Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

ImpacFat's cultivated fish fat in a spoon besides a plate with fish balls and salad

© ImpacFat

Singapore’s ImpacFat to Unveil “World’s First” Cultivated Fish Fat at Demo Day

After undergoing Big Idea Ventures’ five-month accelerator program in Singapore, enrolled startups are set to present their innovations to investors and corporations in the alt protein space. Singapore’s ImpacFat, which claims to be the first food tech company to develop cultivated fish fat, will showcase its innovative product for the first time ever at the demo day on December 1st. The startup will hold a tasting session — granted by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) — at Singapore’s National Gallery, the venue for the demo day. In a press release, Mandy Hon, ImpacFat’s managing director, said, “As consumers, we may think that fat is bad and want to reduce our fat intake. However, ImpacFat wants the world to know that fat can be good too! …

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Mylkcubator second cohort

The Maolac team. Image supplied.

Mylkcubator Announces Second Cohort of Alt Dairy Startups

Mylkcubator, an alt dairy accelerator program by Pascual Innoventures, has revealed the five startups chosen as part of its second cohort. The startups are: Maolac, Israel — Using biofunctional ingredients to create nutrient-rich proteins inspired by milk. PFx Biotech, Portugal — Commercialising bioactive and functional human milk proteins made via precision fermentation, which will be used as ingredients in pediatric and advanced nutrition. Miruku, New Zealand — Applying molecular farming technologies to program plant cells and produce proteins and fats suitable for use in plant-based dairy products. ERGO Bioscience, Argentina — Developing plant-derived versions of proteins previously only found in animal products, such as casein and myoglobin. Nutropy, France — Producing dairy-identical ingredients using yeast. Investments in previous cohort Pascual Innoventures has also announced investments …

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Thrilling Bakon

©Thrilling Foods

Thrilling Foods’ Bakon Receives US Patent for ‘World’s First’ Fat Streaked Plant-Based Bacon

Portland, Oregon food company Thrilling Foods announces it has received a US patent for its novel fatty and lean protein-streaked vegan bacon, known as Bakon. The innovation covers a breakthrough protein structure that releases fat during the cooking process, in much the same way as conventional bacon. The company is also planning to open a third production facility to keep up with soaring demand.  The US patent covers Thrilling’s techniques that harness the genuine flavor and texture of pork bacon, specifically its proprietary use of “protein-bound fat layers” that alternate with ultra-lean meaty layers, and the company’s use of the natural umami flavors found in certain proteins.  These special processes allow the product to render and fry in its own fat, just like traditional pork …

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vegan foods founders pictured with a yellow background

© Vecan Foods

India: Vecan Foods Launches Clean Label Plant-Based Meat Alternatives Across Delhi

Vecan Foods, a young Indian plant-based food startup, has launched four new options across Delhi-NCR. The company claims its products are clean-label, high-protein alternatives to conventional meat. Founded by entrepreneurs Mahima Gupta and Guneet Kaur, Vecan Foods aims to help consumers adopt healthier diets. After noticing a gap in the Indian market for healthy alternatives to meat, they decided to create their own home-style plant-based foods. Healthy, clean-label ingredients Vecan products are made with pea protein, tofu, fresh vegetables, and spices, using recipes from the founders’ kitchens. According to the company, today’s flexitarians are looking to incorporate healthier, cleaner, and more affordable products without compromising on convenience and familiar taste. “You can scan the label and understand what every single word means. We have kept …

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Meet-Future-chicken

© Meet Future

Meet Future Wins Plant-Based Start-Up Competition With Fermented Mycoprotein Whole Cuts

Out of the 50+ startups that applied, Meet Future, an Estonian-based food tech that produces whole cut meat and seafood alternatives made from mycoprotein, was announced winner of the Plant-Based Start-Up Competition. Vevolution, a leading vegan marketplace and Plant-Based World Expo Europe, a B2B 100% plant-based food & beverage expo, selected Meet Future for its mycoprotein whole cuts, both of which are considered the second wave of plant-based alternatives. Next-gen whole cuts Triin Remmelgas and Andrean Razumovski founded Meet Future in 2021 to create the next generation of whole cut meat substitutes using fermented mycoprotein and clean-label recipes. Since then, the startup has developed a proprietary mycoprotein texturization technology to replicate animal tissue’s muscle and fibrous structure in its meat and seafood analogs. Meet Future’s first product …

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Product developer preparing a burger and fries_Shanghai-5285

Image supplied by ADM

ScaleUp Bio to Open Two Precision Fermentation Facilities for Global Startups

Recently launched Singaporean solutions provider ScaleUp Bio has announced that it will be opening two dedicated precision fermentation facilities for global food tech startups. According to ScaleUp, there are few food–grade laboratory facilities available, with most catering to the pharmaceutical or biofuel industries. Since opening a pilot plant is financially out of reach for many startups, facilities such as ScaleUp’s could provide a solution. About the facilities The first facility is a laboratory developed in collaboration with the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research. It will support up to 100 litres of fermentation and processing capacity, with testing and optimisation capabilities. The facility will be located in central Singapore, at Nurasa’s Food Tech Innovation Centre. The second facility will provide access to a huge …

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More Foods alt meat

©More Foods

FoodValley Challenge Seeks Nutritious and Upcycled Plant-Based Products

International sustainable food organisation Foodvalley NL has launched a new challenge for startups developing nutritious and upcycled plant-based products. Foodvalley is seeking the next generation of plant-based foods to help feed a fast-growing global population. According to the organisation, while many alt-protein products have excellent taste and structure, their nutritional value could be improved. Additionally, there are several food industry sidestreams — such as wheat byproducts and press-cakes from vegetable oil production — that could potentially be used to make plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, reducing waste. These byproducts are often protein-rich, high in fibre, and low in sugar, making them nutritious as well as sustainable. Startups applying for the challenge should ideally meet both criteria, producing plant-based proteins that are nutritious and contain upcycled …

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Mirjam Walser

Mirjam Walser © Vegan Business School

Berlin’s Vegan Business School Announces Second Round

To start your own business and promote veganism in the process is a dream for many that is not always easy to realise. The Vegan Business School, founded in Berlin this year, aims to make it easier. The Vegan Business School offers four-month live online courses where participants learn how to build and start a vegan business. Supporting women The Vegan Business School provides the necessary knowledge and support to get your own vegan business off the ground. The focus is primarily on women; Mirjam Walser, who is in contact with numerous founders through the organisation of vegan startup events, knows that women in particular have many doubts when it comes to entrepreneurship. The programme is therefore not only about learning the basics of entrepreneurship, …

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VWS Pathfinder finalists

© VWS

VWS Pathfinder Reveals 2022 Finalists, With None From the US for the First Time Ever

VWS Pathfinder, a plant-based pitching competition exclusively for female founders, has revealed its finalists for 2022. For the first time since the competition began in 2020, no US founders have made the top five. The finalists are: Jennifer Côté, co-founder and CTO of Canadian cell-based milk producer Opalia. Marilena Schmich, co-founder and CEO of German plant-based seafood brand numi foods. Sofia Giampaoli, founder and CEO of British alt-protein ingredient solutions platform Alt Atlas. Tasneem Karodia, co-founder of South African cultivated meat producer Mzansi Meat. Verónica García-Arteaga, co-founder and CTO of German vegan egg brand Neggst. The founders will pitch live in front of an investor jury at an event next month, with the winner receiving a prize package worth $50,000 USD. Creating a more diverse …

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Food tech startups for damo day online event

© FoodHack

Molecular Proteins and Hemp Cheese Feature in FoodHack’s Demo Day Oct 11th

FoodHack has revealed the high-impact food tech startups pitching at its Demo Day tomorrow 11th October.  FoodHack is an independent community-driven platform that highlights and connects food entrepreneurs and innovators across the globe. During tomorrow’s Demo Day, selected food tech founders will have the opportunity to pitch to hundreds of top industry investors. For this edition, FoodHack says it received applications from 30+ countries, with twelve food tech startups finally selected for this challenging online event.  Demo Day’s food tech startups Brett Cotten from Arda Biomaterial (UK): Upcycling brewery waste to make an alternative protein material that could replace leather. Veronica Fil from Grounded Foods (USA): Novel manufacturing process that enables hemp seeds to be used to create superior alternatives to dairy. Niklas Wallsargård from Improvin …

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ProVeg cohort includes Ukrainian startup

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ProVeg Incubator Reveals Latest Cohort, Including Ukrainian Startup

Alt protein accelerator program the ProVeg Incubator has announced its latest cohort, which includes a Ukrainian startup for the first time ever. The startup, GoGreen, is developing plant-based steaks, burger cutlets, and cheeses. Albrecht Wolfmeyer, Head of the ProVeg Incubator, said it was “particularly pleasing to see a startup from Ukraine joining us at a time when the country is struggling under the horrors of war”. For the first time since the program was founded, startups from Nigeria and New Zealand are also featured. Casa Vegan aims to be the go-to plant-based African brand, developing meat alternatives from local and upcycled ingredients, while New Zealand’s Jooules produces food via the fermentation of microbes. The remaining startups are: Sunday Supper (USA) — Plant-based and premium ready-to-eat …

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Edenesque Grow-NY Competition

©Edenesque

Edenesque Dairy-Free Milk Selected as $1M Finalist in Grow-NY’s Startup Competition

Edenesque, a plant-based milk startup based in Kingston, NY, has been selected as a finalist for a $1M grand prize in the Grow-NY competition, a global food innovation and agriculture tech challenge. Worldwide competition Overseen by the Empire State Development and Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, 2022 marks the fourth year of the challenge, with this year’s competition drawing a significantly higher number of applications than 2021, reports WRRV.  Though based in New York, the competition attracts entrepreneurs from across the world. From the US, 25 states were represented, with 38% having female founders and 75% a founder from an underrepresented minority group. Twenty finalists, including Edenesque, are now vying for seven cash prizes: a $1 million grand prize, two $500,000 prizes and four …

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Cultivated meat in AustraliavGeorge Peppou, CEO, Matt Kean, NSW Treasurer, Tim Noakesmith, Cofounder

Vow's CEO George Peppou (left) Matt Kean, NSW Treasurer, and Tim Noakesmith, Vow's co-founder (right) © Vow

Vow Says it Has Opened the Largest Cultivated Meat Facility in the Southern Hemisphere

Vow announces it has officially opened its Factory 1 in the presence of the New South Wales Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean. The Australian cultivated meat startup states this is the largest cultivated facility both in Australia and the entire Southern Hemisphere. Vow claims that Factory 1 can produce 30 tonnes of meat annually and that this makes it the largest of its kind in the entire hemisphere. The company also announces that its Factory 2, with capability to produce 100x this scale, is already under development. Cultivated quail? Located in Alexandria, Sydney; Factory 1 has already produced successful runs of cultivated meat. The company says that its first product will soon be revealed to the world, which has been reported as being a …

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Big Idea Ventures sixth cohort

© Thrilling Foods

3D-Printed Fish & Bacon Made From Soymilk: The Sixth Big Idea Ventures Cohort

Big Idea Ventures has revealed the 17 companies that have been chosen as part of its alt protein accelerator program. Each one will receive pre-seed investment, which will be made through Big Idea Ventures’ New York, Singapore, and Paris offices via the firm’s New Protein Fund I. The chosen startups are as follows. New York Cultimate Foods (Germany) — Using cellular agriculture to create fat alternatives for plant-based meat. Extracellular (UK) — Accelerating cultivated meat development by producing biomass more efficiently and developing licensable technological advancements. Genuine Taste (Canada) — Developing patent-pending scaffolding technology to cultivate fat cells in their natural microenvironment. NouBio (US) — Animal-free products for scalable cell culture in cultivated meat, cell therapy, and vaccine production. These products include a highly efficient …

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Greg Steltenpohl CEO Califia Farms

Greg Steltenpohl ©CEO Califia Farms

Greg Steltenpohl Visionary Award Now Accepting Entries for $100,000 Early-Stage Venture Grant

The Greg Steltenpohl Pragmatic Visionary Award, which honors the late plant-based business pioneer Greg Steltenpohl, is officially accepting entries for its first annual $100,000 grant for early-stage food ventures. Each year, the grant will be awarded to plant-centric entrepreneurs to enable or expand the accomplishments, reach and impact of their work. Any innovations related to the food system from “soil to soul” are eligible for the grant. Early-stage food initiatives will be judged according to the merit of its team and strategy, as well as the embodiment of the four core principles Greg championed: systems entrepreneurship, pragmatic vision, ethical leadership, and creative transformation. Final collaboration The Visionary Award will be presented annually in March at Natural Products Expo West, and is hosted in collaboration with …

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