Amsterdam-based venture capital fund Plantbase, which focuses on alt-protein, has added four new companies to its portfolio — JUST, Mighty Pea, Après, and Purezza. The investments mark a shift into new food categories for the fund.
Until now, Plantbase has largely focused on meat alternatives, but most of the new investments don’t fall into this group. JUST produces egg alternatives and cultivated chicken, while Mighty Pea makes dairy alternatives from peas and oats. Après is a vegan post-workout drink, and Purezza is the UK’s first vegan pizza chain.
Plantbase was founded a few years ago by impact investor Willem Blom. In an interview with vegconomist in 2018, Blom said his aim was to “fund companies which develop products that speed up the shift from animal agriculture to a vegan lifestyle.” He added that he was looking for “entrepreneurs who dream big and have a clear strategy to realise their dream, with founders that have a complementary skill set.”

Plantbase already has a range of alt-protein companies in its portfolio, including Heura, Better Nature, the Livekindly Co, Mycorena, Meatable, and Avant.
“Offering consumers more plant-based alternatives to milk, cheese, and eggs is an important step to accelerate the shift to a plant-based diet,” said Willem Blom. “JUST, Mighty Pea, Après, and Purezza are all winning brands in their categories. And I’m delighted to support them on their journey.”