Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud of KBW Ventures and Lou Cooperhouse, Founder, President and CEO of BlueNalu

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud of KBW Ventures and Lou Cooperhouse, Founder, President and CEO of BlueNalu © BlueNalu

Company News

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Joins BlueNalu’s Corporate Advisory Board

San Diego cellular aquaculture company BlueNalu announced the addition of Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud to its corporate advisory board during COP 28. According to BlueNalu, the Prince’s commitment to sustainable development, food safety and resilience, and the humane treatment of animals aligns with the company’s mission to provide healthy, humane and regenerative seafood to meet the world’s growing demand. Prince Khaled, CEO of KBW Ventures, has invested in BlueNalu’s funding rounds over the past five years, its most recent being a Series B round this October which raised $33.5 million to scale production of cultivated toro (the high-value portion of bluefin tuna) and demonstrate the technological capabilities of its platform to create whole-muscle seafood products. Seafood is a crucial protein source …

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Furahaa launches public fundraising campaign

Arthur Devillers © Furahaa

Fundraising

French Vegan Chain Furahaa Launches €1M Fundraising Campaign to Fuel International Expansion

Furahaa, a vegan fast-food chain based in France, has launched its first ever public fundraising campaign. The company hopes to raise €1 million via a secure platform, opening up 10% of its capital to the public. The funding will enable Furahaa to expand its mini-franchise concept, Furahaa Express. The chain hopes to open at least 30 franchised restaurants in 2024 alone, based in compact containers containing a kitchen and extraction system. The aim is to make vegan food as widely accessible as possible, which will include expanding beyond France. Furahaa also has a B2B arm, PlantB2B, which provides plant-based products to food service customers. Additionally, the company operates the vegan subscription box service ViVeg. Founded by deaf entrepreneur Arthur Devillers, Furahaa works to provide job …

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Furahaa

© Furahaa

Fast Food

Disability-led French Vegan Chain Furahaa Announces International Franchise Plans 

Following its recent partnership with La Vie vegan bacon, French plant-based brand Furahaa has revealed franchise operation plans for its vegan fast food eateries where most of the staff are deaf. Backed by Saudi Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, Furahaa is looking for international expansion, particularly in London and Berlin.  With the claim of being the first plant-based fast food chain in France, the Furahaa Group is currently operating three branches, including two in Paris and one in Strasbourg. Furahaa is now looking to launch franchises in future locations, particularly tourist areas and mini kitchens in containers. Based on the motto of “Exclude no one”, Furahaa mainly employs people with disabilities, with the majority of its current staff being deaf.  Founder Arthur Devillers, deaf himself since …

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HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, founder and Chief Executive of KBW Ventures

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, founder and Chief Executive of KBW Ventures

Fairs & Events

KBW Ventures Founder Prince Khaled to Join Industry Leaders at Future Food Tech Summit

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia, the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, is to join other industry leaders at the San Francisco Future Food Tech Summit 2022. This year’s event will take place on March 24-25. First FFT summit since pandemic It will be the first time the summit has taken place in person since the beginning of the pandemic, featuring 1,000 delegates and 120 speakers from 40 countries. The event aims to bring together developing and established food brands with investors, supply chain companies, industry experts, and more. Prince Khaled will be involved as a member of the Future Food Tech Summit’s advisory board, helping to decide the content and priorities for the event. He will also participate in a panel discussion …

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Folia ©Matthew Kenney Cuisine

Gastronomy & Food Service

Vegan Prince Khaled and Chef Matthew Kenney Launch Folia Plant-Based Menus Across Saudi Arabia

Two leading lights in the global vegan scene, Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed and Matthew Kenney, have teamed up to launch “Folia” multi-course plant-based menus in Saudi Arabia. Folia is a collaborative menu between Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed’s KBW Ventures and Matthew Kenney Cuisine, and will be launched for Riyadh Season – the two-month-long city-wide celebrations of the Saudi Arabian capital.  “On a personal level, the launch of Folia for Riyadh Season is truly the biggest moment in our collaboration with Chef Kenney to date” – Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Using local Saudi ingredients to create multi-course dining experiences at the Kingdom Centre Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh, Matthew Kenney embraces the concept that “the future of food is plant-based,” and elevates healthy dining in settings of …

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Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud(1)

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud © KBW Ventures

Fairs & Events

Vegan Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed to Join Panel on Promoting Food Security Through Agri-Food Innovation

KBW Ventures founder and CEO, Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, will join industry experts next month for the 2021 World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit on a panel discussion under the banner of Accessing New Market Opportunities. The vegan Prince and his VC firm have funded the future of plant-based business on a global level through investments such as Rebellyous Foods; the Furahaa Group, which aims to be the first plant-based fast food chain in France; plant-based jerky producer Moku Foods; and Singapore’s Turtle Tree Labs, amongst many others. Speaking in interview with vegconomist last year, Prince Khaled enthused: “I advocate for realistic progress; not crazy ideas that will never happen. I believe that having this discussion rationally and presenting people with options that taste great – not …

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Rebellyous Foods Safeway

©Rebellyous Foods

Products & Launches

Rebellyous Foods Rolls Out Award-Winning Chicken Range in over 200 Safeway Stores

Seattle startup Rebellyous Foods has announced the expanded availability of its award-winning plant-based nuggets, as well as patties and tenders. As of this week, the products will be available at more than 200 Safeway stores in the Pacific Northwest.  “We look forward to bringing the Rebellyion to all four corners of the U.S. and beyond in the months to come.”  Founded by former Boeing engineer Christie Lagally, and backed by the vegan Saudi Prince Khaled amongst other high profile investors, the brand recently pivoted into retail as the consequences of the pandemic took their toll on the foodservice sector. Last month, Rebellyous Nuggets were awarded the New Product Award in the Plant-Based Protein category as part of the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) 2021 sofi™ Awards. …

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©Furahaa Group

Investments & Finance

Furahaa Group Receives Investment From Prince Khaled, Aims to Be First Plant-Based Chain in France

KBW Ventures, founded by CEO Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, today announced its investment in French startup Furahaa Group, marking the first investment made in France by KBW Ventures. Based in Paris, the mission-driven startup is an inclusive workplace addressing the French market’s need for plant-based options and alternative proteins at price parity. “It’s simple: we want to be everywhere that mainstream fast food is.” Furahaa Group is a three-pronged entity that has both B2B and B2C segment, founded in 2015 by young entrepreneur Arthur Devillers, which has three operating subsidiaries: PlantB2B, ViVeg, and its eponymous dining venue, Furahaa. Plant B2B is a supply chain and distribution entity that also stocks the Group’s restaurants, while ViVeg is one of the company’s B2C arms with a vegan …

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HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, founder and CEO, KBW Ventures

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud © KBW Ventures

Interviews

Vegconomist in Conversation With Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of KBW Ventures and the Founding Chairman of KBW Investments, which has funded extensively in the area of alternative proteins through a portfolio that includes several vegconomist favourites such as Rebellyous Foods, Turtle Tree Labs, Matthew Kenney, BlueNalu, Memphis Meats, Moku Foods, and Bond Pet Foods

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Moku Foods plant-based jerky

© Moku Foods

Company News

Moku: Forbes Under 30 Entreprenreur and Former JUST Head Chef Create Plant-Based Beef

Hawaiian brand Moku, producer of plant-based beef jerky, has received financial backing from a plethora of investors from the plant-based world, including KBW Ventures, the VC firm headed by Saudi Arabia’s vegan Prince Khaled Alwaleed bin Talal. Moku explains to vegconomist that the jerky goes through a three-step proprietary process which is similar to how a chef would prepare meat.

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Co-founders Fengru Lin & Max Rye, TurtleTree Labs

Co-founders Fengru Lin & Max Rye, TurtleTree Labs

Company News

TurtleTree Labs Raises $6.2M From Stellar Lineup of Investors

More great foodtech news from Singapore as TurtleTree Labs, creators of real dairy milk through cell technology, announces an oversubscribed $6.2 million Pre-A funding round of new and existing global investors. It is also announced that the “vegan prince”, HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud will join as Advisor.

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TurtleTree Labs

©TurtleTree Labs

Company News

TurtleTree Labs, World’s First Company to Create Milk From Cells, Closes Pre Seed Round

Biotech startup TurtleTree Labs, has announced a pre-seed round to create real milk from animal cells, with no animals required. The investment round, led by Lever VC and with participation from vegan Prince Khaled’s KBW Ventures, will be used to acquire additional scientists and to create additional prototypes.

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HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, founder and Chief Executive of KBW Ventures

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, founder and Chief Executive of KBW Ventures

Society

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed to Open 30 Vegan Restaurants in Middle East

Vegan Prince Khaled, prolific investor of numerous vegan businesses across the world, has revealed plans to open 30 restaurants across the middle east. The plans are part of the Folia partnership, Prince Khaled’s consultancy and teaching partnership with vegan chef Matthew Kenney. Folia’s first plant-based menu – with ten items created by chef Kenney – became available earlier this year at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles.

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