We have exciting news! The past month marks the end of our first cohort in both Singapore and New York. The cohort was made up of 12 different plant-based and cell-based companies across the globe within a variety of sectors including dairy, alternative meat, snacks, beverages, and cultivated meat.
Over the course of the program, we offered over 100 mentor and expert sessions, meetings with 50 investors and 40 industry executives, as well as introductions to multiple government institutions such as the UK, Danish, and Australian ambassadorial contingency.
Some highlights include a well-received tasting session in which we showcased our portfolio companies in a 4-course culinary experience curated entirely out of their products and recipes, 1:1s with industry leaders including Fedele Bauccio of Bon Appetit Management Co. and Chris Skyers of Wakefern Own brands, and our Demo Day pitch event.
Each of our twelve Cohort companies saw tremendous growth and progress over the past five months. These milestones include:
- The commercial launch of several of our startups including LVL Life, Phuture Foods, and Confetti Fine Foods.
- GOURMEY developed their first cell-based foie gras prototype and closed a seed round before the program’s end.
- Developing and closing new product lines at Karana which are reaching the final stages of R&D.
- Black Sheep Foods closed a seed round before the program’s end.
- Uproot and PlantKind Foods started production with a co-manufacturer. PlantKind Foods also raised bridge funding.
- Patch Organics and Pleese finalized their formulations ahead of upcoming production runs.
- Grounded Foods piloted their plant-based cheeses in NYC restaurants, launched online presales, and garnered press attention and interest from investors.
- Revolution Gelato hired an experienced Director of Sales to support their strong retail presence and expand other channels and is currently piloting a first-to-market novelty with Whole Foods.
We are looking forward to continuing these partnerships and are excited for what’s in store from these promising innovators.
