Crowdfunding News - vegconomist: the vegan business magazine

Better Nature Launches £1M+ Crowdfund, Appoints New Non-Executive Director

October 3, 2023

UK tempeh brand Better Nature has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs with the aim of raising over £1 million. The campaign opened to the public yesterday (October 2). The funding will be used to drive mainstream retail growth for Better Nature, consolidating its position as a leading European tempeh brand. The company aims to “transform the meat-free aisle”, as consumers increasingly seek less processed plant-based options. The news follows a hugely successful year for Better Nature, with the company launching in Germany and securing its first UK supermarket listing at Tesco. Better Nature also launched a £3 million Series A round in May, and rolled out at all 966 UK Lidl stores in July as part of the retailer’s Vegan Week. “There’s a growing …

Fundraising

La Vie Hits €1M Crowdfunding Target in Just Over an Hour

September 27, 2023

La Vie, the French producer of plant-based pork products, has exceeded its €1 million crowdfunding target within just over an hour of launching the campaign. The company is now overfunding, with the general public able to participate alongside expert investors. The news is the latest in a long line of successes for La Vie, which has achieved 379% year-on-year growth and sold 2.5 million products over the past 18 months. The campaign will run until October 3. “We are so thrilled to have hit our target of raising €1 million in just over one hour since we went live with our crowdfunding campaign,” said Nicolas Schweitzer, CEO and co-founder of La Vie. “It reinforces the promising future for the plant-based category and it is brilliant …

Organisations and brands:

La Vie Foods

Fundraising

Immaculate Vegan Launches Crowdfunding Campaign After Seeing 56% YoY Sales Growth

September 11, 2023

Immaculate Vegan, a global marketplace dedicated to high-end vegan and sustainable fashion, has launched a crowdfunding campaign via CrowdCube as it continues to expand. The marketplace achieved over £1.12 million in gross sales and £218,000 in revenue over the last 12 months, along with 56% YoY sales growth. Since its launch in 2019, Immaculate Vegan has acquired over 15,000 customers from 40+ countries, with 7,000 of these customers gained in the past financial year. With another two weeks to go, the crowdfunding campaign is already oversubscribed, with the total sum raised standing at over £280,000 (the initial target was £200,000). Immaculate Vegan plans to use the funding to expand into new categories such as menswear, children’s clothing, homeware, and beauty. The marketplace is already backed …

Organisations and brands:

Immaculate Vegan

La Vie Announces €1M Crowdfunding Campaign, Launches Vegan Ham & Virtual Restaurant

September 8, 2023

La Vie, a French producer of plant-based pork products, has announced a new crowdfunding campaign and product launch as it continues to see rapid growth across Europe. The campaign will take place on Crowdcube from September 7 to 28, with the aim of raising €1 million. It follows a period of considerable success for the company, with 2.5 million products sold in the past 18 months — equivalent to one every 12 seconds. Despite challenging market conditions, La Vie has seen 379% year-on-year growth, and can now be found at 4,600 retail stores and 3,000 restaurants across Europe. In the UK, the brand has seen 144% growth since its launch last year, and is present at major retailers such as Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, and Ocado. Through …

Organisations and brands:

La Vie Foods

Fundraising

Singapore’s Everyday Vegan Launches Crowdfunding Campaign for New Discount Club

July 10, 2023

Singapore’s leading physical vegan store, Everyday Vegan, has launched a crowdfunding campaign with the goal of raising $50,000 for its discount club. The club aims to make vegan products as affordable and accessible as possible. It is described as a “community-driven, conscious marketplace focused on ethical, sustainable, and healthy food choices”. The campaign is running on Indiegogo, and anyone is able to participate. Early contributors can get up to 44% off retail prices for membership, and secure exclusive lifetime passes. Everyday Vegan hopes the funding will allow it to scale up operations and serve more members. “Significant milestone” Everyday Vegan was founded in 2020 and was Singapore’s first brick-and-mortar vegan store. It stocks a huge range of products, such as fresh produce, meat and dairy …

Organisations and brands:

Everyday Vegan

Leather Alternatives

Amschela Launches Crowdfunder for Multipurpose Bag Made From MIRUM Alt Leather

May 30, 2023May 29, 2023

Amschela, a sustainable luxury handbag brand based in the UK, has launched a crowdfunding campaign for its new AIRIUM bag. AIRIUM is made from MIRUM, a plastic-free vegan leather alternative produced by Natural Fiber Welding. The multipurpose “6 in 1” bag can be worn six different ways — from handheld to a clutch or a crossbody. The bag will be manufactured by Veshin Factory in China, which produces sustainable accessories made from vegan materials. The facility also has a commitment to treating its workers ethically, in an industry notorious for its human rights abuses. Vegan brand Amschela started out by producing conventional leather accessories then transitioned to a vegan brand during the pandemic after learning about the environmental impact of the leather industry. The company …

Organisations and brands:

Amschela

Marc Coloma and Bernat Ananos, Heura founders

Company News

Heura Raises Over €2.6M in Crowdfunding in Just 48 Hours

May 9, 2023

Heura, the leading Spanish company in plant-based meat products, has started its third crowdfunding round and has raised more than 2.6 million euros in 48 hours. Since its launch on May 5, the company has 3,400 more investors. The objective of this crowdfunding campaign, which will be active until May 17 through the Crowdcube platform, is to lead the plant-based protein market at the European level, deploy the net positive impact plan, and drive technological innovations under a new patent. European growth The plant-based sector currently generates sales in Europe of €5.7 billion and a GFI report from this February found that alt protein companies across Europe raised nearly 24% more last year than in 2021. Spanish companies in particular attracted €42 million in funding …

Organisations and brands:

Heura

Fundraising

Ready Burger Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Fund First Sit-in Premises

April 24, 2023

Ready Burger, a plant-based fast food brand based in London, UK, is aiming to raise at least £250,000 through a new crowdfunding round. The funding will support the opening of Ready Burger’s first sit-in location in the south of England, and will also help the brand roll out its product range into food service and retail outlets UK-wide. Throughout this year, Ready Burger will work to develop new flavours and progress with new food tech partnerships. Ready Burger claims to have sold almost 500,000 products and generated over £1 million in revenue since it launched in 2021. Recently, the fast food brand announced a partnership with flavour and fragrance manufacturer Givaudan to use the latter’s award-winning PrimeLock+ technology. This imitates animal fat and locks flavour …

Organisations and brands:

Ready Burger

Fundraising

abillion Launches Community Investment Round After Seeing 20X Growth in Two Years

February 1, 2023

Sustainability-focused social media and e-commerce platform abillion has announced a community investment round on crowdfunding service Wefunder. The round will give retail investors and abillion’s one million members a chance to invest in the company — something which would normally only be possible following an IPO. Nicholas Cator, who has previously led funding rounds in Oatly, Chewy, and Lazada, will be the lead investor. 500 Global, which led abillion’s seed round, will also participate. The minimum investment amount is $100, and investors do not need to be accredited. The news comes as abillion reports that the platform has grown by twenty times over the past two years. The community now features more than 2.5 million user-generated product reviews, while 4,700 Software-as-a-Service customers are on recurring …

Organisations and brands:

abillion

©Hooray Foods

Investments & Finance

Hooray Foods Opens First-Ever WeFunder Campaign to Reach Price Parity with Animal Bacon

September 6, 2023January 18, 2023

Plant-based meat innovator Hooray Foods announces the launch of its first WeFunder equity crowdfunding campaign. Officially opening Jan. 25th, Hooray says the Community Round gives its customers and fans an opportunity to invest for as little as $100 in exchange for company equity and product perks. Ahead of the public launch, the brand says its campaign preview is now live for the company’s biggest supporters. Wefunder is a platform that allows the general public to invest in pre-IPO startups alongside venture capitalists. Upon reaching this Community Round’s goal of securing $500,000, Hooray says it plans to expand distribution for its innovative plant-based bacon. The company will also increase research and development efforts to help it fill the market gap for indulgent plant-based meats. Achieving price …

Organisations and brands:

Hooray Foods

WeFunder

Flave restaurant burgers, nuggets and salads on top a table.

Investments & Finance

Australia’s Flave Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Fuel International Expansion

November 29, 2022

Flave, an Australian plant-based burger and healthy bowls restaurant in Sydney, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support its goal of expanding across Australia and internationally. Investors will receive equity ownership “in the hottest food movement going,” says Flave, adding that investments can range from $50 to over $100,000. The campaign is being conducted via Birchal, an Australian equity crowdfunding platform. Star-studded cast Samantha Cook, Flave’s co-founder & co-CEO, said, “As an investor, you will be joining a star-studded cast of champions, including Beyoncé’s former personal chef and the same management team that scaled restaurant chain Zambrero to over 100 locations. On top, you will be joining leaders from Australia’s most successful food brands, such as Milky Lane, Betty’s Burgers, Guzman y Gomez, and Grill’d.” …

Organisations and brands:

Flave

Investments & Finance

NONA Vegan Launches Crowdfunding Campaign to Expand Italian Cream and Meat Sauces

November 22, 2022November 22, 2022

Canadian sauce maker NONA Vegan Foods announces a new $300,000 crowdfunding campaign through FrontFundr, Canada’s leading equity crowdfunding platform. The company, which sells Italian plant-based cream and meat sauces, plans to use the funding to expand its market presence in Canada and the US. In addition to the fundraising campaign, NONA recently won the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) and Wells Fargo pitch competition. Following this success, CEO Kailey Gilchrist says the company is ready to invite investors to join in its growth. “We’re raising $300,000 on FrontFundr in order to expand our sales team and market reach in Canada and the United States” shared Gilchrist. “For as little as $250 CAD, everyday investors can be a part of our ‘famiglia’ as we embark on …

Organisations and brands:

Beyond Meat

©Happy Ocean Foods

Fundraising

Happy Ocean Foods “Crowdinvesting to Give Private Investors the Chance to Be Part of Our Success Story”

November 16, 2022November 15, 2022

Munich-based Happy Ocean Foods, which specialises in plant-based seafood with a current focus on vegan shrimp, announces a crowdinvesing campaign which goes live today, 15th November. The young startup enjoyed recent success on The Lion’s Den – the German version of the show known as Shark Tank in the US and Dragon’s Den in the UK — receiving investment from two judges including former Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg. The company was also recently named as one of the hottest food startups not to be overlooked in 2022 in the Food & Beverage Innovators Rising Stars 2022 report. Without further ado, Co-founder Robin Drummond is here to tell all about the new campaign and plans for the future. Please introduce your brand Happy Ocean …

Organisations and brands:

Happy Ocean Foods

Charity & Campaigns

Ukraine’s Aquafaba.space Launches Crowdfunding Campaign For Egg White Replacer

June 28, 2023August 23, 2022

Aquafaba.space, a plant-based egg white replacer startup from Ukraine, announces the launch of a crowdfunding campaign on the platform Indiegogo to determine the demand for its product. Aquafaba.space announced the start of its crowdfunding campaign to gauge interest in its product. The campaign has a global reach due to the international interest in the company’s product creation. The company says that Ukrainian animal rights group UAnimals will receive 10% of the money raised. The goal of the organisation is to “give the feeling of protection and safety to those who cannot take care of themselves” by protecting animals who suffer from war and brutality. Freeze-dried aquafaba Aquafaba in powder form that has been freeze-dried comprises the startup’s flagship product. The liquid that remains after cooking …

Organisations and brands:

Aquafaba.space

Fundraising

THIS Smashes £4M Crowdfunding Target In Under 2 Hours

June 23, 2022

THIS, the fastest-growing plant-based meat brand in the UK, has launched a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign. The brand hit its £4 million target within 1 hour and 40 minutes whilst under pre-registration, becoming one of the fastest campaigns to raise such an amount on the Seedrs platform. Since opening publicly the crowdfunding campaign has now risen to almost £5.8 million, making it already one of the largest conducted on the private investment platform. The raise will be live until mid-July, giving private investors the opportunity to buy into THIS from just £10. The crowdfunding will support the vegan brand’s innovation, marketing, and first international expansion. With plans to open a new innovation center in West London this year, THIS is now the fastest-growing plant-based meat brand …

Organisations and brands:

THIS

Fundraising

Honestly Tasty Launches Crowdfunding Campaign for Multi-Award-Winning Vegan Cheese

June 9, 2022

UK vegan cheese brand Honestly Tasty has begun a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs. Just a few days in, the company has already raised over 80% of its £450,000 target. To make its cheeses, Honestly Tasty uses a novel technique that combines starch and hydrocolloid technology with traditional cheese-making techniques. Some of the company’s cheeses are aged for several weeks, giving them similar flavours, textures, and melting properties to dairy cheese. Currently, Honestly Tasty offers five different cheeses — Veganzola, Shamembert, Bree, Ched Spread, and Herbi (a Boursin alternative). The cheeses have won multiple awards, including Best Cheese Alternative for Veganzola at the World Plant-Based Taste Awards. Honestly Tasty already has over 11,000 DTC customers and supplies more than 75 businesses, as well as various Michelin-star …

Organisations and brands:

Seedrs

©THIS

Fundraising

THIS – Fastest Growing Alt Meat Brand in UK – Launches Crowdfunding Campaign

May 17, 2022

The UK’s fastest-growing plant-based meat brand, THIS, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help accelerate its continued growth. The award-winning alt meat brand is expected to launch one of the largest campaigns on the Seedrs crowdfunding platform, offering consumers investment opportunities for as little as £10. THIS recorded 333% YOY net sales growth in 2021, outperforming its rivals in the increasingly competitive plant-based meat category. The new campaign will help fund the brand’s R&D and marketing, as well as its first international expansion. THIS also announced the opening of a state-of-the-art innovation center in West London this summer. THIS is currently listed in the top UK supermarkets with 10,000 distribution points, stocking its range of plant-based chicken, bacon, and sausages. The brand states that a …

Organisations and brands:

THIS

Fundraising

Brazil’s Novah! Raises R$600,000 Through Equity Crowdfunding Platform Vegan Business

April 27, 2022

Brazil’s Novah! has become the third company to secure funding through the plant-based equity crowdfunding platform Vegan Business. The cashew cheese brand raised R$600,000 ($120,400) in just nine hours, with participation from 108 investors. Novah’s current portfolio includes five varieties of plant-based cheese (mozzarella, provolone, fresh, cheddar, and cottage cheese) and three cheesecakes (red fruits, coffee with ganache, and passion fruit). The brand intends to use the new funding to expand within the state of São Paulo by growing its team, increasing production, improving marketing efforts, and more. Vegan Business Vegan Business claims to be the first and only exclusively plant-based equity crowdfunding platform to be approved by the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission. Founded by vegan investor Christian “Crica” Wolthers, its aim is to …

Fundraising

Heura Raises €4M in Just 12 Hours in Crowdfunding Campaign

April 14, 2022

Heura, one of the fastest-growing plant-based companies in Europe, has smashed its crowdfunding target of €1 million in just 30 minutes. Through its second Equity for Good Rebels crowdfunding campaign, Heura has gone on to raise more than €4 million in just 12 hours. Featuring over 4,500 crowdfunding investors from around the world, the second Equity for Good Rebels campaign on the Crowdcube platform has raised over 4X more than its target. Approximately half of the investors were between the ages of 18 and 35 years, highlighting Gen Z and Millennials’ commitment to vegan ideals. Six days still remain on the campaign. With around €20 as the minimum to invest, the Equity for Good Rebels campaign set out to increase the number of Heura supporters …

Organisations and brands:

Heura

Company News

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The vegconomist-newsletter
information for decision-makers