celebrity investors

Actor Idris Elba and Huel CEO James McMaster

Actor Idris Elba & Huel's CEO James McMaster © Huel
Investments & Finance

Huel Raises €24M in Funding Round Backed by Idris Elba & Other Celebrities

Nutritionally complete food specialist Huel has raised €24 million in a funding round to continue its mission of providing sustainable nutrition for all. The new investment will support the company’s R&D, product innovation, online and retail scale-up, and international expansion focused on the US market. Highland Europe led the round, joined by a group of celebrity investors including actor Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina Dor Elba (both UN Goodwill Ambassadors). Other participants included TV presenter Jonathan Ross and Grace Beverley, CEO of sustainable activewear brand TALA. The new investment gives the company a valuation of over €540 million. James McMaster, CEO of Huel, said, “Highland Europe has been a strong backer for our business in the last four years, and we’re delighted about the extra …

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Chris & Sebastiano, ForGood

Chris Smalling & Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni
Investments & Finance

Footballer Chris Smalling and Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni Launch Climate-Focused VC Firm ForGood

International footballer Chris Smalling announces the launch of VC consultancy ForGood along with vegan investor Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni. The fund will write cheques between £50,000 and £1 million for companies with “disruptive, high growth business ideas” working to address climate change. Together with Rebecca Wheeler, founder of certified B-Corp creative agency Library, Smalling and Castiglioni will operate ForGood as a global investment consultancy investing in pre-seed to Series A businesses in the UK and globally. ForGood sets out to unite and empower high profile individuals to invest in planet-centric ideas, products and services, connecting athletes, musicians, entertainers and high profile personalities with early-stage businesses focused on environmental issues as part of Smalling’s mission to build a better future and have a positive impact on the …

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Thomas Muller GREENFORCE

© GREENFORCE
Celebrities

Germany’s National Soccer Player Thomas Müller Invests in GREENFORCE

Germany’s GREENFORCE has brought another prominent investor on board. At the end of 2021, presenter Joko Winterscheidt and delicatessen king Michael Käfer were onboarded, as well as vegan strongman Patrik Baboumian who represents the brand in the UK. The startup now announces an investment from footballer Thomas Müller. Müller’s investment will predominantly serve to promote the growth of the climate-neutral company as well as to strengthen the future-oriented research and development centre in Munich. The soccer player, who like GREENFORCE is a native of Bavaria, states: “My favourite products are the Easy To Mix spreadable sausage and the fresh mini meatball, the taste is absolutely authentic,” he says. A trial supply of GREENFORCE products, ranging from meat, fish and egg to dairy alternatives, has been …

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Sia Bond Pet Foods Advisor

©Bond Pet Foods
Pet Food

Pop Star Star Sia Partners with Bond Pet Foods As New Investor and Advisor

Bond Pet Foods, a biotech startup aiming to remove animals from the pet food industry, announces global music star Sia Furler is joining the company as an investor and advisor. In the new role, Furler will collaborate with the company on creative digital and marketing efforts to educate consumers about more humane and sustainable pet food production. Furler is a long-time animal advocate who has previously worked with notable non-profits such as the ASPCA and Best Friends Animal Society, according to a release. The singer also co-narrated the 2018 documentary Dominion, which spotlighted the egregious animal abuse taking place in industrial farming. “As a devout animal and environmental advocate, I’m inspired by Bond Pet Foods’ mission and believe their company is the future for sustainably-led …

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Nuritas team

©Nuritas
Science

Biotech Firm Nuritas, Backed By U2’s Bono & The Edge, Raises $45M to “Improve Human Health” With Plants

Dublin’s Nuritas, a biotechnology company that includes U2’s Bono and The Edge as early investors, has secured $45 million in Series B, bringing its total raise to $75 million. The company has developed a peptide for skin health discovered in peas, and a peptide discovered in fava beans that supports muscle health, both due for market launch in 2022. Nuritas states its mission is to “firstly manage and improve human health and secondly help make our food system more sustainable by replacing current unwanted ingredients and molecules with more natural and sustainable ones.” The company claims it has established the world’s largest peptide knowledge base using a proprietary AI and genomics platform called Nπϕ™ (Nuritas Peptide Finder), which has attracted high-profile partnerships including Nestle, Mars, …

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Daring Foods

© Daring Foods / Vanessa K. Rees
Investments & Finance

Daring Foods Raises $65M From Celeb Investors, Bringing Total Raise to Over $120M

Cult plant-based chicken producer Daring Foods announces an impressive $65 million Series C raise, as one of just a few companies to raise Series A, B and C in a single year. This brings Daring’s total raise to over $120M with earlier investors like Maveron, Palm Tree Crew, and rapper Drake. Daring also announces major retail expansion into over three thousand Walmart stores across the USA, doubling its distribution to 6,000 doors nationwide. The round was led by Founders Fund, joined by existing investor D1 Capital Group, alongside notable new personalities, athletes and celebrities like Naomi Osaka, Cameron Newton, renowned DJ Steve Aoki, and Chase Coleman. Founder and CEO Ross Mackay became vegan over a decade ago, after a fellow athlete “dared” him to try …

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Califia Farms Oat

©Califia Farms
Company News

Califia Farms Receives One of the Largest Ever Investments in the Natural Foods Sector

Califia Farms, the recognisable Los Angeles plant milk brand which received over $50M in investment from celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio in 2018, today announces it has completed a $225 million Series D financing led by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), with participation from others including David Yeung‘s Green Monday Ventures.

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Mena Massoud,

Mena Massoud, courtesy of Scout 22
Company News

Star of Disney’s Aladdin Invests in Plant Power Restaurant Group

Mena Massoud, star of Disney’s Aladdin, announces his investment into the Series A Raise Capital round for the Plant Power Restaurant Group, the parent company of SanDiego’s Plant PowerFast Food. The chain recently opened its fifth location in Long Beach, following a massive growth in sales in 2019.

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Miyokos_logo

© Miyoko's Creamery
Company News

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi Invest in Miyoko’s Creamery

Miyoko’s Creamery, the leading plant dairy brand known for its award-winning vegan cheeses and butter, hasannounced the addition of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi as investors. The undisclosed funding amount supports Miyoko’s position as a leader in the plant dairy category as it prepares to introduce groundbreaking new products in early 2020.

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