Big Idea Ventures (BIV), Indian financial services firm Ashika Group and the Good Food Institute India (GFI India) announced today that they are teaming up to create a new investment fund and accelerator focused on alternative proteins in India.
Dubbed, appropriately enough, The India Alternative Protein Fund, the new accelerator will launch in 2021 to fund and support companies focused on “bringing to market innovative plant-based, fermentation-derived, and cultivated meat, seafood, egg, and dairy foods,” according to the press announcement.
Big Ideas Ventures already runs a $50 million international fund and two accelerators in New York and Singapore. BIV worked with GFI India for more than a year to assess investment opportunities in that country, and Ashika Group will manage the investment fund. BIV and Ashika Group have started raising a $25 million fund specifically for India, and the Mumbai-based accelerator will begin accepting applications in 2021.
This new accelerator is certainly striking while the alternative protein iron is hot. In March, the Good Food Institute in America released retail data from SPINS that showed “grocery sales of plant-based foods that directly replace animal products have grown 29% in the past two years to $5 billion.” Even those numbers might need to be adjusted, given that the pandemic caused a boom in sales of plant-based meat, plus the fact that more plant-based products like sausage, eggs and dairy alternatives continue to come out.
Additonally, we’ve also seen continued investment around the world in the alternative foods space with players such as GOOD PLANeT, Outstanding Foods, Better Meat Co., Veggie Victory, NotCo, and Green Monday all receiving funding since the end of May.
Those accepted into The India Alternative Protein Fund will receive funding, mentorship, as well as access to a network of Indian and international corporate partners, restauranteurs, retailers and more.