Synthesis Capital, a global food technology and alternative protein investor with operations in the UK, US, and Guernsey, today announces Synthesis Capital Fund I (“Fund”) which it says represents the largest fund ever raised for the sector.
“We are well positioned to back the food system unicorns of tomorrow.”
Prior to founding Synthesis Capital, the team helped build CPT Capital, which made investments in 35 key players such as Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Perfect Day, Upside Foods, Geltor, BlueNalu, Aleph Farms, ENOUGH, Solar Foods, Formo, and Good Catch.
$15M cheques for 15 food tech innovators
With over $300m in assets under management, Synthesis states it now represents the largest fund ever raised for the sector. Synthesis Capital state that the capital will be used to expedite and support next-gen companies innovating in the food industry globally, and that it is targeting investments in around 15 companies, with an average cheque size of $15m.
The oversubscribed fund is backed by high-profile institutional investors including Jeremy Coller, founder of the $52 trillion investor group FAIRR, with a cornerstone investment from Société Familiale d’Investissements and corporate partners, in addition to “well-known family offices and ultra-high-net-worth individuals.”
Costa Yiannoulis, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Synthesis Capital said: “At Synthesis we back founders and companies with strong technical foundations and scaling potential. In order to transform our food system to feed 10 billion people by 2050, within planetary boundaries, these new food technologies and platforms are imperative.”
Backing the food unicorns of tomorrow
“I am very excited by the level of interest we have received from investor partners in our Fund, by their strong belief in our thesis, and by the sheer growth potential of the alternative protein space in the coming decades. We already have investments in a number of game-changing companies under our belt and are well-positioned, relatively early on in our deployment of the Synthesis Fund, to take advantage of the recent tech-wide market price correction, to back the food system unicorns of tomorrow,” adds Yiannoulis.
“We are confident that alternative proteins will no longer be considered “alternative” in the near future”
“We are confident that alternative proteins will no longer be considered “alternative” in the near future”
Rosie Wardle, Partner and Co-Founder of Synthesis Capital, said: “We are now at an inflection point in the industry where real innovation is coming to bear in the food system, driven by a confluence of factors including capital markets readiness, prioritisation of sustainability and climate goals by governments and corporates, and consumer choice shifting towards healthier and animal-free foods.
“With deep experience in this sector, we are ready to take advantage of this significant investment opportunity, and are confident that alternative proteins will no longer be considered “alternative” in the near future. We are incredibly grateful for the support of our investor partners who share our belief in the significant potential of harnessing alternative protein technologies and platforms to transform our ailing and antiquated food system.”
David Welch, Chief Scientific Officer and Co-Founder of Synthesis Capital, added: “At Synthesis we believe technology is central to how we solve the huge challenges that exist within our global food system. But traditional food technology alone cannot create better versions of meat, egg, and dairy products that consumers will want to eat. The paradigm shift we are now witnessing lies with companies combining the best from food technology and modern biotechnology in new, innovative ways. This convergence of synthetic biology, tissue engineering, 3D printing, food chemistry, and other enabling technologies will allow us to transform plants, microorganisms, and animal cells into nutritious, scalable, sustainable food that tastes great, is priced competitively, and is accessible to all.”
