Two fundraises this week highlight the growing interest in more eco-friendly, ethically produced chocolate, with US-based Voyage Foods and Germany’s Planet A both announcing new rounds. Elsewhere, Henry Dimbleby, best known as the co-founder of healthy fast food chain Leon, is launching a new venture fund, and Delivery Hero offloaded its stake in fellow food delivery startup Deliveroo.
Read on for more farm robot funding, people moves, high-tech bacon developments and more.
Foodtech funding
🇺🇸 Voyage Foods secures $22m in funding, as LCA claims it makes the ‘most sustainable chocolates ever’ Green Queen
🇩🇪 Step aside, Wonka: Planet A raises $15.4m for climate-friendly cocoa alternative Sifted
🇺🇸 Izote Biosciences takes in $2.6M to develop a fermentation process sans oxygen TechCrunch
🇫🇮 Finnish food education startup Vegemi raises €0.5 million in funding and received invitation to SDG Lab in Davos Arctic Startup
🇵🇱 Warsaw-based ZeroQs raises €457k to champion smart shopping carts as alternative to self-service checkouts EU Startups
Agtech funding
🇺🇸 Seed gene-editing startup Inari valued at $1.65bn following $103m fundraise AgFunderNews
🇳🇱 Dutch-based Paques Biomaterials raises €14M to develop biodegradable alternative to plastic Silicon Canals
🇳🇴 Saga Robotics raises $11.5m to expand AI-powered farming robots iGrow News
🇦🇺 Tesla chair Robyn Denholm backs substitute leather startup in $1.1 million angel round Startup Daily
🇪🇸 Malaga-based Agrow Analytics gets €650k to lead a new wave of smart irrigation for productive crops EU Startups
M&A, IPOs & partnerships
🇺🇸 Invaio Sciences and Louis Dreyfus Company collaborate on sustainable citrus groves for the future PR Newswire
Funds, grants & accelerators
🇬🇧 Henry Dimbleby sets up fund to transform global food system The Times
🇸🇬 Applications are now open for agrifoodtech founders to join the fifth cohort of the AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator AgFunderNews
People moves
🇺🇸 Getir names new CEO at FreshDirect Grocery Dive
🇺🇸 Pivot Bio Appoints Jim Collins to its board of directors Pivot Bio
🇬🇧 Hoxton Farms appoints former Impossible Foods CSO following recent hires from GOOD Meat and Aleph Farms Vegconomist
🇺🇸 Growers Edge makes leadership changes Croplife
🇺🇸 Oatly president, North America Mike Messersmith leaving LinkedIn
Other news
🇩🇪 Delivery Hero exits stake in Deliveroo in deal valued at up to £82M Tech.eu
🇺🇸 Small Robot Company proceeds into liquidation LinkedIn
🇺🇸 Eat Just’s vegan Just Mayo is coming back. Here’s why Fast Company
🇺🇸 Proposed legislation would ban cultivated meat from school lunches Food Business News
🇺🇸 Superbrewed Food awarded patent for “breakthrough” tasty postbiotic protein Nutrition Insight
🇺🇸 Biden-Harris administration announces investments to strengthen U.S. specialty crops sector USDA
🇪🇺 ‘A real game-changer for Europe’: Plans to loosen rules on genomic techniques pass first hurdle Agtech Navigator
🇺🇸 21st.BIO opens access to its large-scale production platform for animal-free dairy proteins Vegconomist
🇫🇷 Judge allows lawsuit over Evian’s ‘carbon neutral’ claim to proceed: ‘Evidence shows consumers are confused by it’ AgFunderNews
🇺🇸 Tyson opens $355M high-tech bacon plant in Kentucky Food Dive
🇬🇧 🇪🇺 Fermentation-based stevia with ‘cleaner, sugar-like profile’ wins EFSA safety nod Food Navigator
