Forward Fooding

🌿💰 FoodTech500 Alum Plantible Foods secures funding from ICL. ICL Group has announced a follow-on investment in Plantible Foods, participating in the company’s Series B funding round to strengthen their strategic partnership. This builds on ICL’s initial involvement in Plantible’s Series A round and reflects its commitment to sustainable innovations in the food industry. In 2023, ICL Food Specialties and Plantible Foods introduced Rovitaris Binding Solution, powered by Rubi Protein, an innovative ingredient that won the Ingredient Idol award at the SupplySide West 2024 conference. The recognition underscores the growing consumer demand for clean-label, sustainable food solutions, with ICL anticipating increased demand for Rovitaris in 2025. Learn more in the full AgriBusiness Global article: https://lnkd.in/dE5a88Ue #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #agtech #innovation #altprotein #futurefood

🌟 Wrapping Up 2024: A Year of Growth, Impact, and Innovation As we close the year, we’re reflecting on our incredible milestones in 2024: 📊 Over 10,000 AgriFoodTech companies tracked in our FoodTech Data Navigator, monitoring $257B in investment transactions 🌟 A whopping 1,419 applications for the 6th edition of the FoodTech 500 🤝 Delivered 13 strategic consulting & scouting projects for leading F&B corporates and government organizations across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Canada, and South Korea 🖋 Published 63 original articles, explainers, and deep dives on the latest AgriFoodTech trends 📩 Grew our community to 22,500+ active newsletter subscribers 📈 Surpassed 21,700 followers across LinkedIn and X Thank you to our partners, clients, and community for making 2024 a year to remember. Here’s to driving more innovation in 2025! 🚀 #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #agrifoodtech #innovation #sustainability #futurefood #foodsystems

🧑🏼🌾🌾💰 FoodTech 500 alum Sound Agriculture secures funding to launch bioinspired nutrient efficiency solutions. California-based Agtech company Sound Agriculture has raised $25M in a Series D extension led by BMO Impact Investment Fund and S2G Ventures. The funding will support the expansion of its product offerings and geographic reach. Sound currently offers two flagship products: 👉 SOURCE - a microbiome activator enhancing nutrient uptake like nitrogen and phosphorus 👉 BLUEPRINT - supplies arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to activate micronutrients. Currently, the company’s products are used on 2 million acres in the US, with plans to expand into new regions in the coming years. Sound Agriculture also introduced the Efficient Acre Incentive to encourage growers to replace synthetic fertilizers with SOURCE. The program offers $5/acre for replacing 25 pounds of nitrogen or phosphorus, totaling double the payout of similar initiatives. More information in the full PR Newswire article: https://lnkd.in/etmcqmJS #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #agtech #agriculture #soilhealth #farming

🇨🇭🌱 FoodTech 500 alum Planted secures collaboration that will boost its market presence. SevenVentures, the investment arm of ProSiebenSat.1 Media SE, has partnered with Swiss FoodTech company Planted Foods in a media-for-equity deal worth millions. The collaboration, which will run until 2027, will boost Planted’s visibility through TV and streaming campaigns and position it as a leader in plant-based meat alternatives across Germany and beyond. Founded in 2019, Planted produces plant-based meats like planted.chicken and planted.duck, which are available in over 10,000 stores and 6,500 restaurants across Europe. The partnership, which aligns with SevenVentures’ support for eco-focused startups, leverages ProSiebenSat.1’s media reach to strengthen Planted’s market presence and attract more consumers to sustainable food choices. Read the full vegconomist - the vegan business magazine article here: https://lnkd.in/eEQKJU3y #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #altprotein #plantbasedmeat #futurefood

🇺🇸✅🥛 FoodTech 500 alum All G earns approval in the U.S. for its animal-free lactoferrin. Australian biotech All G has achieved self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status in the US for its precision-fermented bovine lactoferrin, following recent approval in China. Market entry is planned for 2025, with All G aiming for a “no questions” letter from the FDA to solidify regulatory confidence, especially for infant formula applications. Using precision fermentation, All G produces high-purity, cow-free lactoferrin at lower costs, targeting applications like functional foods and protein powders. It is also advancing the production of human lactoferrin and casein proteins, targeting a commercial launch in 2025. Backed by $41M in funding, All G is scaling production globally, positioning itself as a leader in sustainable, animal-free dairy protein innovation. Read the full Green Queen Media article here: https://lnkd.in/eGeru2RH #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #altprotein #innovation #biotech #futurefood

🌱🧀 FoodTech 500 alum New Culture could soon reach price parity with dairy. Californian startup New Culture has achieved a significant cost breakthrough in producing animal-free mozzarella. Compared to conventional cheese, it requires just 28% casein, significantly lowering production costs and bringing the company closer to price parity with dairy mozzarella. To ensure quality, the startup developed and tested 15 key attributes, such as flavor, stretch, and melt, to replicate the authentic mozzarella experience. New Culture claims its animal-free mozzarella reduces emissions by 80%, land use by 95%, and water consumption by 95%. New Culture is fundraising to scale production and prepare for its restaurant debut at Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. Following a $25M Series A funding round and partnerships to expand manufacturing, the startup anticipates its animal-free mozzarella will become a game-changer in the dairy alternative market. Read the full Green Queen Media article here: https://lnkd.in/ewkWkUuC #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #altprotein #plantbasedcheese #precisionfermentation

[PARTNER ANNOUNCEMENT] 🌍 Is Africa the next AgTech frontier? #AgBase by @Briter's "State of AgTech Investment in Africa 2024" report uncovers trends behind $1.56 billion in AgTech investments over the last decade. 💡 Key highlights: - AI deals up from 9% to 15% in the past year - 50% of recent funding directed to climate-smart solutions - Asset-heavy AgTechs attracting 34% of total funding - Women-led startups are making progress, but challenges remain Curious about the forces shaping Africa's AgTech landscape? Download the report: https://hubs.li/Q02YvwJL0 #agtech #africa #investment #briterintelligence #briterbridges

🧫🥩💰 FoodTech 500 alum Luyef receives grants to improve the taste and color of alt proteins. Chilean biotech startup Luyef Biotechnologies, focused on cellular agriculture, secured $1.25M in grants to advance cultivated meat production. The company uses precision fermentation to develop innovative solutions, such as TAMEE, a bovine myoglobin ingredient that enhances the taste and color of alternative proteins. The funding supports the development of thermostable growth factors and nutrient-rich media supplements by upcycling agro-industrial by-products. CORFO | Chilean Economic Development Agency awarded $1M to create a cost-efficient platform using protein engineering, while The Good Food Institute granted $250,000 for an affordable cell media alternative made from lupin waste and yeast. Learn more in the full vegconomist - the vegan business magazine article: https://lnkd.in/exqZamty #ForwardFooding #altprotein #cultivatedmeat #futurefood #innovation #cellag #precisionfermentation

👩🏼🌾🌾 FoodTech 500 alum Enko reaches a milestone in its path to developing eco-friendly farming solutions. Syngenta and Enko® achieved a key milestone in their collaboration by identifying novel weed control molecules using Enko’s AI-driven ENKOMPASS™ platform. This innovation targets a new Mode of Action, crucial for combating resistant weeds like Palmer amaranth, which contribute to $32B in annual crop losses. Aligned with Syngenta’s “Safer by Design” strategy, the collaboration focuses on developing eco-friendly solutions to boost crop yields while reducing environmental impacts. The discovery moves the partnership closer to addressing the global challenge of herbicide resistance and ensuring long-term crop protection. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eW7P8TvK #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #agtech #sustainability #agriculture #artificialintelligence

🇨🇭🏭 FoodTech 500 alum to turn an old dairy plant into a modern facility to scale its yeast-based products. Switzerland-based Yeastup raised €9.47M in Series A funding to convert a former dairy facility into a large-scale production site to upcycle over 20,000 tons of spent brewers’ yeast annually. The facility will leverage top-quality equipment, keeping capital expenditures minimal, to support Yeastup’s efforts to meet the growing global demand for its upcycled yeast-based ingredients. Yeastup functional ingredients are: 1️⃣ Yeastin® - a protein with egg-like biological value and environmental advantages 2️⃣ Upfiber® - a fiber blend with advanced functionalities for dietary supplements and functional foods A 2023 study highlighted the low environmental footprint of products made with Yeastin, such as burger patties, which outperform pea protein alternatives. The company has also earned grants and recognition for its sustainable innovation in food and Agtech. Learn more in the full vegconomist - the vegan business magazine article: https://lnkd.in/ee4EwqDK #ForwardFooding #FoodTech500 #altprotein #futurefood #innovation #funding