In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Foodtech companies raised $17.3 billion and agritech companies raised $5 billion globally in 2020.
- Amazon has announced the expansion of its grocery business with the opening of four Amazon Fresh stores in the U.S. along with contactless payment options as a response to consumer preference for online grocery.
- Beyond Meat plans to launch its plant-based chicken product this summer as it seeks to expand its consumer base.
- Beyond Meat also announced that the new version of its Beyond Burger will launch in grocery stores this week. The new version of the burger is expected to taste better and contain fewer calories and 35% less fat than 80/20 ground beef.
- Olam Food Ingredients plans to acquire Olde Thompson, a U.S. manufacturer of spices and seasonings, for $950 million.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity AF Ventures.
- AF Ventures (formerly AccelFoods, founded in 2013) manages over 30 portfolio brands across the consumer landscape of food & beverage, health & wellness, beauty, personal care, and pet products.
- AF Ventures offers its portfolio companies a proprietary suite of resources to achieve large-scale impact, improving the health of future generations.
- Portfolio companies include:
- Cirkul
- Gainful
- Ready.Set.Food!
- AlphaFoods
- AF Ventures recently initiated a $200 million SPAC offering through AF Acquisition, a partnership among AF Ventures, Scharf Brothers—and Mistral Equity Partners—that will target the food and beverage, wellness, beauty, pet, and personal care sectors.
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- This Midwest Startup Just Raised $1.6 Million to Make Lab-Grown Lobster
- Hydration Startup Raises $8.5 Million
- Vence Raises $12 Million to Enable Rotational Grazing With Virtual Electric Fences
- Indoor Farming Funding Heats Up
- Agrifood Tech Investment on Track for Record 2021
- Agrifood Tech Companies Raised $22.3 Billion in Funding in 2020, Finistere Ventures Says
- Finistere Ventures 2020 AgriFood Tech Investment Review
- Amazon Expands Fresh Stores and Delivery Options Amid Post-Pandemic Online Grocery Customer Uptick
- Beyond Meat Telling Customers Faux Chicken Is Coming This Summer
- The Brand New Beyond Burger® Launches at Grocery Stores Nationwide
- Olam Food Ingredients Accelerates Its Growth Strategy With A Transformative US Acquisition
- Protein Seekers Rejoice! With 25G of Protein, New :ratio PROTEIN Packs the Most Protein in the Yogurt Aisle in a Single Serve Cup
EVENTS
Naturally Bay Area's 2021 Quick Bites Series
Category Review Trends With Top Buyers
Wednesday, May 5, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. PT
Hear from leading Bay Area category buyers on how their review processes, timing, and criteria have shifted during and coming out of COVID.
They'll discuss the trends they're seeing, preferred marketing support tactics, and how to set yourself up for success with each retailer.
- Sarah Gordon: Senior Buyer, Whole Foods
- Patrick Wyman: Local Forager, Whole Foods
- Thuy Nguyen: Category Manager, Good Eggs
- Mirian Welch: NorCal Category Manager, Safeway
- Jen Berliner: Moderator, Naturally Bay Area & General Manager, Moonshot Snacks
Register here
Naturally Boulder + Naturally Bay Area: Networking Across the Country
Wednesday, May 10, 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. PT
Naturally Bay Area and Naturally Boulder will be hosting a special "Networking Across America" event.
There will be three 20-minute breakout rooms of your choosing. Rooms will be organized around functional areas such as:
- Supply Chain – Hosted by Ted Witt of Kinder’s
- Sustainability – Hosted by Dan Kurzrock of Regrained
- J.E.D.I. – Hosted by Jenna Fitch of New Hope Network
- Finance – Hosted by Alex Kearns of Propeller Industries
- Operations – Hosted by Janal Cruz of Guyakí
- Plus, we’ll also have a few rooms for those seeking a more laid-back conversation:
- Meaningful Connections – Hosted by Willis Davis of The Burbank Group
- The New Normal – Hosted by Kevin Cleary of Big Rock Growth Advisors
- And more!
Register here
Food Funded 2021 JEDI
Wednesday, May 12, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. PT
There's more urgency and opportunity for racial equity out there, and past Food Investor Fairs have catalyzed investments for BIPOC food entrepreneurs. Slow Money and J.E.D.I. Collaborative invite you to join them for:
- Entrepreneur Lab: Changemakers and experienced practitioners speaking the truth about breakthrough.
- Food Investor Showcase:
- Bay Area Food Investor Fair: Forum for investors to meet BIPOC food entrepreneurs and see pre-screened investment opportunities.
- Virtual Tastings with Real Food and Small Group Exchanges: Engage your palate. Attendees will receive a Smorgasbox with samples from presenting food makers (while supplies last). Talk with the entrepreneurs about their food and their business.
Register here
Expo West Virtual - J.E.D.I Collaborative
Wednesday, May 26, 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PT
J.E.D.I. Collaborative will have programming at Natural Products Expo West Virtual on May 26th, 2021. The sessions will include a keynote by Van Jones and an unveiling of the next phase of J.E.D.I. Collaborative.
Don't forget to register! Natural Products Expo Virtual is FREE to qualified industry members. Your registration will give you access to all of the virtual events for 2021. You can see the full list of programs here.
Please check out DWT's newly re-launched Startup Law Blog
At DWT, we are proud to have one of the largest Food & Beverage legal practices in the country, with over 40 attorneys representing food innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors at every level of the food chain, from Farm to Label.
Please contact our Food and Beverage team if we can assist you in any way in these unprecedented times.
The facts, laws, and regulations regarding COVID-19 are developing rapidly. Since the date of publication, there may be new or additional information not referenced in this advisory. Please consult with your legal counsel for guidance.
DWT will continue to provide up-to-date insights and virtual events regarding COVID-19 concerns. Our most recent insights, as well as information about recorded and upcoming virtual events, are available at www.dwt.com/COVID-19.