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The Venture Codex

Lever VC

522 Lefferts Ave. 4, Brooklyn, NY, 11225, USA

Overview

Lever VC is a U.S.-Hong Kong venture capital fund founded by Managing Partner Nick Cooney and investing in early stage companies in the alternative protein sector (plant-based and “clean”/cell-based meat, egg and dairy companies). Lever VC operates globally, with offices in Hong Kong and the U.S. and staff in the US, Hong Kong, Europe, and Israel. Entrepreneurs and startups interested in connecting with Lever VC about possible investment can reach the team and submit information about their company at http://www.levervc.com. Managing Partner Nick Cooney is the Co-Founder and former Managing Trustee of New Crop Capital, a private venture capital trust vehicle investing in the alternative protein space, and is Co-Founder of the Good Food Institute, the world’s largest non-governmental organization working to grow the alternative protein space. The General Partners at Lever VC have deployed over $1.5 billion in capital over the past decade across a variety of sectors, including over thirty deals in the alternative protein space.

Total investments
27
Lead investments
7
Investments · 12mo
6
Active investors
1

Sector focus

  • Alternative Protein
  • Food and Beverage
  • Food Delivery
  • Food Processing
  • Nutrition
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Investment portfolio

  • Ranchbot

    Participated · Series B · Aug 2026

    Ranchbot combines field-installed hardware with recurring software to allow producers to remotely monitor water infrastructure and other assets across large agricultural properties. Water management remains the company's foundation, but it is developing broader capabilities that are expected to encompass livestock, wildlife and natural capital such as soil, pasture and biodiversity, plus other ranch and farm infrastructure. The company serves more than 12,000 customers responsible for roughly 10 million cattle and 15 million sheep across Australia, North America and other markets. With the Series B financing and a new global holding structure based in Fort Worth, Ranchbot is investing in additional staff, hardware and software development and pursuing partnerships to expand its platform. It is positioning its data infrastructure for potential value beyond individual farms, including use cases for insurers, lenders and supply-chain companies.

  • Peppertux

    Participated · Equity · Aug 2026

    Peppertux produces a range of pistachio-based products, including pistachio butters, Pistachio Creams, Pistachio Drizzle and Pistachio Squares, and launched at Natural Products Expo West. The company was founded and bootstrapped by Malia and Ahat Caskurlu and is based in Irvine, Calif. Peppertux’s go-to-market strategy focused first on independent retailers and regional grocery chains to drive strong consumer demand and retail performance before expanding into larger national accounts. Current retail traction includes expansion from 222 to more than 1,140 Target stores and new or expanded placements in Wegmans, H-E-B, Kroger and Albertsons. Following the bridge raise, the company plans to accelerate national retail expansion, pursue foodservice opportunities and introduce additional pistachio product extensions. The company’s financial position prior to the round was bootstrapped, and the new $2.35 million bridge round provides growth capital for these initiatives.

  • Omni

    Participated · Equity · Jun 2026

    Omni develops a range of plant-based, vet-formulated dog foods, treats, supplements, dental sticks, shampoos and calming products using novel proteins from yeast, algae and pulses. The company sells dry foods and wet-style meals, training treats, and a portfolio of supplements addressing skin, breath, gut health and weight management. Omni is commercial and growing quickly—founders Guy Sandelowsky and Shiv Sivakumar say annualised sales rose from about £1M to close to £13M and the brand has helped more than 300,000 dogs, with a 130% sales lift and 20,000 new customers after its Dragons’ Den appearance. It is developing LeanPaws, an Ozempic-style weight-loss supplement for dogs; a placebo-controlled trial reported 77% of overweight dogs taking LeanPaws lost some weight, 63% reduced body fat composition, and 42% showed fewer begging behaviors with virtually no side effects. Omni highlights the lower carbon footprint of its recipes—about 73% fewer emissions than standard meat-based dog food—and cites avoided customer CO2e contributions over time. The company plans to use new funding to scale UK retail presence, enter the US market, continue clinical research, and expand the team.

  • NS/TX Industries

    Led · Series A · Jun 2026

    NS/TX Industries (doing business as NEW/SCHOOL FOODS) operates a vertically integrated manufacturing platform built around a proprietary, tuneable scaffolding and texturization technology for meat and seafood analogues. The platform supports production of whole-cut formats (steaks, filets), non whole-cut formats (burgers, strips), and a wide range of species analogues with tuneable texture, flavor delivery systems, and cleaner-label nutrition. The company operates a 28,000 sq. ft. facility in Toronto and launched a V1 commercial assembly line in late 2024, achieving more than a 10x reduction in production costs through extensive trials, equipment upgrades, digital QA, and process breakthroughs. Those developments generated new patents and proprietary equipment designs. NS/TX provides production, R&D, and co-manufacturing services and delivers consumer- and restaurant-facing products via its NEW/SCHOOL FOODS brand. The company has raised over $30 million USD in private and government funding and is now scaling via construction of an automated V2 Assembly Line to increase capacity by over 10x and further lower costs.

  • Incapto Coffee

    Participated · Series B · Apr 2026

    Founded in Barcelona in 2020 by Francesc Font, Bea Mesas and Joaquim Mach, Incapto operates a vertically integrated coffee-as-a-service model combining in-house roasting, connected hardware and a digital subscription platform. Its IoT-enabled machines send usage data back to the platform, which the company uses to optimise delivery timing, personalise selections across nine-plus origins, and automate reorders. Inventory is presold through subscriptions prior to roasting, and the service targets both households and office customers as an alternative to capsule systems. Incapto positions itself as a technology-enabled service company blending hardware, software and subscriptions, competing with both subscription coffee services (e.g., Pact Coffee, Trade Coffee, Bottomless) and premium machine makers (e.g., Nespresso, De'Longhi, Jura). The company has stated that the fresh-bean subscription model reduces capsule waste and can be more cost-effective than traditional capsule systems. Financially, the business has raised about €16 million to date, including the newly closed €10 million Series B.

Team