Lisa Feria, Stray Dog Capital

Lisa Feria © Stray Dog Capital

Opinion

Op Ed: Lisa Feria, CEO Stray Dog Capital, on Boosting Consumer Sentiment Around Alt Meats

Lisa Feria, as a good deal of our readers will know, is CEO and managing partner of Stray Dog Capital, a prolific US-based venture capital fund focused on the plant-based market, investing in early-stage food, food-tech, and biotech companies that set out to transform our broken food system. Lisa has more than 20 years of experience in food operations and CPGs and led billion-dollar brands in multinational companies such as Procter & Gamble and General Mills. Lisa has been selected twice by the “Top 100 Most Influential Latinas” list. A passionate vegan and triathlete, Lisa serves on the boards of Mercy for Animals, the Great Plains SPCA, Miyoko’s Creamery, and Deliciou. In this article, Lisa explores practical strategies to enhance consumer sentiment for the alternative …

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Plant-Based Fried Shrimp

©The ISH Company

Investments & Finance

The ISH Company Raises Over $5M in Oversubscribed Round to Accelerate Plant-Based Shrimp and More

Alt-seafood startup The ISH Company announces it has raised more than $5 million in seed funding to accelerate growth and development of its plant-based seafood products. The oversubscribed round was led by ACCELR8, with participation from Stray Dog Capital, and multiple angel investors. The funds will primarily be used to propel the company’s market launch, create more innovative products, and lay the groundwork for future partnerships.  ISH, whose name stands for Innovative, Sustainable, and Healthy, produces a range of plant-based seafood made from natural ingredients such as green coconuts and algae. Its flagship product, Shrimpish®, is a premium, more sustainable alternative to shrimp that launched in select US restaurants, colleges, and universities in early 2022.  “The plant-based market has seen incredible growth over the past …

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vegan 2023

@Pixelbliss - stock.adobe.com

Market & Trends

Industry Leaders Reveal Their 2023 Food Trend Predictions, Part 1

As an eventful 2022 draws to a close, leaders across various sectors in the food industry share with vegconomist their food industry predictions for 2023. In the first part of this series, gimme Snacks, Aleph Farms, Stray Dog Capital and Tastewise predict what will happen in the plant-based food and alternative protein spaces. We offer you their thoughts and insights classified by sectors to contextualize each leader’s unique perspective on what’s coming in 2023. Plant-based foods gimme Snacks: Diego Norris, CMO Foods with low environmental footprints: Norris, a marketing expert at gimme Snacks, considers climate change’s effects undeniable. “In 2023, we expect to see a step-change in demand for brands and products that are produced in sustainable ways or that significantly reduce their carbon footprints by …

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UPSIDE Foods FDA greenlight

© UPSIDE Foods

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

FDA’s Approval of Cultivated Meat: Industry Leaders Respond

Following this week’s groundbreaking news of UPSIDE Food receiving GRAS status for its cultivated chicken, marking the first time in the world that the FDA has given the green light to a cultivated meat product, industry leaders from the GFI, Stray Dog Capital, BioTech Foods, and Synthesis Capital here provide commentary on the significance of this historic development.   To recap: UPSIDE Foods has now successfully completed the FDA’s rigorous pre-market safety review for its cultivated chicken, demonstrating that it is as safe as conventional chicken. This historic milestone will pave the way for consumers to access these products in restaurants and retail across the country and ultimately across the world.   Seth Roberts, GFI The Good Food Institute Europe (GFI Europe) – the leading …

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Stray Dog Capital

Johnny Ream. © Stray Dog Capital

Interviews

Stray Dog Capital: “Our Portfolio Companies Produce 98% Fewer Farm Emissions Compared to the Meat Industry”

Stray Dog Capital is a venture capital fund with a focus on companies making the food system more ethical and sustainable. The fund’s impressive portfolio spans plant-based, cultivated, and precision fermentation companies, including notable names such as Miyoko’s Creamery, Good Catch, and Aleph Farms. As a frontrunner in alt protein and biotech investments, Stray Dog recognises that it is becoming ever more challenging to make investment decisions, as these sectors continue to rapidly expand. Partner Johnny Ream spoke to us about how the fund will respond to the increased competition and what the future holds. Tell us about your investment approach at Stray Dog Capital. At Stray Dog Capital, we focus on investing in innovative, early-stage companies across the food and beverage and biotechnology sectors …

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CHKN Not Chicken Sprouts Markets

©CHKN Not Chicken

Products & Launches

CHKN Not Chicken Launches in Over 370 Sprouts Farmers Markets

CHKN Not Chicken announces the startup has launched its shredded plant-based chicken at US Sprouts Farmers Markets nationwide.  Made from a pea protein base, CHKN Not Chicken says its products replicate the full flavor, texture and juiciness of traditional chicken. Now available in Sprouts’ frozen plant-based meats, CHKN products offer 20 grams of protein per serving, are gluten- and soy-free, and made without GMO ingredients.  Sprouts shoppers can choose from four CHKN varieties: Naked (Original), Zen (Asian spices with ginger), Fiesta (Mexican spices and citrus), and a new Sprouts-exclusive flavor, BBQ CHKN, featuring sweet and savory barbecue sauce.  Award-winning startup  Each CHKN product comes in an 8 oz. pouch that is ready to cook and add to recipes, with a suggested retail price of $7.99.  …

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©Grounded

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

BREAKING: Grounded Foods Co. Closes Oversubscribed Seed Round Led by Stray Dog Capital

Grounded Foods Co, producer of unique first-to-market cheeses created with cauliflower, today announces to vegconomist the closing of its first Series Seed round which was led by Stray Dog Capital.  The round brought in  $1.74M with participation from Rocana Ventures, Veg Invest Trust and members of the GlassWall Syndicate.     

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good planet logo

©Good Planet Foods

Food & Beverage

GOOD PLANeT Foods Raised $12M in Series A Round, Has “Potential to Become a Leading Influential Brand”

GOOD PLANeT Foods, known for its meltable cheese products including a pizza topped with Beyond Meat, today announces $12M in a Series A round. Good PLANeT not only partners with Beyond Meat but its cheese is used to top an Impossible Foods patty at White Castle – perhaps the only brand to work with both rivals?

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