CDMO-scale biomanufacturing expertise, enabling the New Jersey startup to scale its cultivated beef and pork more cost-efficiently.

☀️ Solar Foods launched Solein Cream, a high-protein, allergen-free dairy alternative made from its microbial protein Solein that mimics the taste and performance of traditional cream with just three ingredients and versatile functionality across hot and cold applications.

🍭 Day-Guard unveiled a vitamin jelly stick bar designed to help lessen the negative effects of alcohol by supporting liver and gut health with antioxidants, electrolytes and prebiotics.

☕️ 16 alternative coffee and chocolate startups, mapped.

Plant Based

🥛 Planet Oat launched a limited-edition White Chocolate Raspberry Oatmilk Creamer in partnership with Emily in Paris.

🫛 Lasenor joined forces with Meala FoodTech to debut LASENOR® VP-100, a clean-label, plant-based pea-protein egg replacer designed to maintain texture, moisture and structure in commercial bakery products.

Big Food

🍊 Tetra Pak, in partnership with Spain’s García Carrión, launched the world’s first paper-based barrier for juice packaging, made of up to 80% paper and 92% renewable content, that cuts carbon footprint by 43% while maintaining food safety, shelf life and recyclability.

🛒 Tesco opened a new low-carbon concept Superstore in the north of England, featuring sustainability-focused design elements such as a timber frame, solar panels and energy-efficient systems.

🍫 Nestlé UK & Ireland has reformulated its Toffee Crisp and Blue Riband bars in response to soaring cocoa prices, lowering their cocoa content to the point that they can no longer be labelled as “chocolate”, instead prompting a rebrand to “smooth milk chocolate flavour coating”.

From the Community

Get a job in FoodTech

• Fauna is hiring for a Script Writer and Video Editor

• Orbisk (Netherlands) are hiring for Commercial Roles

• Galvanize Capital are looking for an Impact Associate

• NoshBio (Germany) is recruiting a Business Dev Manager

🚜 What farmers actually want from AgTech.

🪞 Interesting: How fish have photographic memory

What did you think of today’s round up?

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Until next time - Stay Hungry