Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Seafood alternatives at Pitch + Plant 2023

© Esencia Foods

Vevolution Reveals the 6 Startups Participating in Pitch + Plant 2023

Vevolution — an investment platform for plant-based and cultivated companies — has revealed the six startups that will be taking part in Pitch + Plant 2023, the platform’s final and largest pitch event of the year. They are: Alcheme Bio – Improving the taste of cultivated foods using ML-driven compositional analytics and flavor media supplements. Esencia Foods – Creating affordable, natural seafood alternatives using solid-state fermentation of mycelium. Genuine Taste – Developing customizable cultivated fat to texturize alternative meat products while also improving their taste. Livestock Labs – Creating customized cell lines to help cultivated meat companies save money and time. The startup uses advanced genetic engineering and technology to streamline cell line development, reducing costs and accelerating innovation. Mi Terro – Developing ocean-degradable and …

more

Organisations and brands:

ProVeg Incubator Demo Day banner

© ProVeg Incubator

The 8 Startups Pitching Innovations from Cultivated Caviar to the “New Soy” at ProVeg Incubator Demo Day

The eight startups that form the 11th cohort of the ProVeg Incubator are set to showcase their innovations at a Demo Day on December 14. The Demo Day is the culmination of the 12-week incubator program, which teaches startups how to develop products, secure regulatory approval, and more. The pitches will be watched by food-tech investors, entrepreneurs, corporates, the media, researchers, and other industry professionals. Investors will quiz the startups about topics such as their founding team, technology, and value proposition. The startups taking part in the event are: Allium Bio (Singapore): Developing a novel technology for co-culturing microalgae and mycelium to create functional ingredients for plant-based foods. Poseidona (Spain): Making algal protein “the new soy” by turning seaweed by-products into protein for use in …

more

Organisations and brands:

Image courtesy of ProVeg International

Alternative Protein Startups to Keep on Your Radar

The food and beverage industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation, driven by the increasing demand for healthier, more sustainable, and ethical food choices. In this dynamic landscape, alternative proteins have taken centre stage, offering innovative solutions to address these pressing concerns. As we look ahead to 2024, a fresh wave of food tech start-ups is set to make a significant impact, promising to revolutionise the food and beverage sector. In its latest New Food Hub article, ProVeg International introduces eight promising food tech start-ups, who are all poised to lead this transformation. These companies, all part of ProVeg Incubator’s 11th cohort, are addressing a diverse range of challenges in alternative protein production, from taste and nutrition to pricing and scaling. Let’s meet the first five …

more

Organisations and brands:

Tuna steaks made from upcycled algae by Poseidona

Tuna steaks made from upcycled algae by Poseidona, Image courtesy of Eatable Adventures

Spain Foodtech Startups Program Reveals 2023 Cohort of Agrifood Pioneers

Spain Foodtech Startups Program announces its 2023 cohort, with four Spanish startups leading the new agrifood revolution with innovative technologies, natural alternatives, and upcycled proteins. Backed by an impressive investment of €10 million, this program aims to support the selected startups over the next three years to make them capable of competing globally. Spain Foodtech, a collaboration between Eatable Adventures, ICEX Spain Export and Investments, and CNTA, seeks to position Spain as a technological leader. According to the data from an Eatable Adventures study, the food tech investment in Spain reached €268 million in 2022, marking a growth of 9.3% compared to the previous year. Four pioneers From over 120 applications, Spain Foodtech selected the following startups: Bio2coat: Develops natural coatings that extend the shelf life …

more

A shrimp flavor vegan seasoning product

Image courtesy of ProVeg Incubator

ProVeg Incubator Announces 11th Cohort Focused on Improving the Functionality and Quality of Alt Proteins

The ProVeg Incubator has unveiled the lineup for its 11th cohort, comprising eight startups set to revolutionize the alt protein industry with their products, including cultivated caviar, fermented ingredients, seasoning blends, and seaweed proteins.  The 11th cohort includes entrepreneurs from Argentina, Spain, Bulgaria, Singapore, and the USA, and for the first time in its five-year history, a Brazilian startup is joining the program. With four more participants, the incubator’s 10th cohort included 12 startups developing various products, from plant-based eggs and shrimp to chickpea milk. Still, Proveg is seeking entrepreneurs eager to launch a cultivated octopus company. The ProVeg Incubator has worked with 90+ startups since it started in 2018 to find alternatives to animal products. The incubator offers personalized mentoring, access to an extensive network of industry …

more

Organisations and brands:

Mylkcubator child

© Mylkcubator / Pascual Innovations

The ‘Mylkcubator: More Than Mylk’ Accelerator Program Seeks Applications from Next Gen Alt Dairy and Beyond

After two successful editions of the Mylkcubator accelerator, the program reveals it has decided to pursue a more ambitious approach for its third edition. Pascual Innoventures, the Corporate Venture unit of Pascual, a leading Spanish manufacturer of dairy products and beverages, launched Mylkcubator in 2021, claiming it to be the first global incubation program for cellular agriculture technologies in the dairy industry. More than (alt) milk and dairy Now, Pascual announces in collaboration with foodtech accelerator Eatable Adventures, the launch of Mylkcubator: More Than Mylk, focusing on disruptive technologies for the new generation of biosynthetic dairy products and exploring new technologies in impact areas including alt eggs, coffee, lipids, cocoa, sweeteners, and functional ingredients. According to the company, the Mylkcubator ecosystem has generated a total …

more

Organisations and brands:

Ivy Farm and Finnebrogue partner to bring cultivated Wagyu beef to the UK  

Image courtesy of Ivy Farm

Biotech Firms Awarded €1.2M for Creating Animal-Free Cell Culture Media to Make Cultivated Meat a “Commercial Reality”

Commercializing cell-based products such as cultivated meat remains challenging due to the substantial costs and ethical implications of fetal bovine serum. To find solutions, EIT Food, the world’s largest and most dynamic food innovation community, and the Good Food Institute (GFI) Europe launched the Cultivated Meat Innovation Challenge to develop a more affordable and efficient animal-free cell culture media. The winners, UK biotech company 3D Bio-Tissues and Israeli biotech startup BioBetter have received €1.2 million from EIT Food. With the funds, the companies will continue their R&D efforts in developing lower-cost alternatives to bovine serum. Moreover, they will produce cultivated meat products using their innovations.  Dr. Adam M. Adamek, director of innovation at EIT Food, said: “The cost of cell-culture media is a significant barrier to scaling …

more

© ProVeg International

ProVeg Launches Unique ‘Kickstarting for Good’ Program to Transform the Food System

Food awareness organization ProVeg International introduces ‘Kickstarting for Good’, a program to launch and grow nonprofits, impact initiatives, and social startups working in the field of food system transformation. Claimed to be the first program of its kind worldwide, Kickstarting for Good will be run by the ProVeg Incubator, which already runs an accelerator program for plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation startups. The program is open to those who have high-potential ideas for new initiatives, and also to those with the drive to take forward some ideas pre-identified by ProVeg. “We’ve identified a whole series of high-impact ideas, so we invite people to apply whether they have an existing idea or not. We’ll train you and introduce you to the right people to make this big …

more

Organisations and brands:

© Yeastime

Big Idea Ventures Announces First New Protein Fund II Investments

Alt protein venture capital firm Big Idea Ventures has announced the first investments made as part of its New Protein Fund II. Ten early-stage startups have been chosen to receive pre-seed funding through the firm’s biannual accelerator program in New York and Paris. They are: New York Future Cow (Brazil) — Animal-free milk made via the precision fermentation of agro-industrial waste. The product is molecularly identical to cow’s milk. Naturannova (Chile) — Uses a proprietary Natural AI technology to rapidly identify peptides in nature, creating natural, healthy, and sustainable flavors. Pioneer Biolabs (US) — Has developed a proprietary genomic screening platform to engineer and optimize microbial cells for protein production.  Harvest Moon Foods (Canada) — The first Canadian company to use precision fermentation to turn …

more

Organisations and brands:

Octopus

©lemart-stock.adobe.com

ProVeg Incubator Seeks Cultivated Octopus – “It’s What the World Needs Now”

Horror has been felt around the world since the announcement of the world’s first commercial octopus farm, based in the Canary Islands, which is set to slaughter around a million of the highly intelligent creatures yearly to create 3,000 tons of octopus meat. “From Mumbai to Mexico City, protesters have mobilised, adding their voice to the more than 100 academics who contend that farming a carnivorous animal known to be curious, affectionate and exploratory would be unethical and environmentally unsustainable. Others have sought to crack down on the sector before it gets started; lawmakers in the US state of Washington are mulling a ban on octopus farming while an online petition calling for a global ban has received nearly 1m signatures,” reported the Guardian last …

more

Organisations and brands:

Vevolution pitch event

© Vevolution

Vevolution to Host Pitch Event Featuring Five Groundbreaking Alt Protein Startups

Alt protein investment platform Vevolution will be hosting a pitch event on July 20, featuring five groundbreaking plant-based and cellular agriculture startups. The participants are: Willicroft — a plant-based cheese B-Corp which is now preparing to launch what is claimed to be the world’s first butter made using precision fermentation. Cultimate Foods — a biotech firm specializing in cell cultivation, which will present its cultivated intramuscular animal fat. Ikenga Wines — a tropical wine producer which has developed sustainable palm wine made without palm trees. POSEIDONA — transforms invasive algae and waste streams into valuable protein ingredients. RADIAL — uses fungi to transform agricultural residues into versatile biomaterials, offering sustainable alternatives for various manufacturing processes. “Bold step” Pitches will be assessed by a panel of …

more

Organisations and brands:

PIC Artificial Intelligence Projects

©Protein Industries Canada

Protein Industries Canada Launches $10M Fund to Increase Use of AI in Plant-Based Food Sector

Protein Industries Canada (PIC)  announces it is offering $10M CAD for food tech projects that use artificial intelligence to improve plant-based food production. The funds are aimed at accelerating the commercialization of new foods and ingredients while making Canada’s plant-based sector more efficient and sustainable.  According to PIC, an industry-led nonprofit organization, AI has the potential to transform how food ingredient processors and manufacturers operate, especially by increasing the speed of recipe and ingredient formulation. AI also has a strong potential to improve food safety and quality assurance, says PIC.  Wide scope of projects From now until March 31, 2026, PIC plans to invest $30 million into AI projects that wil benefit the plant-based and agrifood sectors. The amount invested in each project will depend on …

more

Organisations and brands:

Plant-based Salmon Filet

©New School Foods

From Honey Bee Conservation to Plant-Based Salmon: Natural Products Canada Awards $1M to Bio-Based Companies

Natural Products Canada (NPC) announces it has awarded over CAD $1M in grants to ten Canadian companies creating bio-based innovations. Representing a range of startups and universities, the innovators are creating solutions that address everything from saving honey bee colonies and upcycling industrial waste to making plant-based salmon, natural food additives and non-toxic cleaning supplies. To receive funding, which was administered through NPC’s Commercialization Programs, each applicant had to provide “a compelling case” for their innovation and detail the challenge the program funds would address. “We continue to be inspired by the innovators we work with on a daily basis,” says Shelley King, CEO of Natural Products Canada. “The solutions have the potential to address challenges as diverse as protecting our bee populations to ensure our farmers …

more

Ergo Biosciences for ProVeg Demo Day

Image courtesy ProVeg Incubator

ProVeg Incubator: 12 Innovative Startups to Pitch at First In-Person Demo Day in Four Years

The tenth cohort of the ProVeg Incubator will culminate next month with a Demo Day, where alt protein startups will pitch in front of a panel of investors. For the first time in four years, the event will be held in person as well as online, watched by a global audience of food-tech investors, entrepreneurs, corporates, media, and researchers. It will be sponsored by Earthstar Investments, a women-led asset management business investing in plant-based food ventures. The following twelve startups will pitch at the event. Be Better My Friend, the Netherlands: Plant-based butter and cream alternatives for professional pastry chefs. Food Squared, UK: Next-generation plant-based shellfish, such as shrimp.  Ergo Bioscience, Argentina and the US: Complex animal proteins created via plant cell precision fermentation.  Plant …

more

Organisations and brands:

Vegan Lamb Burgers

© Black Sheep Foods

ProVeg in Washington: Cutting Meat is Necessary for Fighting Climate Change

ProVeg International told participants of the AIM for Climate Summit in Washington, D.C., that one long-term solution to climate change is reducing animal stocks and public meat consumption.  At the recent summit, private and public sector stakeholders gathered to explore climate-focused innovation and investment strategies to combat climate change in the food and agriculture industries.  At the event, ProVeg seized the opportunity to emphasize the importance of alternative proteins as the most effective way to reduce the impact of animal agriculture: GHG emissions, air and water pollution, soil erosion, land occupation, zoonotic diseases, and biodiversity loss, among others. A recent GINA report also emphasizes that investing in alt proteins helps to reduce methane emissions and create new jobs. GHG emissions Animal agriculture, especially livestock such …

more

Organisations and brands:

Grow-NY Food Tech Summit

©Grow-NY

Grow-NY 2023: Food and AgTech Startups Invited to Compete for $1M & Mentorship

Empire State Development announces there is one month left to apply for the 2023 Grow-NY competition. Now in its fifth year, the competition invites global food and agriculture startups to submit applications for a chance to win up to $1 million in prize money. Described as a unique initiative that connects innovators and investors in the food, beverage, and agriculture sectors, Grow-NY is focused on expanding economic growth and development in Upstate New York’s agricultural regions.  The Grow-NY region spans a 22-county area including Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier.  Through its competition, Grow-NY attracts high-growth food and agriculture startups from around the world, who will compete for a total of $3M in prize money. Following the application period, up to …

more

Organisations and brands:

ProVeg international opens new office in Nigeria to promote the benefits of plant-based diets

© ProVeg International

ProVeg Kickstarts the Plant-Based Revolution in Nigeria

Global food awareness organization ProVeg International announces the launch of its first office in Nigeria to help transform the food system in the world’s third fastest-growing country by population. As a new food awareness organization in the country, ProVeg Nigeria will promote the benefits of healthy and climate-friendly diets by showcasing the deliciousness of plant-based foods, joining the global team on its campaign to replace animal consumption with alternative protein by 50% by 2040. In 2021, ProVeg launched the ProVeg Africa Accelerator planting the seeds of the plant-based movement across the continent.  Hakeem Jimo, the new country director of ProVeg Nigeria, said: “I’m truly thrilled about the opening of the ProVeg Nigeria office and the impact we will have in raising awareness about the need to …

more

Organisations and brands:

CellX cultivated chicken breast finalist at XPRIZE

Image courtesy of CellX

CellX Team Reaches XPRIZE Finals with Cultivated Chicken Breast

Chinese cultivated meat company CellX announces it has been selected among the six finalists (out of 353 participants) of the XPRIZE Feed the Next Billion (FTNB) competition to develop alternative proteins. FTNB, established in 2020, encourages startups to develop alternative chicken breast or fish filet products that surpass conventional meat in terms of nutrition, taste, and texture. Moreover, these products must be affordable and promote environmental sustainability and animal welfare. © XPRIZE Foundation Six breakthroughs in food tech A judging panel of diverse experts in international sustainability, agricultural and biological engineering, the food industry, and experts working at the highest levels of academia and research selected the finalist, explains XPRIZE. The following teams will compete for the final prize of $12 million in 2024: Revo Foods: Plant-based fish from Austria Eternal: Fermentation-derived chicken …

more

Organisations and brands:

Scale It Up! Banner

Image credit: Scale it Up! LinkedIn

Scale it Up! USA 2023 Helps Plant-Based Startups Launch Innovative Proteins

Following three successful programs in the US, Europe, and Asia; four industry giants — Bühler, Cargill, Givaudan, and Puris –are launching Scale It Up! US 2023.  The challenge seeks to identify and support innovative startups working on plant-based proteins in North America, including Canada, the United States of America, Mexico, and Latin America, down to Panama. The program aims to support plant-based protein startups to scale and commercialize their projects without taking any IP or equity. The selected groups will benefit from mentorship, funding, and access to a network of experts in the industry.  Previous participants include Nowadays, a San Franciso-based plant-based meat company; MOA Foodtech, a Spanish startup converting waste and by-products from the agri-food industry into next-gen protein; and Meatless Kingdom, an Indonesian startup making …

more

Organisations and brands:

GFI banner

Image credit: GFI.org/blog

India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge Calls for Novel Solutions to Transform the Food System

After training over a thousand new innovators in the alt protein ecosystem through its two previous programs, the Good Food Institute India (GFI India) announces the launch of the third edition of its flagship initiative, The India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge 2023 (ISPIC). This year‘s challenge is focused on ideation and innovation in whitespaces across the value chain of plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation-derived proteins. ISPIC launched for the first time in 2020 to create a vibrant ecosystem of innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors to accelerate the development of smart proteins for a sustainable and equitable food system. Impactful ideas Devika Suresh, Innovation Specialist at GFI India and an alumnus of the challenge, said: “With each passing year, we see more talented innovators bringing their unique perspectives and solutions to the …

more

Organisations and brands:

load more