• Foodvisor

  Led · Equity · Nov 2019

  Foodvisor’s mobile app uses deep learning to identify the type of food in a photo and estimate the weight of each item. The app calculates the distance between the plate and the phone using autofocus data and then computes the area of each item; users can manually correct information before logging. The company has generated 2 million app downloads and recently launched in the U.S., which it views as a market opportunity. With the new funding, Foodvisor plans to improve the app and hire 15 more people. The latest reported financing is a $4.5 million round led by Agrinnovation with participation from Leonis Investissement and various business angels. Foodvisor built a mobile app that automatically logs meals from a photo using deep learning to detect food types and estimate weight/volume. The app calculates nutrition facts (calories, proteins, carbs, fats, fibers), lets users set goals, log activities and monitor progress. It estimates plate-to-phone distance using camera autofocus, computes item areas and extrapolates volumes by food type, and allows manual corrections when recognition is wrong. Foodvisor launched its app in 2018 in France after more than two years of R&D and is available on iOS and Android in French, English, German and Spanish. The startup has attracted 1.8 million app downloads and offers a premium subscription at $5–$10 per month that includes additional analysis, diet plans and in-app chats with registered dietitians. The company says it has adjusted its product and enriched its database to better target the American market and has raised $1.5M (€1.4M) to date.

• Future Meat Technologies

  Participated · Seed · May 2018

  Future Meat Technologies develops cultivated meat products (chicken, lamb, beef and pork) using proprietary single-cell lines, serum-free media formulations and stainless-steel fermenters that continuously remove waste and recycle nutrients. The company says its rejuvenating fermenters enable cell densities greater than 100 billion cells per liter, translate to production densities 10-times higher than the industrial standard, and can recycle over 70% of nutrients. Future Meat opened the world’s first cultivated meat production line in Israel earlier in the year and is scouting locations in the United States for a large-scale production facility. Management announced the company reduced the cost of cultivated chicken to $7.70 per pound ($1.70 per 110-gram breast), down from under $18 per pound six months earlier. The company positions its product as non-GMO, antibiotic-free, and more sustainable than traditional meat, and plans to break ground on a U.S. large-scale facility in 2022. Future Meat is headquartered in Rehovot, Israel. Future Meat Technologies builds proprietary technology to produce meat directly from animal cells using rapid proliferation of connective tissue cells in stainless steel fermenters that continuously remove waste. The company says its cultured chicken breast production cost has fallen to $7.50, and a quarter-pound serving is now single-digit cost. Its products combine cultured chicken and plant proteins to replicate the texture and aroma of farm-raised chicken and the company is also developing cultured lamb kebabs and beef burgers. Future Meat highlights the ability to produce cultured fat as an advantage over plant-protein approaches. It plans to market products to consumers and restaurants within 18 months and expects a pilot facility to start production in the first half of 2021 while seeking regulatory approval in several territories. The company emphasizes a non-GMO approach and no genetic engineering in its process. Future Meat Technologies develops a distributive, GMO-free cultured-meat platform that produces meat directly from animal cells without raising or harvesting animals. Its process leverages rapid growth of connective tissue cells (fibroblasts) to reach high densities before converting them to cultured muscle and fats. The company is pursuing hybrid products that combine plant proteins for texture with cultured fats for aroma and flavor, and plans a later line of 100% cultured meat. Current small-scale production costs are reported at $150 per pound for chicken and $200 per pound for beef. Future Meat intends to expand R&D and build a pilot production facility south of Tel Aviv, estimated to begin operations in 2020, with hybrid products targeted for competitive pricing by 2021. The company aims to reach a cost below $10 per pound for 100% cultured meat by 2022. Future Meat was founded in 2018 and is led by CEO Rom Kshuk with Prof. Yaakov Nahmias as Chief Scientist. Future Meat Technologies is developing a manufacturing technology to grow animal fat and muscle cells for lab-grown meat. The technology was first developed in the laboratories of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the company is working to commercialize scalable production. Founder and chief scientist Yaakov Nahmias says the team reduced production cost from about $10,000 per kilogram to roughly $800 per kilogram, with a roadmap to $5–10 per kg by 2020. The company says it can produce animal fat without harvesting animals and without genetic modification, which it argues is important for flavor. One of its pilot products is lab-grown chicken that chefs have used in recipes. Future Meat is focused on scaling bioreactors and moving away from reliance on fetal bovine serum to enable mass production.

• Cannabis Tech

  Participated · Seed · Feb 2017

  Cannabi-Tech develops a testing platform for medical cannabis labs and dispensaries, focused on lab-grade quality control. The system features patented optical testing and advanced imaging tools for medical marijuana flowers. It also provides an integrated cloud database, sorting and labeling systems, traceable packaging and mobile apps. The company is led by CEO and co-founder Dr. Guy Setton and Chief Scientific Officer Professor Oded Shoseyov. Cannabi-Tech closed a $1M seed funding round and intends to use the funds to launch its testing platform in North America.

No current team members are available.