Blackbird is an Australasian venture capital firm whose mission is to invest in wild hearts, with the wildest ideas, right at the beginning.  We back generational ambition with generational ownership by raising funds and investing in the best startup companies all the way through their journey from idea to beyond IPO. Blackbird was founded in 2012, with a small first fund of $30M from the community of Australian technology founders. That fund invested in the very first rounds of Canva, Zoox, CultureAmp and SafetyCulture and has a TVPI of more than 35x. Today, our portfolio is worth over $7B and includes more than 100 companies across Australia and New Zealand, including rising stars like Propeller, Gilmour Space, Halter, Eucalyptus and Harrison AI.

Blackbird Ventures

AgFunder invests in impactful companies that can positively transform the world's food system. Founded in 2013, AgFunder manages a portfolio of over 50 companies across four funds from offices in Silicon Valley and Singapore. Through its media platform AFN, it has built a global ecosystem of over 90,000 subscribers.

AgFunder

Aera VC invests at the frontier of deep technology and sustainability to accelerate the world to a better future. Those who create breakthrough ideas the fastest will generate new markets, exponential financial returns, and a better future for us all. Aera VC will be right behind them. We believe sustainability is the largest investment opportunity of our lifetime. We have been generating outstanding financial returns since 2016 while investing in the pursuit of a better world. The companies we have backed are the best illustration of what we invest in, aspire to, and can achieve.  We are excited that these companies are only just getting started and we have already established a truly global footprint. 70% of Aera Portfolio companies are co-founded by women or those from minority backgrounds.

Aera VC

Better Bite Ventures is a venture capital firm.

Better Bite Ventures

Ban Choon Marketing is the leading importer and wholesaler of premium fresh fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, and organic groceries.

Ban Choon Marketing

Possible Ventures backs ambitious teams building frontier technology to positively impact people and the planet. We invest in the early stages, actively supporting founders via our collective of global entrepreneurs. We're unabashed optimists when it comes to the power of technology to solve problems. And we invest our time and capital to help make innovation possible. We’re excited by technology ecosystems that are changing our future: the combination of AI, robotics and satellites that helps build new climate solutions and food systems; the convergence of blockchain and cryptocurrencies making decentralised finance possible; and new technologies like machine learning, genetic modification and synthetic biology that are enabling human health breakthroughs. We've harnessed the experience and networks of a global collective of entrepreneurs. Together, we discover and support great companies aligned with our mission. This armada of angels gives time and capital to 'pay it forward' to the next generation of founders in pursuit of a better world. We started this mission as Inventures. Our name has changed, but our collective approach and microfund strategy remain the same. We're redefining what's Possible.

Possible Ventures

Radar Ventures operates as an venture capital firm.

Radar Ventures

Gandel Invest makes strategic, non-controlling investments in growing businesses.

Gandel Invest

Grok Ventures is an Australia based fund investing globally in technology enabled climate companies and infrastructure.

Grok Ventures

K3 Ventures is a Singapore-based venture capital firm that invests in technology start-ups with talented founders and a vision to develop and transform Southeast Asia. In partnering with K3 Ventures, companies leverage from their exclusive bamboo network that enables strategic opportunities to scale Southeast Asia with pilot projects and by championing adoption that establishes as part of their use case portfolio.  The wave of digital disruption on traditional businesses is inevitable and a necessary evil for progress. Yet technology startups often face obstacles from incumbent businesses and other stakeholders that can halt their growth. K3 Ventures bridges technology startups and incumbent businesses to create an ecosystem of collaboration and foundation for the creation of new market leaders.

K3 Ventures

Genedant invests in emerging life science and technology which challenge the conventional thinking of what is possible.

Genedant

FPV Ventures is a venture capital investment firm.

FPV Ventures

Newtree Impact invest in disruptive and encouraging Agri-Food tech and Food Loss companies.

Newtree Impact

Fable Food

Fable Food Co is a meat alternative company known for its meaty food made from mushrooms, which are clean label, minimally processed and made with all natural plant-based ingredients. The products are available in Harris Farm Markets, Coles and Woolworths, as well as Marley Spoon and Dinnerly meal delivery kits, and in various restaurant menus around Australia, Singapore, and the UK.

Fable Food is a startup using Shiitake mushrooms to develop plant-based meat analogs with rich meaty flavor and texture. Its products include pulled pork, braised beef, and beef brisket alternatives made using the body of the mushroom instead of the more common root structure of the fungi (mycelium).

A new wave of meat, fish, and poultry alternatives are driving this hyper-growth industry into the mainstream

Plant-based Meat

Matt Martin on LinkedIn: BBQ Mushroom Hash Lantana Group. Absolutely delicious. Fable Food Co at…

Wagamama

To develop plant-based meat analogs, has partnered with UK-based Asian restaurant chain Wagamama to launch four new meat-free dishes.

Producers of plant-based beef alternatives using plant proteins such as peas, soy, wheat, mung beans, etc. Products are manufactured mostly in a burger patty, sausage, meatball, or minced form

Weights & Biases

Fable Food is a startup using Shiitake mushrooms to develop plant-based meat analogs with rich meaty flavor and texture. Its products include pulled pork, braised beef, and beef brisket alternatives made using the body of the mushroom instead of the more common root structure of the fungi (mycelium).As of February 2024, Fable Food products were already available in Australia, Canada, the UK, and Singapore at retail outlets and select food service venues.Key customers and partnershipsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/29806">May 2024</a>, Fable Food partnered with UK-based Asian restaurant chain Wagamama to launch four new meat-free dishes featuring its Pulled Shiitake product.Funding and financialsIn its latest funding round in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16221">February 2023</a>, the company raised USD 8.5 million in Series A funding led by K3 Ventures, with participation from Greg Creed, Blackbird, AgFunder, and others. The funds raised were to be predominantly used to support the company’s expansion into the US, as well as for product development and scaling up output.

LIVEKINDLY Collective (formerly known as Food United) produces plant-based meat alternatives through its brands LikeMeat, Fry Family, and Oumph!. The group offers a wide range of plant-based alternatives to burgers, sausages, nuggets, pulled BBQ chicken, and kebabs, made primarily of soy protein and other plant-based ingredients. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/3657">June 2021</a>, the company launched two flagship plant-based brands in China – Giggling Pig (Ge Ji Zhu) and Happy Chicken (Ha Pi Ji); the first brands to be created in-house by LIVEKINDLY Collective, which encompasses seven plant-based products including dumplings, mushroom-based dishes and a seasoned minced dish. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19881">July 2023</a>, the company launched the Oumph! Smash Burger. The product was targeted at food service and launched at over 80 Brodernas (a Swedish restaurant group) locations, with additional locations and retail expansion to follow. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/33291">September 2024</a>, Fry's Family Foods launched Shape &amp; Sizzle Mince, a new plant-based product, at Tesco stores across the UK.In June 2021, LIVEKINDLY Collective entered into an agreement to acquire The Dutch Weed Burger, a plant-based meat company based in the Netherlands. This acquisition was expected to expand LIVEKINDLY’s brand portfolio and extend the company’s international footprint into more than 40 countries including the US, Canada, Asia, Europe, and the UK.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20574">August 2023</a>, the company acquired Alpha Foods, a California-based plant-based frozen food producer. The acquisition supported Livekindly Collective’s plans to expand its presence in the US market and venture into the ready-to-eat breakfast and burrito snacking category. Moreover, it was expected to strengthen Livekindly’s position in the global plant-based market and enable further growth and innovation within the industry.Key customers and partnershipsIn February 2021, the group formed a partnership with the Dutch plant-based food company Rival Foods to develop whole-cut plant-based chicken products. Also in February, LIVEKINDLY Collective formed two joint ventures with US plant-based food company Puris Foods (undisclosed terms) to invest in regenerative agriculture and cost-effective plant-based food production. The companies claim this joint venture’s sustainability approach will result in a long-term achievement of cost parity with conventional animal meat.

LIVEKINDLY

NotCo is a Chilean startup that develops plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. Leveraging a patented AI algorithm named Giuseppe, NotCo develops plant-based products that match the taste, texture, and mouthfeel of animal products by studying infinite combinations of plants and using internal feedback from trained chefs.NotCo’s product portfolio includes NotChicken (patties, nuggets, and tenders) and NotBurger, which are available for retail and foodservice in the US, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Peru, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10672">Australia</a>, and Colombia.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/28580">April 2024</a>, NotCo developed a plant-based turtle soup called "NotTurtle Soup" in partnership with Chef Diego Oka. NotTurtle Soup claims to mimic the flavor and texture of authentic turtle soup to reduce the consumption of endangered green sea turtles.Key customers and partnershipsIn February 2022, NotCo<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8673"> teamed up </a>with Kraft-Heinz to form a joint venture (JV) to leverage the strengths of both companies and develop a line of plant-based food. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27345">March 2024</a>, the JV announced plans to launch NotHotDog and NotSausages in partnership with Oscar Mayer, a subsidiary of Kraft Heinz.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23368">November 2023</a>, the company partnered with Yellowbird Sauce, a hot sauce producer, to launch NotChicken Spicy Patties at select Whole Foods Market locations across the US.Funding and financialsIn its most recent funding round in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15270">December 2022</a>, the company raised USD 70 million in a Series D1 funding at a valuation of USD 1.5 billion led by Princeville Capital, with participation from existing and new investors. The funding was earmarked for developing a B2B platform that will allow other producers to access the company’s patented AI platform Giuseppe. Further, it is expected to help with expansion and preparation before the company’s planned IPO in 2025.

NotCo

<div>
 
 Improved Nature produces plant-based chicken alternatives from soy protein, replicating the flavor and texture of real chicken. The company sells its plant-based meat products under Nature's PRIME and Nature&rsquo;s Meat brands, which cover a large line of refrigerated and frozen products like slices, nuggets, filets, tenders, and more.
 
 
 Improved Nature's reliance on soy protein makes it more similar to the original wave of plant-based meat producers which relied almost exclusively on soy to produce products for vegetarians, with less interest in mimicking the texture, taste, and mouthfeel of real meat products.
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 I
 n 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23085">
 October 2023
 </a>
 , the company partnered with RMS Foods, a US food manufacturer, to provide soy protein-based clean-label alternatives to private-label brands at a value price. In addition, the company launched a new line of heat-and-serve meals, including options such as plant-based sausage patties, nuggets, and beefless Korean bulgogi.&nbsp;
 
 
 
</div>

Improved Nature

Impossible Foods produces plant-based meat products using plant protein and high-moisture extrusion cooking techniques to transform soy protein into a texture similar to that of meat. Its portfolio includes plant-based beef, sausage, chicken, pork, meatballs, and ready meals.The company has added several products to its portfolio since launching, including <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12539">Impossible Chicken Patty</a>, a new range of <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12760">frozen meals</a>, new <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16551">plant-based chicken products</a> (Impossible Spicy Chicken Nuggets, Impossible Spicy Chicken Patties, and Impossible Chicken Tenders), the <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19591">Impossible Indulgent Burger</a>, and the <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24643">Impossible Beef Hot Dog</a>.In July 2019, Impossible Foods gained FDA approval to use “Heme”, allowing the company to sell uncooked plant-based burgers at retail outlets as opposed to only selling cooked burgers at foodservice outlets. Further, in&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/32229">July 2024</a>, the company received the European Food Safety Authority’s (EFSA) provisional approval for the use of heme, followed by a positive safety opinion from a panel on the genetic modifications of the ingredient in&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/36222">November 2024</a>.&nbsp;In&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/32555">August 2024</a>, the company opened its first in-person foodservice concept called "Impossible Quality Meats" in Chicago, Illinois. This pop-up store offered a fully plant-based menu featuring items from its portfolio.&nbsp;Following this, in&nbsp;<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/34557">October 2024</a>, Impossible Foods launched three new retail products: Impossible Disney The Lion King Chicken Nuggets, Impossible Meal Makers, and Impossible Corn Dogs. The company claimed that these were healthier, cholesterol-free alternatives.Key customers and partnershipsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8934">March 2022</a>, Kroger announced a co-branding partnership with Impossible Foods to develop meat alternatives for Kroger’s private label business, thereby expanding its customer base to include more price sensitive customers. Impossible Foods <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/13931">partnered</a> with Dominos Pizza Australia in October 2022 to launch a new range of plant-based pizzas featuring Impossible Beef. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22210">September 2023</a>, the company partnered with the American restaurant chain International House of Pancakes (IHOP) to introduce plant-based sausage patties and burgers to IHOP's menus nationwide. Further, in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/26436">February 2024</a>, Impossible Foods inked a partnership with the US Army Central to serve plant-based meats at their dining facilities overseas.

Impossible Foods

Planted Foods is a plant-based spinoff of ETH Zurich- a public research university in Switzerland. Its portfolio includes Planted brand chicken, pulled, kebab, bratwurst, schnitzel, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22375">duck</a>, and <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/25317">ham</a>.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27493">March 2024</a>, the company launched a new fermented steak alternative developed using its proprietary whole-muscle platform. This platform uses a proprietary fermentation process to develop clean-label alternatives with improved taste and texture. Planted Foods intends to use this platform to expand its product range with more product concepts later. Further, in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/28147">April 2024</a>, Planted launched vegan Chicken Tikka Skewers in the UK.As of <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/30584">June 2024</a>, Planted products were available at over 6,100 restaurants and 8,700 retail outlets across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, the UK, Benelux, and UAE with plans to expand into the US later.Key customers and partnershipsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19434">June 2023</a>, the company partnered with French agrifood company Fleury Michon to launch the Eminces Vegetaux range into retail in France. The partnership leveraged Planted's expertise in plant-based foods and Fleury Michon's artisanal marinades, reach, and reputation to offer plant-based alternatives for Fleury Michon’s established consumer base.Funding and financialsIn its latest funding round in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates">September 2022</a>, the company raised ~USD 72 million (CHF 70 million) in Series B funding led by L Catterton, with participation from Vorwerk Ventures, Movendo, and Yann Summer. The funds were earmarked for launching a new whole-cut product range, further expansion into Europe, and increasing production capacity.

Planted Foods

Suppliers of plant ingredients such as legumes, mycelia, and other proteins for the production of plant-based meat, fish, poultry, and pork products; suppliers of technology related to the production of plant-based meat

Producers of plant-based pork alternatives using plant proteins such as pea, soy, wheat, etc. Some startups also use unique ingredients such as mushroom mycelium (whole-cut bacon) and jack fruits (pulled pork) to produce pork alternatives. Products are manufactured mostly in sausage or pulled (pork) form

Producers of plant-based chicken, turkey, and duck alternatives using plant proteins such as peas, soy, wheat, etc. Products are manufactured mostly in nuggets or shredded form

Producers of plant-based seafood alternatives using plant proteins such as peas, soy, chickpeas, etc. Some startups use more unique ingredients such as algae, konjac (a Japanese yam root), tomatoes, and eggplants. Products are manufactured mostly in shredded form or as cuts (for sushi)

Utilizes 3D printing techniques to develop meat alternatives

Provides sustainable alternatives to animal meat

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 An Australian startup called Fable Food, which uses shiitake mushrooms to make plant-based meat substitutes, has teamed up with Asian restaurant chain Wagamama in the UK. Together, they are introducing four new meatless dishes.
 The dishes, which use Fable’s Pulled Shiitake product, include the Pulled Shiitake Koyo Bowl, the Pulled Shiitake Crispy Otsumami, the Crispy Pulled Shiitake Saku Saku Soba, and Edamame, Truffle, and Pulled Shiitake Gyoza.
</div> Analyst QuickTake: 
 This partnership follows Fable Food’s <a href="https: 
//sp-edge.com/updates/16221"> USD 8.5 million </a> Series A round in February 2023. Available in Australia, Canada, the UK, and Singapore, Fable’s meat alternatives are made using the mushroom body instead of the more commonly used mycelium (fungi root).

Fable Food

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