Hedgewood is the personal investment vehicle of long time internet entrepreneur Jesse Rasch. It invests using proprietary capital, allowing for longer investment horizons and a broad range of asset classes. Further, as a globally minded investor, Hedgewood actively pursues and engages in a wide variety of investment opportunities in Canada, the United States, and internationally.

Hedgewood

Spark Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in exceptional products and the creative individuals behind them. Known for embracing risk and a unique approach, Spark Capital has backed companies like Twitter, Discord, Anthropic, Cruise, Niantic, Oculus, Warby Parker, and Tumblr. Recognizing that there are no set playbooks or formulas for success, the firm supports founders in achieving success on their own terms. Spark Capital invests across all sectors and stages, operating out of San Francisco, Boston, and New York City.

Spark Capital

Primary is the premier early stage venture firm working alongside founders to build unicorns like Alloy, Chief, Electric, K Health, Slice, Vestwell, and many more.  The firm takes a low-volume, high-conviction approach—and devotes unreasonable resources toward making sure founders can succeed. With an Impact team that outnumbers investors 2:1, operational experts spend 100% of their time making hires, signing customers, and enabling future fundraising to supercharge growth. This partnership with top-tier founders makes companies in Primary’s portfolio 2x more likely to raise a Series A and 19x more likely to reach a billion-dollar-plus valuation—a third of Fund I companies are unicorns, less than a decade out.  We’re always excited to meet 99th-percentile founders building in B2B SaaS, built world, fintech, healthcare, infrastructure, and supply chain. And while we have a home court advantage in NYC, we invest globally, at pre-seed through A.

Primary Venture Partners

Siam Capital is an investment firm focused on the intersection of sustainability, consumer, and technology, in search of innovation that betters people and planet.

Siam Capital

Plum Alley is a venture firm investing in early stage, high growth technology and healthcare companies with at least one woman founder from the STEM fields. Plum Alley invests in advanced technologies and medical breakthroughs, disrupting huge markets and driving exponential value for people, the planet, markets, and the economy. The firm invests both via the Plum Alley Venture Fund I LP as well as through Plum Alley Syndicates. As of April 30th, 2021, Plum Alley has invested over $35M across 24 companies.

Plum Alley

Barrel Ventures is a seed-stage fund based in the heart of the midwest. The world is riding the early waves of a massive shift in consumer behavior and how businesses effectively reach these consumers. We leverage our decades of experience of operating, scaling, and investing in companies to help early-stage entrepreneurs propel their ideas forward.

Barrel Ventures

Cosmic Venture Partners is investing in the next generation of consumer products, services, and values.

Cosmic Venture Partners

Avidity Partners is an investment management firm that offers financial services.

Avidity Partners

Relish Works is an innovation hub focused on challenging the status quo and pioneering the next evolution of the food industry. It operates as an independent innovation hub focused on user-centered solutions and explore improvements to the established company’s core business, as well as solving for unmet customer needs and developing new businesses.

Relish Works

The Heron is known for its patience, standing still until the exact right moment to strike.   Heron Rock is a physical place, a rock outside our office where a Heron often chooses to rest, when not hunting.

Heron Rock Fund

Ingeborg Investments is a venture capital firm that invests in women-led enterprises at the seed, early-stage, and series B levels. They admire innovation that empowers and improves parenting, careers, financial security, women's health, and overall quality of life.

Ingeborg Investments

CF Private Equity offers investment solutions in venture capital and private equity.

CF Private Equity

Helaina

Helaina is a biotechnology company that produces milk-equivalent baby formula to offer breast milk alternatives. It produces bioactive proteins through fermentation to offer a new category of functional food products with immune benefits and nutritional options closest to breast milk. Its technology platform replicates functional proteins found in the human body, making them available as new nutrients.

Helaina is a biotech company founded in 2019 that uses precision fermentation technology to recreate proteins found in human breast milk. The company's flagship product is Effera, a human lactoferrin protein that claims to be 99% identical to the one found in natural breast milk. Helaina's process involves programming yeast to produce these proteins during fermentation by introducing human DNA. The resulting product is a pure, functional protein that can be used in infant formula and other nutritional products.

A booming food and beverage segment with a history as rich and varied as its present-day product offerings

Plant-based Dairy & Egg

Helaina Raises $45 Million in Series B

Helaina is a biotech company founded in 2019 that uses precision fermentation technology to recreate proteins found in human breast milk. The company's flagship product is Effera, a human lactoferrin protein that claims to be 99% identical to the one found in natural breast milk. Helaina's process involves programming yeast to produce these proteins during fermentation by introducing human DNA. The resulting product is a pure, functional protein that can be used in infant formula and other nutritional products.Helaina's technology aims to bridge the gap between traditional infant formula and breastfeeding by providing immune-equivalent proteins that offer claimed benefits such as improved nutrient absorption, cognitive support, and antimicrobial defense.In May 2023, Helaina announced it had achieved commercial-scale production of lactoferrin, producing over 75,000 servings. Following this, the company has successfully manufactured over 200,000 servings of Effera as of January 2024.

Eat JUST (Hampton Creek before 2018) is a food technology company that specializes in egg and meat alternatives. It has large-scale facilities in Germany and North America and in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9243">March 2022</a>, the company announced the groundbreaking of its new manufacturing facility in Singapore. It is the largest of its kind in the country post-completion and was slated to be completed in two years at a cost of USD 120 million.Launched in 2018, the company’s plant-based egg, JUST Egg, is made from mung beans and legumes. It offers an egg alternative for sweet and savory applications, including omelets, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and baked goods. In January 2020, the company announced a new folded plant-based egg, along with an upgrade to its original liquid plant-based egg. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9599">April 2022</a>, the company received exclusive regulatory approval from the European Commission for its mung bean protein, a key ingredient in its JUST Egg product. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/30018">June 2024</a>, JUST Egg debuted the latest addition to its plant-based egg lineup, JUST Egg v5, featuring an improved formulation, taste, and texture.As of February 2024, JUST Egg had sold the equivalent of 500 million eggs and was available at food service outlets, online markets, and major retailers like Whole Foods, Sprouts, Walmart, Target, and Kroger.Key customers and partnershipsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10634">May 2022</a>, tennis pro Serena Williams and renowned actor Jake Gyllenhaal partnered with the company to appear in its national ad campaign “Really Good Eggs” to promote JUST Egg. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13770">October 2022</a>, the company partnered with MingsBings to launch four new vegan breakfast items featuring JUST Egg. Also, during the same month, JUST Egg <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13795">partnered</a> with Starbucks for a limited trial of new vegan menu items. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20178">July 2023</a>, the company partnered with Alpha Foods as a part of its brand portfolio renovation. Following this, JUST Egg <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21095">partnered</a> with Korean alternative meat company UNLIMEAT to develop Korean-style vegan products.Funding and financialsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12427">August 2022</a>, the company bagged a USD 25 million investment along with a strategic partnership from Alibaba-Group-backed private equity firm, C2 Capital Partners. Together, the companies are set to work towards expanding Eat Just’s footprint in the Chinese market. Later, in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21471">September 2023</a>, the company raised an undisclosed amount in new funding led by VegInvest/Ahimsa Foundation. The funding was to be deployed towards improving the quality and profitability of Eat JUST's products.

Eat JUST

Zero Egg is an Israel-based developer of egg alternatives in powder form using plant-based ingredients such as soy, potatoes, peas, and chickpeas. The startup initially launched two main products, the EGG Basic, a replacement for scrambled eggs and omelets, and BAKE Basic, an egg replacement for baking. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13217">September 2022 </a>, the company launched “Zero Egg Scoopable Scramble”, a ready-to-eat frozen plant-based scrambled egg product claimed to be the world’s first of its kind.The company initially only sold to foodservice customers and food manufacturers in 2 lb. bags of around 86 to 130 equivalent eggs. In October 2020, Zero Egg entered the US B2B market following a successful launch in the Netherlands and Israel. As of March 2024, the company’s products can also be purchased online in Patty and Liquid form.In 2021, the company announced that its product is co-manufactured in Cookeville, Tennessee, and would be distributed by Gordon Food Service in the US in 2021.Key customers and partnershipsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/18573">May 2023 </a>, Zero Egg partnered with NYC’s Plantega to become the latter’s exclusive plant-based egg supplier. Plantega, based on a deli-in-store concept, featured Zero Egg’s new Egg Patty in its bodega-style breakfast sandwiches, available via all its outlets and food delivery platforms. The following month, the company <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19335">partnered with The Friendly Toast </a>, a US restaurant chain, to launch the Vegan Zero Egg Breakfast Sandwich at all of its ten locations.Funding and financialsIn November 2020, the company raised USD 5 million in a Series A funding round led by Powerplant Ventures. The funding was earmarked for new product launches and expanding the company’s US footprint.

Zero Egg

Impossible Foods, a producer of plant-based meat products, demonstrated a prototype of its plant-based milk product in October 2020. The product has been under development by a five-member research and development (R&amp;D) team since 2015. The startup developed the milk alternative using plant-based ingredients, including a special de-flavored and deodorized soy protein. Impossible Foods claims its product tastes like cow’s milk and functions (froth, cook) like cow’s milk. Unlike soy or nut-based milk, the Impossible Foods milk alternative can be mixed with hot beverages without any precipitation.&nbsp;

Impossible Foods

Perfect Day produces animal-free dairy products using fermentation techniques. The startup uses microflora (microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, or in this case, fungi) to create the protein blocks of milk-casein and whey via fermentation, which is later combined with fat and water to produce genetically identical substitutes to animal milk. Perfect Day has developed the microflora to produce milk proteins with a similar genetic blueprint corresponding to casein and whey. The startup launched its first product in 2019, a limited line of animal-free ice cream. Perfect Day has also developed animal-free substitutes for cream cheese, feta, and cheese spreads, in addition to milk. Since its first funding round in December 2019, Perfect Day reported a doubling of production capacity while significantly reducing costs. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14938">November 2022</a>, the company launched its Very Dairy animal-free milk in Singapore which is claimed to be the first precision fermented milk to enter the Asian market. Following this, Perfect Day <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14989">acquired India’s Sterling Biotech Limited </a>at a value of 638 crore rupees (~USD 78 million). In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/32960">August 2024</a>, 50% of Perfect Day’s stake in Sterling Biotech was acquired by Indian pharmaceutical company Zydus Lifesciences.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20068">July 2023</a>, Perfect Day exited its consumer-facing business, The Urgent Company (TUC), due to investor pressure and to shift its focus towards R&amp;D innovation, B2B partnerships, and its nth Bio precision fermentation consulting business. 15% of the workforce at TUC was laid off as a part of this move.Key customers and partnershipsThe company entered into partnerships with Tomorrow Farms in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10605">May 2022 </a>and Strive Nutrition in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10862">June 2022 </a>to supply fermented animal-free whey protein for the production of alternative milk. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/11970">July 2022</a>, the company partnered with sports nutrition brand, Myprotein to launch a precision fermented Whey protein powder. The company partnered with global food and beverage leader, Nestle in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12953">September 2022 </a>to develop and trial an unnamed alternative milk beverage. Further, during the same month, the company unveiled its <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13187">enterprise biology business, “nth Bio”</a>, offering precision fermentation expertise and technology to companies worldwide and announced Onego Bio as its first partner in this new venture.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26920">February 2024</a>, Perfect Day partnered with Unilever-owned ice cream company Breyers, to supply precision-fermented whey protein for developing a lactose-free ice cream product.Funding and financialsIn its latest funding round in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25248">January 2024</a>, Perfect Day raised up to USD 90 million in pre-Series E funding led by its internal investors. The funding was earmarked for supporting Perfect Day's shift toward manufacturing on a larger scale and paving the path for the commercial release of its fermented whey protein product.

Perfect Day

Califia Farms uses almonds to produce a range of plant-based alternatives such as milk, cold-brew coffee, creamers, half-and-half, butter, and yogurt. In February 2019, the US-based startup launched Übermilk, a milk alternative made with oat milk, pea protein, sunflower oil and seeds, flaxseed oils, and other vitamins and minerals. Übermilk contains the same amount of calories, more protein (8 g), and less sugar (2 g) than a serving of cow’s milk.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14325">November 2022</a>, Califia Farms added plant-based whipping cream to its portfolio with the launch of Heavy Whip. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15601">January 2023</a>, the company added USDA-certified Organic Oatmilk and Almondmilk–made with only purified water, sea salt, and oats/almonds–to its alternative dairy products. Further, in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26576">February 2024</a>, the company launched Califia Farms Complete, a plant-based milk claimed to be nutritionally comparable to dairy. It followed this up by launching ‘<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/31054">Complete Kids</a>’, a kid-friendly version of its Complete plant-based milk.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/31925">July 2024</a>, Califia Farms acquired Uproot Inc., a company developing plant milk dispenser systems for foodservice, for an undisclosed sum. With this acquisition, the company aimed to expand its "Away From Home" portfolio and offer plant milk in a convenient dispensing solution at hundreds of colleges, universities, and other dining locations.Califia Farms products are available in the US at Whole Foods, Kroger, Sprouts, and Target outlets.Funding and financialsIn January 2020, Califia Farms raised USD 225 million in Series D funding led by the Qatar Investment Authority to expand its production capacity, R&amp;D efforts, and geographical footprint.

Califia Farms

Producers of plant-based milk alternatives using ingredients such as almonds, cashews, soy, oats, coconuts, peas, etc.

Producers of plant-based cheese alternatives using ingredients such as coconuts, almonds, cashews, soy, hazelnuts, etc. Startups use their proprietary plant-based cultures for the fermentation process

Producers of plant-based butter alternatives using ingredients such as almonds, avocados, olive oil, etc.

Producers of dairy-free ice cream using plant-based milk

Producers of dairy-free yogurt using plant-based milk and cultures

Producers of plant-based egg alternatives for general consumption (used in baking and cooking) using pulses such as mung beans, peas, soy, chickpeas, etc.

Producers of non-dairy (such as plant-based, microflora, cultured, etc.) protein bases that are supplied to dairy alternative manufacturers to produce milk, butter, cheese, ice cream, and yogurt alternatives

Provides sustainable solutions for dairy products and egg farming

<div>
 Helaina, a biotech firm, has secured USD 45 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Avidity Partners and included contributions from Spark Capital, Ingeborg Investments, Tom Williams of Heron Rock, Barrel Ventures, Siam Capital, Relish Works, CF Private Equity, and Primary Venture Partners. This latest funding round brings Helaina's total equity funding to an impressive USD 83 million.
 The company will use the new funds to increase the availability of its product, effera Human Lactoferrin. This unique ingredient supports women's health, aids in active nutrition, and promotes healthy aging. The plan is to sell effera to brands that cater to consumers directly and via strategic distribution partners. 
 Effera, a product of Helaina, is said to be the first of its kind - a human equivalent bioactive protein for nutrition. The plan is to incorporate it in functional foods, beverages, and dietary supplements. Helaina aims to make it available in a range of consumer items such as products from Kroma Wellness, The Feed, Levelle Nutrition, Healthgevity. Moreover, the company also plans to distribute through Mitsubishi International Food Ingredients, Inc.
</div>

Helaina

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