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20 FoodTech news to know this week (2025 – week #45)

week45-DigitalFoodLab-recess-parima-agtonomy

Published on November 3, 2025

💸 Startup Funding News

🇺🇸 🧃 Recess, a US startup, raised $30M for its functional drinks (infused with CBD).

 

🇺🇸 🎾 Tennis champion Novak Djokovic invested in US startup COB, developing corn-free popcorn (made from sorghum).

 

🇺🇸 🏪 Lula Commerce, a US startup, raised $8M Series A for its platform that helps small retailers access a dashboard to control their digital operations, notably around delivery.

 

🇺🇸 🚜 Agtonomy, a US AgTech company, raised $18M for its retrofitting solutions that “transform” existing equipment (tractors) into autonomous, AI-driven equipment.

 

🇩🇪 🔁 Aevoloop, a German startup, raised €8M for its chemically recyclable and biodegradable plastics that can be fully reused without any loss of quality.

 

🇦🇺 🌿 Uluu, an Australian startup, raised $16M to build a facility to transform seaweed into alternatives to plastics.

 

🇵🇹 🌊 Seaforester, a Portuguese startup, raised €1.6M to restore seaweed (kelp) forests for carbon sequestration.

 

🇮🇳 🌾 Fambo, an Indian AgTech startup, raised $2.5M to scale its platform connecting foodservice players to farmers for direct sourcing.

 

🇫🇷 🍤 Lisaqua, a French startup, raised €9.4M to industrialise land-based shrimp farming through aquaponics.

 

🇯🇵 🍳 Umami United, a Japanese startup, raised $2M to expand its plant-based egg alternatives.

 

🇺🇸 🍓 Hundy, an American frozen fruit pop startup, raised $350K to expand its clean-label frozen snack line.

 

🤝 Acquisitions, Regulation & product launches

🇫🇷 🇸🇬 🍗 Parima, a French startup created by the merger of Gourmey and Vital Meat, received regulatory approval in Singapore for its cultivated chicken. This is the first time a European startup has received any authorisation globally to sell its cultivated meat products.

 

🇺🇸 🍗 Believer Meats received USDA approval for its cultivated chicken in the US.

 

🇺🇸 🥓 Mission Barns launched the first cultivated pork in retail, available in the US.

 

🌍 🧬 Patent filings for meat alternatives have declined sharply, according to global data.

 

📊 Leading Companies & Macro Trends

🇪🇺 🐜 A meta-study on the environmental impact of insect farming delivers quite discouraging results for the already reeling industry. For animal feed and pet food, the use of insects appears to be worse from a CO2-equivalent perspective.

 

🇫🇷🥛 Danone is struggling to meet the high demand for its protein-enriched products. This confirms the growing trend for high-protein products worldwide.

 

🇪🇺 💶 The EU unveiled its “Scale-up Europe” Fund to channel multi-billion public–private capital into late-stage startups.

 

🇨🇳 🏪 Alibaba announced a $281 million investment to expand its Taobao network of convenience stores across China. E-commerce giants are looking to utilise these physical corner stores as a relay for their quick-commerce, 24/7, fast delivery strategy for groceries.

 

🇹🇷 🌰 Ferrero, maker of Nutella, and the consumer of 25% of the world’s supply of hazelnuts, is facing a poor harvest and pest outbreak that has halved Turkey’s production. Local dealers have stockpiled hazelnuts, looking to extract a premium from Ferrero.

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