A few weeks ago, I interviewed Soylent CEO Demir Vangelov for the Future Food podcast. Soylent is best known for its meal replacement drinks, which were seen as being a hit with many busy entrepreneurs and venture capitalists – though not necessarily a majority of them, as several of those who’ve previously appeared on Future Food might attest.
A somewhat controversial category on the podcast’s ‘hot or not’ rounds, multiple guests responded negatively to the concept of replacing meals with a drink like Soylent.
But Soylent appears to have taken this on board. In recent years, it started marketing itself a ‘nutrition company,’ with a small but growing number of product lines made entirely from plants.
Perhaps as a result of this strategic shift, Soylent became profitable in mid-2020. All of this roughly coincided with Vangelov’s appointment as CEO nearly two years ago; he’d previously served as both the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, starting 2018.
Vangelov has a background in food and media, and worked at one of the first almond milk companies out there, Califia Farms. In this Future Food episode, he discusses the company’s shift towards middle America, and his views on the future of plant-based eating.
Listen to the podcast below, or on your favorite podcasting app:
Future Food 🎙️: Soylent CEO on shift towards middle America & the future of plant-based
October 28, 2021
Louisa Burwood-Taylor
A few weeks ago, I interviewed Soylent CEO Demir Vangelov for the Future Food podcast. Soylent is best known for its meal replacement drinks, which were seen as being a hit with many busy entrepreneurs and venture capitalists – though not necessarily a majority of them, as several of those who’ve previously appeared on Future Food might attest.
A somewhat controversial category on the podcast’s ‘hot or not’ rounds, multiple guests responded negatively to the concept of replacing meals with a drink like Soylent.
But Soylent appears to have taken this on board. In recent years, it started marketing itself a ‘nutrition company,’ with a small but growing number of product lines made entirely from plants.
Perhaps as a result of this strategic shift, Soylent became profitable in mid-2020. All of this roughly coincided with Vangelov’s appointment as CEO nearly two years ago; he’d previously served as both the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, starting 2018.
Vangelov has a background in food and media, and worked at one of the first almond milk companies out there, Califia Farms. In this Future Food episode, he discusses the company’s shift towards middle America, and his views on the future of plant-based eating.
Listen to the podcast below, or on your favorite podcasting app:
Join the Newsletter
Get the latest news & research from AFN and AgFunder in your inbox.
Related Stories
Plant-based cheesemaker Climax Foods disqualified from Good Food Awards on eve of awards ceremony
From almond crops to BIPOC communities, Daily Harvest aims to transition more farms to regenerative-organic
Ketones will fuel the next generation of energy drinks, say ex-Pepsi & Coke execs behind KEY, as AgFunder leads $4m seed round
Plant-based by numbers (USA): Continued declines for alt meat, more positive news for alt dairy – GFI
Get the latest news and research from AFN & AgFunder in your inbox.
Follow us:
Sponsored Content
Sponsored
International Fresh Produce Association launches year 3 of its produce accelerator
Editor's Pick
From novelty to necessity? The evolution of insect farming
Frankly Speaking
Letter from an underinvested category: agrifoodtech
Data Snapshot
Data snapshot: From ‘lightning in a box’ to microbial carbon capture, agrifoodtech investment moves upstream in Australia as investors focus on climate mitigation
Investor Insight
🎥 Germin8 Ventures on a ‘bruising’ year in venture capital, and new opportunities in ‘frontier science and computation’
Meet the Founder
Meet the founders: Nosh.bio’s Tim Fronzek and Felipe Lino… ‘We’re the only ones making a meat analog from a single ingredient’
Research & Data
New AgFunder, ISF report highlights gaps and opportunities to invest in climate adaptation for smallholder farmers