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Food + Beverage

Food Venture Financing News – Weekly Issue No. 258

10.24.25
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In This Issue:

  • Starship, a robotic food delivery company, announced that it raised $50 million in its Series C financing round.
  • MATR Foods, a food tech startup developing fermented plant-based meat alternatives, announced that it raised €40 million as part of its mixed equity and venture debt financing.
  • Wild Bioscience, a startup using AI to develop climate-resilient crops, announced that it raised $60 million in its Series A financing round.

CPG Corporate Venture and Private Equity Fund

This week's featured corporate venture and private equity fund is AF Ventures.

  • AF Ventures, formerly known as AccelFoods, is a New York-based venture capital firm dedicated to backing high-growth consumer product companies, with a strong emphasis on food and beverage brands. Since its founding in 2014, AF Ventures has carved out a niche in identifying challenger brands that combine strong fundamentals with innovative approaches to consumer engagement.
  • The firm focuses on omnichannel strategies, health and wellness, and sustainability—key trends shaping the future of food and beverage. AF Ventures provides not only capital but also strategic resources and operational support to help brands scale effectively in competitive markets.
  • Portfolio companies include:
    • Yumi
    • Siete
    • Koia

ARTICLES

UPCOMING EVENTS

Naturally NorCal and Naturally New York
Smart Hiring: Building a Team for Brand Success

Wednesday, October 29 | 11 a.m.–12 p.m. PT/1–2 p.m. ET

Your team can be your greatest growth asset if you build it strategically. In this session, explore how early-stage brands can make smart, high-impact hiring decisions that will allow your business to flourish. From deciding who to hire and when, to knowing when fractional talent makes more sense than a full-time role, this conversation will help you avoid common pitfalls and build a foundation for growth.

Register

Naturally Seattle
Brew & Connect: A Supply Side Global Coffee Break

Wednesday, October 29 | 10 a.m.–12 p.m. PT
Location: Mandalay Bay Convention Center, 3950 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV

Join hosts Non-GMO Project and Naturally Seattle for coffee, tea, bagels, and pastries and network at the Supply Side Global show in Vegas at booth #2431. Connect with PNW CPG brands & suppliers and enjoy a little break.

Register

Naturally Colorado
Selling Your Brand on TikTok Shop

Wednesday, October 29 | 5–8 p.m. MT
Location: Interlocken Golf Club, 800 Eldorado Blvd, 80021, Broomfield, CO

This free event is open to members and non-members alike—a casual, fun way to connect with fellow natural products professionals, no golf swing required. Simply walk in the clubhouse to take in beautiful views while enjoying food and drink that will be available for purchase onsite.

Your host, Shawn Edwards, is a Naturally Colorado Board Member and the Founder and CEO of mindsight, a consumer and brand research firm that specializes in helping better-for-people-and-planet-brands scale. Come meet new friends and reconnect with familiar faces.

Register

Naturally New England
Members Exclusive Workshop: Forecast with Confidence

Wednesday, November 5 | 12–1 p.m. ET
Location: Interlocken Golf Club, 800 Eldorado Blvd, 80021, Broomfield, CO

Whether you're just launching your first SKU or scaling a $200M brand, accurate sales and margin forecasting is the backbone of smart decision-making. Yet for many early-stage companies, aligning the needs of leadership, investors, co-packers, distributors, and customers can feel overwhelming.

In this members-only online workshop, Marc Bloomstein of MLB Advisory Group will introduce a practical, Excel-based forecasting model designed specifically for growing CPG brands. You'll learn how to:

  • Project weekly sales and pricing across retail and online partners
  • Calculate distributor, retailer, and brand margins with clarity
  • Incorporate promotions and pricing strategies to plan for growth

Register

Naturally Colorado
Packaging the Future: EPR & Beyond

Wednesday, November 5 | 5:30–7:30 p.m. MT
Location: Sleeping Giant Brewing, 2500 W 5th Ave, Denver, CO

Sustainable Packaging is one of the hottest topics in today's CPG environment; and specifically the newly introduced EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) laws. Oregon was the first state to implement the program and now Colorado is next on drafting the state's own EPR.

Over 60 countries globally have already established their own sustainable packaging programs. In Colorado it's the "Producer Responsibility Program for Statewide Recycling Act. Colorado's Department of Public Health & Environment has been working on the law since enactment in 2022. As of July 2025, a producer cannot sell or distribute products that use covered materials in Colorado unless they participate in the Producer Responsibility Program.

Speakers:

  • Amber Papa, Project Manager at How2Recycle
  • Matt Pillatsch, Account Specialist at Circular Action Alliance
  • Marina Solis, Project Manager at How2Recycle

Register

Naturally New England
Off the Beaten Path: Rebuilding New England's Grain Heritage

Thursday, November 6 | 4–6 p.m. ET

Join Naturally New England for an intimate evening with Amber Lambke, CEO of Maine Grains and finalist for the Naturally Network Conscious Business Awards. This exclusive Off the Beaten Path event invites Naturally New England members to connect over leadership insights and artisan food.

From 4 to 6 PM, enjoy a fireside chat with Amber, where she'll share her journey building Maine Grains into a conscious CPG leader. Following the conversation, explore a behind-the-scenes tour of Maine Grains' operations at their facility located in Skowhegan, ME.

Dinner will be served featuring their renowned flatbreads, paired with drinks available for purchase, including beer. This unique event is limited to 20 attendees to foster meaningful connections and conversation.

Register

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