💰 Top FoodTech deals

• Jokr, a US-based quick-commerce startup, raised a $260M series B (and becomes a new FoodTech unicorn) and wants to target Europe. As we said two weeks ago, this appetite for European consumers is interesting and quite rare. We’ll see if Jokr and the other quick-commerce startup succeed in becoming the “second generation of e-commerce”. In the meantime, concentration is still underway with Getir’s acquisition of UK-based startup Weezy.
• Flytrex, an Israeli startup raised $40M for its delivery robots. It is already partnering with multiple retailers and is waiting for US-wide approval. It is targeting deliveries in suburban areas where current food delivery can’t really go due to the distances.
• Paleo, a Belgium-based startup, raised €2M to keep working on precision fermentation applied to meat and fish. It is also planning to raise €40M for its pilot plant. Precision fermentation is mostly discussed when talking about alternatives to dairy proteins with startups such as Perfect Day. We’ll have to see how it can be applied to the much more complex structure of meat and fish.
• Pyxo raised €7M for its reusable food containers. The market is growing fast as restaurants have to switch to reusable containers by 2023.

🧪  An interesting piece about the place of technology in the future of food. It argues that technology and especially alternative proteins address only some of the challenges but not all, notably structural and ethical problems in the food value chain. I agree with the idea that technology can be a tool to help the change but that the right politics and policy may matter much more as key drivers.

🍕 Yesterday, Google was celebrating pizza on its homepage doodle with a funny game letting you slice them. If you’re looking for a quick game, try it.