Plant-based company Kale United AB (Kale United) today announces its second crowdfunding round has seen strong global demand from investors, with EUR 600,000 raised to date, surpassing the minimum target and approaching the EUR 1 million total target.
The round closes at the end of September and its success comes amid a global surge in plant-based investment, fuelled by recent significant milestones such as the ground-breaking success of the Beyond Meat IPO. Kale United shareholders already own stakes in 17 innovative global plant-based businesses, including Ocean Hugger Foods, Swedish Temptations, Beyond Meat and Scandinavia’s most well-established plant-based brand Astrid Och Aporna.
The latest funding round will support further deals – a number of which are already underway – as well as the development of Kale United’s ecosystem of shared services designed to support the growth of member companies. Most recently, Kale United invested in German plant-based food brand Veganz, and is exploring synergies with this and other investments.
Kale United founder Måns Ullerstam said: “This is an amazing time for the global plant-based movement, with highly innovative start-ups that are solving some of our planet’s biggest challenges attracting strong interest from an increasingly diverse pool of investors.
We’re seeing interest from traditional impact investors that have previously backed sustainability initiatives, amid growing recognition that plant-based companies directly address many UN Sustainable Development Goals, and will play a significant role in improving the health of our planet and its population in the future.
“Companies like Hooray Foods, Baihu Foods, Peace of Meat, FUMI Ingredient, Good Dot or Boon Bonen are just a snapshot of the next wave of brands heading for the mainstream. We are also seeing strong growth in the alternative protein sector – there’s not only plant-based, cell-based, algae-based and fungi-based protein, but now also, incredibly, even air-based protein! Now, many clean meat initiatives are not just R&D concepts, they are fast becoming a commercial reality – and Kale United is watching closely, we are keen to back such initiatives.
Kale United now has more than 300 investors from over 30 countries including China, India and Brazil. We are proud to be uniting a community that believes in a better future with brands who are striving to make this a reality.
Every vegan on the planet should own a share in Kale United. As we continue our journey towards an IPO, our latest funding round invites investors to help more exciting plant-based companies flourish.”
