💸 Startup Funding News
🇳🇱 🍄 The Protein Brewery, a Dutch company, raised €30M to scale production of its mycroprotein designed for application in daily CPG products (going beyond plant-based alternatives). In the current context, where so many biomass fermentation startups go bankrupt, this deal is quite noticeable.
🇧🇷 🍄 Typcal, a Brazilian startup, received €350K as an investment from the Biotope incubator program.
🇫🇷 🌱 Les Nouvelles Fermes, a French aquaponics company, raised €5M to expand its urban farming sites .
🇳🇱 🥚 Revyve, a Dutch startup, raised €24M to commercialize its yeast-based egg and dairy replacers.
🇺🇸 🐄 ArkeaBio, a US startup, raised $7M to accelerate its livestock methane-reduction vaccine. This ecosystem (methane reduction, achieved through various means ranging from masks to barn methane collection to vaccines) remains one of the most lively in AgriFoodTech.
🇩🇪 🛒 PikkoPay, a German startup, raised €950k to advance its checkout-free grocery payment system. Consumers use their own phone to scan items and self-checkout, replacing costly devices and store cameras.
🇮🇳 🌿 Kapiva, an Indian startup, raised $60M to fuel international expansion of its functional nutrition line of Ayurveda products.
🇺🇸 🤖 Burnt, a US startup, raised $3.8M to build its AI-powered food supply chain OS for the food system, by acting like a modern, “agentic” ERP.
🇮🇩 🥛 Arummi, an Indonesian startup, raised $2M to scale its cashew-based alt-milk, backed by the World Barista Champion.
🤝 Acquisitions, Partnerships & Regulation
🇺🇸 🎨 Michroma partnered with CJ CheilJedang (South Korea) to scale fermentation-based natural colors produced through precision fermentation.
🌍 🧪 The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Novo Nordisk launched a $25.6M consortium to turn CO2 into acetate-based protein, linking food, pharma, and climate.
📊 Leading Companies & Macro Trends
🇺🇸 🍬 Loud, colorful candy brands are booming among adults. These nostalgic-looking, indulgent (by definition) and often expensive candies tap into a growing trend that we observe of regressive, not-so-healthy new food products. Until recently, this trend was observed on products targeting Gen-Z consumers. Its is now addressing almost all generations.
🇪🇺 📈 Food prices keep increasing fast in Europe. They accelerated again to a 3.2% in August. Since 2019, they increased by 34%, more than the 23% for overall consumer prices. This can be explained by wage rises and climate shocks on the continent and globally.
🌍 🥦 Can food really heal? The Food as Medicine movement is getting traction, even more so nowadays with the current MAHA movement in the US. While clinical trials show benefits of diet in managing some conditions, not all studies show consistent or significant results. Many programs still lack the required consistency and the necessary funding to achieve compelling results.
