In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- A recent report from Pitchbook found that foodtech companies raised an aggregate of $12.7 billion in venture capital money, equivalent to one third of the investments last year.
- Although fundraising activity has decreased, investors and leaders in the foodtech sector believe that foodtech companies in key sectors (such as precision fermentation and other alternative protein technologies) will continue to attract investment.
- Aura Bora, a sparkling water emerging brand, announced that it closed its Series A round. To date, the company has raised over $10 million.
- Not So Dark, a Paris-based virtual food delivery startup, announced that it raised $80 million in its Series B round. To date, the company has raised over $105 million.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
This week's featured CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund is CircleUp Growth Partners.
- CircleUp Growth Partners is an early stage consumer investment fund, founded in 2012, based in San Francisco, California. It has a data-driven, scalable approach to investing. It has invested in companies across a variety of categories ranging from food and beverage to beauty, pet, household products, restaurants, and apparel.
- One of its highlights is the proprietary machine learning platform – Helio, which collects and analyzes billions of data points across more than 1.2 million companies to understand and predict their future success.
- A few of the companies backed by CircleUp include:
- Nutpods
- Kettle & Fire
- 4505 Meats
- Halo Top
- Partake
- Nom Nom
- Pop&Bottle
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- Some Plant-Based Categories Experiencing Declines
- Prolific Machines Reveals $42 Million Series A to Scale 'Assembly Line' Tech for Cultivated Meat
- Plant-Based Formula Maker Raises $75 Million in Funding Round
- Seattle Adds Another Unicorn as Grocery Retail Tech Startup Swiftly Raises $100 Million
- Kate Farms Closes $75 Million Series C Round to Expand Plant-Based Nutrition in Hospitals
- House Foods Group acquires Keystone Natural Holdings
- Investors Cool on Funding Tech That Will Help Tackle Food Crisis
- Consumers Are Getting Sick of the Metaverse — Really
EVENTS & OPPORTUNITIES
Naturally Network
Expo East Pitch Slam After-Party presented by SPINS
Wednesday, September 28, 7:30 - 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Reading Terminal Market, Arch Street 1136, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Attend the biggest party at 2022 Expo East! Join Naturally Network to celebrate all of their Pitch Slam candidates and this year's national winner at the Pitch Slam After-Party presented by SPINS..
Naturally Los Angeles
2022 Sept Mixer
Monday, September 26, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. PT
Location: Flying Embers, 1581 Industrial St, Los Angeles, CA 90021
Cost: $5
This is an informal evening of networking with other founders and executives in the Natural CPG community.
Naturally Minnesota
Naturally Minnesota Launch Party/Pitch Slam Event
Monday, October 3, 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. CT
Location: Mill City Museum, 704 S 2nd Street, Minneapolis, MN
Cost: $35 (General Admission), $65 (VIP Ticket)
Celebrate the launch of Naturally Network's newest chapter, Naturally Minnesota.
Naturally Bay Area
Quick Bites: Category Review Trends & Insights with Top Buyers
Thursday, October 6, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. PT
Hear from leading Bay Area category buyers on their category review processes. We'll discuss the trends they're seeing, preferred marketing support tactics, and how to set yourself up for success with each retailer.
Speakers:
- Jen Berliner, General Manager at Moonshot Snacks
- Thuy Nguyen, Category Manager at Thrive Market
- Hugh Rosen, Grocery Director of Gus's Community Market
- Miriam Welch, National Category Director - Breakfast & Nutrition of ALBERTSONS COMPANIES
- Patrick Wyman, Whole Foods Market
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.
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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.