Synthesis Capital team

©Synthesis Capital

Investments & Finance

Synthesis Capital Unveils Largest Ever FoodTech VC Fund: $300M For the Food System Unicorns of Tomorrow

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. 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 …

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Logo -Better Bite Ventures logo

©Better Bite Ventures

Investments & Acquisitions

New APAC Alt Protein Fund Launches to Fund “Asia’s Future Food-Tech Unicorns”

A newly launched VC firm serving APAC called Better Bite Ventures sets out with a $15 million fund and an initial portfolio of ten startups encompassing plant-based and cell-based alternatives from the region. Better Bites claims to be the first of its kind covering alt protein in Asia Pacific and aims to work with pre-seed and seed-stage companies. Co-founders Michal Klar and Simon Newstead say they are “keen to help power a new wave of APAC startups”. Says Klar: “We’re here to invest in bold founders building Asia’s future food-tech unicorns. Now is the time for Asia – we believe home-grown companies with local insights will take a leading role in this rapidly growing market.” “Having been founders ourselves, we know how helpful having truly …

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ReGen Ventures

©ReGen Ventures

Leather Alternatives

ReGen Ventures Closes $50M Fund for Regenerative Technologies, Portfolio Includes Hide Biotech Cow-Free Leather

ReGen Ventures, the Australian-American early-stage venture fund has announced the close of its $50 million first fund. The capital will be used to partner with companies with a focus on regenerative tech to actively restore climate, planetary, and human health.  “Sustainability is an insufficient goal. Regenerative technologies go well beyond incrementally reducing harm by actively restoring ecosystem health” ReGen Ventures’ portfolio includes Hide Biotech, a company producing cow-free leather from food waste. Leveraging state-of-the-art protein chemistry and bioengineering technologies,  Hide Biotech obtains collagen – the fundamental protein of skin structure – and reassembles it into a biomaterial using patented technologies.  ReGen Ventures works on the thesis that products that are better for people and the planet will capture the massive unmet demand for sustainable products, …

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Footprint Coalition Robert Downey Jr

©Footprint Coalition

Investments & Finance

Robert Downey Jr. Invests $10M+ of Own Money on a Mission to Save the Planet

Actor Robert Downey Jr. has put at least $10 million of his own fortune into the launch of a new rolling venture investment fund called Footprint Coalition Ventures. The investment focus areas listed so far are bamboo (MISSION: Build the world’s most sustainable paper. End global deforestation), insect-based protein, and plastic alternatives, with grants available for cellular agriculture, microplastics, and conservation tech.

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Simi Johnson & Cliff Johnson of Veg Capital

Interviews

Veg Capital: “A Venture Capital Fund Specifically Focused on the Removal of Animals From the Food Chain”

Launched this year by Matthew Glover, co-founder of Veganuary and Million Dollar Vegan; Veg Capital was set up to help new vegan enterprises to develop sustainable alternatives to meat, dairy, eggs and seafood. Its impressive portfolio already boasts some of the most influential and innovative brands in the UK’s vegan industry and beyond.

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