K
Kristine Lucas
Guest
- Thread Author
- #1
Check out what some of the FoodTech 500 Alumni have been up to lately:
TEMPTY FOODS | Launches TEMPTY Svamperods Chunks, a 17g battered mycelium-based chunk designed specifically for Danish canteens and other foodservice kitchens. Sold frozen in 4kg cases through major foodservice wholesalers, the product uses mushroom-root mycelium, carrots, quinoa, and lentils, and is designed to cook straight from frozen in ovens, air fryers, or deep fryers. Read more
BETTER NATURE | Launches its first out-of-home advertising campaign, “Believe in Tempeh,” directly playing off KFC’s “Believe in Chicken” platform, with two London billboards and a new fox mascot, Fred. The campaign encourages consumers to simply swap chicken for tempeh one night a week, backed by research showing 54% of Brits are bored of chicken, as Better Nature’s tempeh provides 22g of complete protein and 6.6g of fibre per 100g. Read more
NOTCO | Sells its Brazilian operations to local investment firm Ferrara and reportedly closes its Mexican arm as it shifts focus toward its AI technology. The moves follow its sale of the Argentina and Uruguay businesses earlier this year, reinforcing its strategy of positioning its AI platform, Giuseppe, as the core of the company. Read more
STEAKHOLDER FOODS | Brings its 3D-printed whole-cut meat and seafood to US supermarket shelves, under the Perfecta brand. Retailers across the Northeastern US now stock five of the company’s products through a partnership with KeHE Distributors. The range includes marbled steak, filet mignon, whole-cut chicken breast, salmon, and whitefish, with a phased expansion to other regions planned. Read more
AMAI PROTEINS | Receives approval from Israel’s Ministry of Health to sell its precision-fermented sweet protein, sweelin®, across more than 25 food and beverage categories, marking its third regulatory clearance in under six months after the US and Singapore. The ingredient is approximately 3,000 times sweeter than sugar and can enable up to 70% sugar reduction. Read more
PRODUCEPAY | Secures more than $140M in new equity and financing to expand its financial solutions, digital platform, supply-chain visibility, and data analytics across Latin America, Europe, North Africa, and North America, with the financing potentially increasing to $300M. Read more
PALEO | Raises €2M from Beyond Impact to advance regulatory submissions for its animal-free myoglobin and accelerate customer trials and commercial partnerships. Read more
PURE HARVEST | Sells its 6-hectare high-tech greenhouse in Haradh to Saudi Arabia’s National Agricultural Development Company (NADEC) for ~€19M. The facility, operational since 2022 and powered by NADEC’s 30MW solar farm, will transfer to NADEC in Q4 2026 and strengthen its year-round hydroponic tomato production and controlled-environment agriculture capabilities. Read more
ZELP | Launches ZELP Sense, a wearable device designed to measure methane emissions directly from individual livestock animals rather than relying on models or small-scale studies extrapolated across herds. The technology is aimed at farmers, researchers, governments, and food companies seeking more reliable data to verify methane-reduction interventions, including feed additives, vaccines, and breeding strategies, although pricing and availability have not yet been disclosed. Read more
IMPACT FOOD | Shuts down after five years of developing and commercializing whole-cut plant-based seafood, with products reaching restaurants, universities, corporate dining programs, hotels, and airline lounges across the US. Co-founder Kelly Pan attributes the closure primarily to the difficulty of changing consumer eating habits rather than a single technology or funding problem, despite the company raising more than $2M and achieving price parity with conventional tuna. Read more
BREEDR | Raises $27M in Series B funding, led by Partech, to expand its digital cattle marketplace and livestock-tracking platform across the global beef supply chain. The company currently tracks more than two million cattle and expects almost $500M worth of livestock to be traded through its marketplace this year, with the new funding supporting its expansion across the US, UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Read more
UPSIDE FOODS | Withdraws its $50M bid to acquire Believer Meats’ massive cultivated meat facility in Wilson, North Carolina, after the conditions of the transaction were not met. Read more
PROFUSE TECHNOLOGY | Delivers a non-GMO bovine muscle cell line designed to provide cultivated meat producers with a stable source of beef cells that can continuously divide without genetic engineering or repeated sourcing from animals. The project also develops muscle-maturation technology that accelerates the formation of mature fibres, with testing in 3D systems and industry trials aimed at improving cultivated meat yields and reducing production costs. Read more
OISHII | Opens its first-ever retail destination at New York’s Chelsea Market, giving consumers a dedicated space to buy its premium Japanese strawberries, preserves, pastries, drinks, and Japan-sourced products. Read more
EVER AFTER FOODS | Acquires Belgium-based cultivated seafood company and fellow FoodTech 500 alum FISHWAY, adding aquatic cell lines, animal-component-free media expertise, and its scientific team to the company’s industrial protein manufacturing platform. The deal comes with an additional $2M strategic investment, with the combined platform initially targeting cultivated functional protein ingredients for premium pet food alongside broader cultivated meat and seafood applications. Read more
REVO FOODS | Launches a new €1M crowdfunding round to develop its next-generation 3D food printers and expand into selling and licensing its industrial production systems to other manufacturers. The company plans to establish a B2B arm from autumn 2026, while targeting break-even at around 150,000 units sold per month after reporting 110% revenue growth between 2024 and 2025. Read more
It also rolled out Cottage Protein+, a dairy-free cottage cheese alternative made from fermented apricot kernels, water, salt, and vegan cultures. The product contains 17.2 grams of protein per 150-gram cup, with the company reporting that 60% of consumers preferred its flavour over conventional cottage cheese in a blind taste test, as it expands beyond its mycoprotein-based meat range. Read more
TIME-TRAVELLING MILKMAN | Rebrands as TTM Ingredients as it expands beyond plant-based cream cheese and positions its sunflower-based Oleocream system for ice cream, sauces, juices, smoothies, and fruit drinks. The company is also scaling production and developing sunflower protein through its Sunflopro project. Read more
SOLAR FOODS | Surpasses €100M in total funding as its planned Factory 02 facility in Finland enters the final design phase, with Business Finland providing a €77.8M grant and R&D loan package alongside a €25M directed share issue earlier this year. Read more
CLIMATEAI | Shuts down after eight years of operations and ~$38M in funding, with co-founder and CEO Himanshu Gupta citing geopolitical and climate headwinds. The company said it will return its remaining capital to investors. Read more
ECONOMAD SOLUTIONS | Raises €466,000 to scale its BioNomad system, which converts livestock waste into biogas for heating, cooking, or electricity while producing biofertiliser. Read more
ALL G | Secured investment from Malaysia’s Xeraya Capital as part of its pre-Series B convertible note round to support the commercialization of its precision-fermented bovine and human milk proteins, particularly across Southeast Asia. Read more
PLANTED | Doubles production at its Memmingen, Germany, facility as it explores supplying its fermented plant protein to other brands, manufacturers, and butchers in addition to selling products under its own name. The company is targeting a production cost of $2 per kilogram and says Germany has become a priority market. Read more
GREENEYE TECHNOLOGY | Expands its dealer network through a new partnership with Intellifarms Northern Division, giving farmers across South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and surrounding areas access to its AI-powered targeted spraying technology and local support. Read more
SWEGREEN | Secures a seven-year contract renewal with Swedish grocery retailer ICA Maxi Ängelholm. Read more
BIOWEG | To start construction of Europe’s largest bacterial cellulose production plant in Germany in Q4 2026, backed by €35M in total funding. Read more
AGTIRA | Partners with Swedish energy provider Öresundskraft to cut power expenses at its greenhouse operation by an estimated quarter through smarter grid participation. Read more
AGROZ | Signs a multi-year supply and offtake agreement with Malaysian farm aggregator Harvest Hive. Read more
N&E INNOVATIONS | Closes a A$2.4M (~$1.73M) Series A round to scale its antimicrobial technology and grow into new international markets. Read more
ONEGO BIO | Partners with Brooklyn-based waffle brand, Zen Waffles, to bring its animal-free protein ingredient into the high-protein breakfast category. Read more
MOA FOODTECH | Secures €3.3M from the European Innovation Council Fund, Swanlaab Innvierte Agri Food Tech, and CDTI-Innvierte to advance its commercial growth. Read more
BIOTALYS | Advances its crop protection platform after the California Department of Pesticide Regulation registers EVOCA, the company’s first protein-based biofungicide, after it met the state’s requirements for human health, environmental safety, and efficacy. Read more
AGRICAPTURE | Partners with Google and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to convert 6,000 acres of rice farmland in Texas’s Trinity River Basin from flood irrigation to water-saving systems. Read more
OSHI | Expands its US retail presence with new listings at California’s Bristol Farms and Michigan’s Better Health Markets and Cafes. Read more
CROPX | Acquires SCIO to combine soil and crop monitoring with harvest quality analysis to create agriculture’s first self-improving agronomic intelligence platform. Read more
KOPPIE | Launches OtherKinds, its consumer-facing brand for its patented fermented and roasted pea coffee complement. Read more
AEROFARMS | Launches two new microgreen varieties, expanding its retail footprint in the U.S. Read more
ÄIO | Launches DigiFoundry 2.0, a three-year, €1.94M government-backed R&D initiative with TFTAK to build an integrated digital biomanufacturing platform for waste-derived microbial fats and oils. Read more
The company also launched its second commercial cosmetics product with Tilk’s Skin Booster Face Cream, which combines two of ÄIO’s fermentation-derived lipids (RedOil and ZymaLipid Complex) in a single formulation, and was shortlisted for the European Natural Beauty Awards 2026 before launch. Read more
LIVING ROOTS | Closes a seed funding round led by Epic Angels to scale its fertilizer reduction platform across South and Southeast Asia. Read more
MAGIC VALLEY | Partners with the University of Queensland to potentially cut culture media costs in cultivated meat production by 60–90%. Read more
MAASH | Secures a €12.15M funding package to scale its mycoprotein production to industrial level. Read more
PAIRWISE | Reports a sharp increase in licensing activity for its Fulcrum CRISPR gene-editing platform, with 25 licensees now spanning more than 30 species. Read more
OCEANLOOP | Secures a €38.5M ($44.5M) investment to scale its recirculating aquaculture system technology and establish Europe’s first industrial-scale giant grouper farming operations. Read more
COMPUTOMICS | Raises €6.3M in Series B funding for the commercial scale-up of its climate-smart plant breeding platform. Read more
SAVOR | Publishes an independent life cycle assessment of its carbon-derived fats, confirming greenhouse gas emission reductions of up to 98%. Read more
FARMBOT | Raises $22M AUD ($15M USD) in a Series B, fuelling its US expansion under its Ranchbot brand and a corporate restructure making Ranchbot Technology Holdings Inc. the new global parent entity. Read more
MILLOW | Closes a €2M funding round to expand production capacity and scale its commercial team for the Nordic foodservice market, as it is in active discussions with major foodservice operators and distributors. Read more
PREFER | Secures its first nationwide retail listing in Singapore, with its Iced White ready-to-drink beanless coffee now available across all 56 Shell convenience stores on the island. Read more
EDIBLE GARDEN | Reports a sharp surge in retailer demand for fresh herbs and organic produce, as major retailers scramble to secure dependable supply following the wind-down of fellow alum 80 Acres Farms. Read more
The company was also awarded an expanded fresh herb program with Target covering the Thanksgiving through New Year holiday season. Read more
Furthermore, Edible Garden received formal confirmation from Nasdaq that it has regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement of $1.00 per share, maintaining its public market status. Read more
Edible Garden also appointed Jon Gutoski as Chief Financial Officer, following his recent role as the company’s Controller and replacing interim CFO Kostas Dafoulas. Gutoski will oversee financial strategy, reporting, treasury, and internal controls as the vertical farming company focuses on growth and operational discipline. Read more
It also started shipping what it says is the CEA industry’s first verified USDA Organic basil to Northeast grocery chain ShopRite. Read more
WIDE OPEN AGRICULTURE & PROEON | Sign a non-binding framework agreement setting terms for a potential contract manufacturing partnership covering the former’s lupin-based ingredients. Read more
Forward Fooding is the world’s first collaborative platform for the Food & Beverage industry via FoodTech Data Intelligence and Corporate-Startup Collaboration – Learn more about our Consultancy and Scouting Services and our Startup Network