In This Issue:
- Food Venture Financing Trends
- CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Funds
- Links to Relevant Content and Events
Food Venture Financing Trends
- Ferrero, the maker of Nutella, is purchasing WK Kellog for $3.1 billion looking to grow their North American presence.
- Indian startup Loopworm raised $3.25 million to scale their silkworm-based protein operations.
- Australian-based company Eclipse Ingredients secured $7 million in funding to help launch its first commercial products containing human lactoferrin proteins made via precision fermentation methods.
CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund
This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is Eighteen94 Capital.
- Established in 2016 as the venture capital arm for the Kellogg Company, Eighteen94 specializes in investments in food-related categories that help Kellogg gain access to cutting-edge ideas and trends in the food industry.
- Eighteen94 works with in-market or ready-to-launch products and leverages the skills of experts at Kellogg to help elevate brands and ensure they succeed.
- Some of Eighteen94's partner businesses include:
- Kuli Kuli: a company crafting superfoods into blends, lattes, and gummies
- Siren Sweets: a vegan and gluten-free customizable gourmet chocolate company
- UCAN: a company that creates sugar-free steady-release energy gels
- Myco Technology: a company uncovering innovative ingredient solutions from fungi to solve some of food's biggest challenges in the health and environment spaces
- Plantible: a biology company using plants to produce better plant-based protein ingredients that are affordable, tasty, and nutritious
Links to Relevant Content and Events
ARTICLES
- Snack Brand Mars Launches $250 Million Fund to Reduce Ag Emissions
- Agtech Startup Ambrook Lands $26 Million to Modernize Farm Finances
- Shore Capital Partners Secures $450 Million for Fund III
- Private Equity Firm Reacquires Growing Meat Snack Brand Western Smokehouse
- Windfall Bio Deploys Methane-Reducing Biocover at Sunshine Canyon Landfill
UPCOMING EVENTS
Naturally Colorado
Happy People, Healthy Profits: The Culture Shifts That Work
Thursday, July 24 | 3 –6 p.m. MT
Location: CU Boulder Center for Community Building, 2010 Willard Loop Dr, Boulder, CO
In this lively interactive workshop, you'll collaborate with fellow leaders to explore how proactivity, intentionality and heart weave together to give you a competitive edge – attracting, retaining and engaging top talent.
Join Peggy Shell, Founder & CEO of Creative Alignments, who has been connecting the hottest brands with the best talent for decades. She will share her insights and wisdom from some of the industry's most impactful leaders to reveal the secret sauce for building thriving workplace cultures.
Naturally San Diego
Club Consciousness x NSD
Thursday, July 24 | 5–7 p.m. PT
Location: Portal Encinitas, 649 South Vulcan Avenue, Encinitas, CA
Join Naturally San Diego for "Club Consciousness" and a happy hour hosted by RationAle Brewing and Portal Encinitas—an evening of music, connection, and light guided meditation and breathwork, made for those creating a better world through natural consumer goods.
Naturally Seattle
July CPG Connect
Thursday, July 24 | 6–8 p.m. MT
Location: Great Notion in Georgetown
Join Naturally Seattle for a casual meetup with others working in natural, organic, and better-for-you Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG).
Naturally Seattle's monthly CPG Connect series brings together industry professionals who care about conscious business practices and creating better products. It's a great opportunity to connect with others in CPG, share ideas, brainstorm solutions, and build relationships.
Naturally Minnesota
Volunteering with Naturally MN at Big River Farms
Tuesday, July 29 | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. CT
Location: Big River Farms, Ostlund Trail North 14220, Marine on Saint Croix
Join Naturally Minnesota on the farm at Big River Farms for a day of fresh air, sunshine, and getting your hands a little dirty as we roll up our sleeves and volunteer in the fields. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just farm-curious, this is your chance to connect with the land, meet awesome people, and support local sustainable agriculture.
Naturally New England
Meet Up at Mohegan Sun
Tuesday, July 29 | 4–6 p.m. ET
Location: The Lansdowne Irish Pub & Music House, Mohegan Sun Boulevard 1, Montville, CT
NNE Members Meet-Up! Join Naturally New England at the Mohegan Sun's Lansdowne Bar for a casual meet and greet with several of their board members.
Naturally Chicago
AI That Works for You: Learn to Streamline Content and Operations
Wednesday, July 30 | 1–2 p.m. CT
Discover how CPG teams are using AI to simplify marketing, sales, and operations—without losing their voice. They'll demo Voxley, introduce their AI Policy Assistant, and share tools to help you work smarter. You'll also learn about a new AI Transformation Cohort where CPG founders can explore, experiment, and grow together.
Speaker:
- Jennifer Amdur Spitz, Founder, Voxley
Naturally Colorado
Networking Collision
Wednesday, July 30 | 5–8 p.m. MT
Location: The Town Hall Collaborative, 525 Santa Fe, Denver, CO
This month's Collision will feature open networking starting at 5pm, with a fun, optionally facilitated "speed networking" session beginning at 6pm. Whether you're looking to meet someone new or reconnect with familiar faces in the natural products space, opportunities are being created to spark conversation in a relaxed, welcoming setting. Drinks and locally made Kettle Head popcorn will be available for purchase throughout the evening.
Pacific Community Ventures - National Research Study
Pacific Community Ventures is offering a PAID opportunity for small business owners to participate in a national research study on what makes a good job at small and mid-sized businesses.
If you have between 10 - 1,000 full-time W2 employees, you can:
- Receive a $2,170 stipend for participating
- Get free business advisory support to improve employee retention and satisfaction
- Gain practical tools to strengthen your business and bottom line
Enrollment is open until July 30, 2025, and the program runs until September 30, 2025.
Learn more and apply here.