Participated · Series A · Nov 2025

Athian builds a software platform that streamlines data entry, uploads, measurement, and verification at scale to drive greenhouse-gas (GHG) emission reductions for livestock producers and the food brands that source from them. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of Scope 3 emissions tracking, the company enables food companies to fund farm-level sustainability measures while mitigating enterprise risk. Athian’s tools aim to bolster both the financial and environmental resilience of farms within global supply chains. Led by CEO Paul Myer, the firm positions itself as a key enabler for brands seeking to meet ambitious climate targets. The platform specifically supports funding mechanisms that reward producers for lowering emissions. While detailed operating metrics such as revenue or user count were not disclosed, the company’s immediate focus is expanding its technological capabilities and market reach with newly secured capital.

Led · Series C · Nov 2022

Soft Robotics is a Bedford, Massachusetts–based company that develops compliant soft robotic grippers and an AI/computer vision platform for handling fragile and variably sized items, particularly in food production. Its core product, the mGripAI system, combines 3D vision with soft gripping hardware to pick up meat, produce, and other inconsistently sized foodstuffs. The company has emphasized food production as a major go-to-market strategy and has seen increased demand as soft robotics grippers have become more in vogue. Soft Robotics reported that pandemic-related dynamics helped produce the four largest sales quarters in its eight-year history. The firm announced a $26 million Series C to accelerate deployment of its mGripAI system. The round was led by Tyson Ventures, with Marel and Johnsonville joining as new investors. Previously, Soft Robotics raised a $23 million Series B and a $10 million extension in June of last year. Soft Robotics develops soft, pneumatic-powered robotic grippers combined with 3D perception and AI to allow robots to handle fragile and variable food products. Its technology augments widely available industrial robots with hand-eye coordination for tasks typically done by human workers. The company targets food-supply-chain use cases such as agriculture, food processing and logistics, where product variability and unstructured environments challenge traditional robots. Demand for its automation solutions has risen during the COVID-19 pandemic amid labor shortages and concerns about disease transmission. Tyson Foods is an existing customer and Tyson Ventures has joined the investor list. Founded in 2013 and based in New England, the company has raised roughly $58 million to date after the latest extension. Soft Robotics designs soft-material end-effectors (grippers) that allow robots to more easily grip varied objects without the precise tolerances and complex programming required by traditional industrial claws. The company has established relationships with large global clients and the article notes it likely isn’t hurting for revenue. Product efforts include the mGrip gripper and an integrated system tied to FANUC’s Mini‑P controller for easy use with FANUC robots. The new capital will fund growth initiatives to increase gripper variability and expand applications in food packaging, consumer goods, e‑commerce and logistics. Soft Robotics plans to target automation of returns processing in e‑commerce, a highlighted pain point. The company has previously raised $20M in 2018 and $5M in 2015, each described as oversubscribed rounds. Soft Robotics develops soft, air-filled robotic grippers made from rubbery materials that are more compliant than traditional robotic hands. Its grippers reduce the need for extensive pre-programming and on-board vision by adapting to a variety of objects. The company has primarily served the food industry, handling delicate products like produce and pizza dough, and counts Just Born Quality Confections (makers of Peeps) as a customer. It has also demonstrated a low-cost, AI-driven warehouse system to retrieve products from bins and fulfill retail orders with minimal oversight. Soft Robotics announced a $20 million funding round to expand operations, following a $5 million Series A in late 2015. The company plans to use the new capital to push further into food and beverage categories and to grow its presence in retail, logistics, and warehouse fulfillment. Soft Robotics has developed novel, proprietary soft-robotic technology for manipulation and material handling, capable of handling fresh produce, electronic components, consumer goods, clothing and other objects without tool changes or software modifications. The company was founded in 2013 out of the Whitesides Research Group at Harvard University and is led by CEO Carl Vause. It brought its technology to market in June 2015 and is deploying solutions with industry partners and end users across consumer products, advanced manufacturing and food handling. Soft Robotics is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. The company intends to use recently raised funds to grow commercial deployment of its technology and to support continued product development. No operating metrics (revenue or users) were disclosed in the article.

Participated · Series E · Mar 2022

MycoTechnology harnesses the metabolic engine of mushrooms—mycelium—using natural fermentation to produce novel food ingredients. Its product portfolio includes ClearIQ, a kosher and halal all‑natural bitter blocker, and FermentIQ, a plant‑based meat analog ingredient made by fermenting pea and rice protein with shiitake mycelium. The company positions its ingredients as solutions for sugar reduction, food insecurity, sustainable protein and natural immune support, and aims to improve taste and functionality in plant‑based products. Founded in 2013 and based in Aurora, Colorado, MycoTechnology says its platform can add new-to-the-world ingredients from the fungal kingdom. The startup plans to use recent funding to further capitalize its fermentation technology platform and expand its geographical footprint, prioritizing launches in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. MycoTechnology emphasizes improving the palatability of alt‑protein to help drive broader consumer adoption. MycoTechnology develops a mushroom fermentation platform to create food-processing solutions and functional ingredients made from mycelium. The company is Colorado-based and was selected from more than 150 global applicants to win the Radicle Protein Challenge, receiving a US$1 million investment prize. It previously closed a US$39 million Series D backed by Greenleaf Foods, Tyson Ventures and Eighteen94 Capital. Management has stated plans to expand its line of ingredients and food-processing solutions made using mycelium. The company also alluded to an opportunity for an IPO in late 2022. As part of the prize, MycoTechnology will gain access to the agricultural network and expertise of Radicle and Syngenta to accelerate its technology. MycoTechnology develops mushroom-based functional ingredients, including ClearTaste (a bitterness masker) and PureTaste, a fermented pea-and-rice protein that is 77% protein. The company raised $39M in a Series D to help build and scale its functional ingredients platform. PureTaste is produced by fermenting pea and rice protein with shiitake mycelia and is positioned for use in meat alternatives, snack bars, dairy alternatives, and baked goods. ClearTaste is commonly used to mask the aftertaste of stevia, enabling sugar reduction, and is also used in CBD products, coffee, chocolate, and low-sodium formulations made with potassium chloride. MycoTechnology's CEO, Alan Hahn, has said the company has projects that may create opportunities to go public, with a previously announced IPO plan for late 2022. The article also situates the company within a growing mycoprotein market, noting industry expansion and other recent fundraising by fungi-based ingredient startups. MycoTechnology is a Denver, CO–based developer of a novel organic food processing platform that transforms agricultural material into functional ingredients. Its offering includes ClearTaste, which enables companies to reduce sugar by blocking bitterness, and PureTaste®, a sustainable, functional, plant-based protein. The company is led by CEO Alan Hahn, CSO Anthony Clark, COO Rick Becker, and CFO Jonathan Jachimiec. MycoTechnology closed a $30M Series C to accelerate expansion, speed R&D project execution, and grow the team to support current and future projects. The firm targets major challenges in the food and beverage industry by commercializing ingredient solutions derived from its platform. MycoTechnology develops functional food ingredients using mushroom fermentation, commercializing products for the food and beverage industry. Its first product, ClearTaste®, is a certified organic bitter blocker that helps companies reduce sugar in their products. The company is commercializing a Shiitake-fermented vegetable protein called PureTaste, which the article describes as highly digestible, non-GMO, vegan, low in calories/fats/carbohydrates and rich in vitamins and minerals not found in competing proteins. After ClearTaste commercialization, MycoTechnology is focusing on addressing challenges in the protein industry with PureTaste. The company intends to use new funds to continue to grow operations, and its commercial facility will initially be able to produce 4,000 metric tons of PureTaste per year. MycoTechnology was founded in 2013 by Alan Hahn, who serves as CEO.

Participated · Series B · Dec 2021

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.

Participated · Series A · Jan 2021

New Wave Foods develops a proprietary plant-based shrimp formulated from sustainable seaweed and plant proteins, claiming taste and texture virtually indistinguishable from ocean shrimp after years of chef and R&D collaboration. The product targets the $9 billion U.S. shrimp market, where Americans consume an estimated 1.5 billion pounds of shrimp annually and roughly 80% is eaten in foodservice. The company aims to expand its plant-based shellfish lineup to include lobster, scallops, and crab following its shrimp rollout. New Wave Foods recently closed an $18 million Series A to scale up production, expand sales and marketing, accelerate future product development, and grow its team. The product is positioned for foodservice operators because it is versatile and easy to prepare. Leadership emphasizes environmental and humane benefits relative to shrimp farming and overfishing. New Wave Foods develops a seaweed- and plant-protein alternative to shrimp. The product was created by a development team of food scientists, academics, and chefs under co-founder and CTO Michelle Wolf. The company says its shrimp substitute contains the eight amino acids found in meat and seafood, is lower in calories and salt than real shrimp, has zero cholesterol, and contains no allergens. Mary McGovern, a longtime consumer goods executive, leads the company alongside co-founder Dominique Barnes. New Wave positions the product as a one-for-one swap that is interchangeable across recipes and aimed at chefs and foodservice operators seeking sustainable choices. The startup is based in San Francisco and participates in the broader alternative-protein move into the seafood market. New Wave Foods engineers seafood alternatives from algae, aiming to replicate shrimp’s taste, texture, and nutrition. Founded in 2015 by CEO Dominique Barnes and CTO Michelle Wolf, the company sources algae from third parties and builds products by studying seafood at a molecular level. Its first prototype is already being served in Google’s cafeterias, and the team plans broader market entry in late 2016 or early 2017. The startup has raised seed funding (amount undisclosed) and previously received $250k from SOSV after completing IndieBio’s San Francisco accelerator. The new capital will be used to scale up production, expand the team, and develop brand messaging. The company cites scaling and pricing as key challenges but emphasizes sustainability benefits versus conventional shrimp farming.