SOSV is a global venture capital firm that operates startup development programmes that are focused on two broad areas: revolutionary technology that promises the betterment of humanity and the planet; and cross-border markets that are ripe for explosive growth. The firm invests in a number of highly promising startups and uses its programmes to advance product development, acquire customers, and scale. SOSV’s programmes include hard-tech-oriented HAX and life-science-driven IndieBio. Both offer deep technical and regulatory expertise on-site, as well as well-equipped lab and fabrication facilities. At Chinaccelerator and MOX, market entry and product development experts help entrepreneurs win cross-border market opportunities across Asia. SOSV’s latest programme, dlab, fosters new players in the blockchain.

SOSV

Refactor Capital is a seed-stage VC firm investing in bio, climate, and health. We aim to help create a happier, healthier, and more habitable world via software, technology, and the power of biology. Refactor typically leads or co-leads seed and pre-seed rounds with $1-2M checks.

Refactor Capital

Supply Chain Ventures is an angel and early-stage venture capital partnership.   Our preferred investments are in young, revenue producing companies using information technology to enhance global marketing and supply chain management. Besides capital, we bring significant entrepreneurial, operating and investment experience to help our portfolio companies be successful.   We are particularly interested in companies based on on-demand and/or open source technologies, with business models focused on building collaborative, network driven relationships in global supply chains. We use two primary investment methods: angel investing in operating companies with an initial base of target clients, and, in conjunction with investing partners, early-stage venture funding in more established companies.

Supply Chain Ventures

The Engine, which was publicly announced on October 26, 2016, was built by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Prioritizing breakthrough ideas over early profit, The Engine represents an exciting new system for startup support, one that shortens the time from idea to investment, and from investment to impact.  To fuel The Engine, MIT is seeking to attract hundreds of millions of dollars of support and to provide hundreds of thousands of square feet of space for entrepreneurs in Kendall Square and nearby communities, starting with 26,000 square feet in its Central Square headquarters.  The Engine provides a physical space where an idea can begin to take shape. It also streamlines the legal processes and agreements required to get products to market. And it links entrepreneurs to “patient capital” from investors who share their vision of addressing big challenges with big ideas.  The Engine will eventually support up to 60 locally based startups concurrently; these companies will participate in the accelerator for up to 12 months. The Engine will make meaningful investments that will allow participating startups to get off the ground quickly and operate long enough to prove their concepts’ viability. It will also provide business planning, legal, and administrative support.  The Engine will require less equity than is typical, allowing founders to maintain more control over their companies and the ideas they’ve created.  Through the Engine Room, The Engine will provide access to a wide network of lab space, specialized equipment, business guidance, and other resources, at MIT and beyond.

The Engine

Founded in 2009, Bluestein is a family-based venture capital fund that invests in the future of food. The firm is looking for game-changing ventures across the food industry that redefine how consumers achieve their health and wellness. The firm spans the entire value chain both B2C and B2B with a focus on four areas: high-growth consumer brands, proprietary food tech, next-gen commerce, and value-add digital technology. The firm is laser-focused on preeminent and defensible brands, services, technologies, and platforms that have the potential to transform the industry.

Bluestein Ventures

Closed Loop Ventures is an early stage investment fund focused on the development of the circular economy via investments in sustainable consumer goods and packaging companies, innovative recycling technologies and advanced supply chains.

Closed Loop Ventures

Blindspot Ventures is a seed focused venture capital fund based in Boston, backing cross vertical infrastructure and platform technologies We partner with contrarian founders building disruptive new solutions to reshape the growth of their respective industries

Blindspot Ventures

Over six years, SOSV accelerated 11 cohorts of promising founders and invested in 100 startups via the Food-X accelerator.

Food-X

When many entrepreneurs begin their journey, no one knows who they are or what they are about to accomplish. Often, the people who back a startup and help drive growth stay behind the scenes. We believe great ideas deserve a start — even if they don't have a name yet.  We're an early stage (Seed to Series A) technology investor based in Chicago. We're entrepreneurs and investors who have helped start and operate dozens of startups, and we back our founders in every sense of the word.

Nameless Ventures

Prelude Ventures invests in and supports early-stage startups with the greatest potential to mitigate climate change. Our goal is to help build the next generation of category-defining businesses.

Prelude Ventures

Driven by a mission to redefine food, Acre invests in companies creating systemic change in the food system to address the growing problems of human and environmental health. Acre makes venture-stage investments in highly disruptive platform businesses across the food value chain, with a particular focus on the agriculture, food tech, and consumer verticals. Taken together, these investments have the ability to form the foundation of an integrated new approach to food system evolution.

Acre Venture Partners

We invest in innovative organizations that preserve and protect the better use of natural resources, biodiversity and human health.

Fink Family Foundation

Closed Loop Partners invests in sustainable consumer goods, advanced recycling technologies and the development of the circular economy.

Closed Loop Partners

Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust is a charitable organization that raises funds for a variety of social issues. It focuses on promoting environmental awareness and supporting an organization that supports charities whose mission is environmental protection, with a particular focus on the developing world. It was founded by Jeremy Grantham and Hannelore Grantham in 2005.

Jeremy and Hannelore Grantham Environmental Trust

Accelr8 is an impact fund that seeks to invest in companies that accelerates the reduction and sequestration of greenhouse gases. The fund partners with founders to take on the significant and unmet challenges to the climate. With its deep backgrounds in fundamental analysis, ACCELR8 seeks to understand the holistic dynamics of each ecosystem and invest behind technologies that will create reinforcing loops toward exponential change. It attracts significant new capital to climate change investing by proving that high social impact and profits are sustainably achievable outcomes. Accelr8 reinvests its profits into social impact research, philanthropy, and advocacy for a just economic transition. It also supports the innovation and investment ecosystem.

Accelr8

The Drawdown Fund, managed by Tiger Grass Capital, invests growth equity in catalytic businesses that generate attractive returns for investors and the planet.  Our investments span Sustainable Cities, Food & Agriculture, and Energy.  We started the Drawdown Fund with the belief that market-based solutions to climate change can drive outsized and sustained climate impact for generations to come. The Drawdown Fund intends to make investments in growth equity businesses that are addressing the major drivers of climate change.  We look for companies that have proven technology, established revenue and strong growth, clear competitive advantage, and experienced teams.  We provide the growth capital needed to scale. Our businesses reduce emissions or sequester greenhouse gases while providing attractive risk-adjusted returns.

The Drawdown Fund

Collaborative Fund is an investment fund that provides funding to companies based on creativity and collaborative consumption. The fund centers around two macro themes which drives business innovation in the coming years: the growth of the creative class and the concept of collaborative consumption. Craig Shapiro founded it in New York in 2010.

Collaborative Fund

Knollwood Investment Advisory is focused on financing companies in the internet security sector.

Knollwood Investment Advisory

Thia Ventures is an Early-stage investor in one of the most dynamic and essential fields of current human endeavor.

Thia Ventures

Mori

Mori is a developer of an edible and natural biomaterial coating that extends the shelf life of perishable foods. It uses salt and water to extract the protein from natural silk and creates a protective layer that keeps food fresher for longer enabling it to economically and sustainably transform the food supply by developing and commercializing technologies for the food, agriculture, and packaging industries. It was founded in 2016 by Adam Behrens and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

<div>Mori’s (previously known as Cambridge Crops) technology allows food to stay fresher longer by preventing oxidation and slowing microbial growth. The technology involves extracting protein from silk through a water-based process to form a natural, protective, edible, and tasteless coating for a wide range of food items such as produce, meat, fish, and processed goods. The company rebranded in 2020, to highlight its core Bombyx mori technology which is currently protected by 20 patents, and has obtained self-designated GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Further certifications from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are still pending.</div>

Tech solutions for achieving global anti-wastage targets

Food Waste

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 Mori’s (previously known as Cambridge Crops) technology allows food to stay fresher longer by preventing oxidation and slowing microbial growth. The technology involves extracting protein from silk through a water-based process to form a natural, protective, edible, and tasteless coating for a wide range of food items such as produce, meat, fish, and processed goods. The company rebranded in 2020, to highlight its core Bombyx mori technology which is currently protected by 20 patents, and has obtained self-designated GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Further certifications from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are still pending.
 
 
 Following a rebranding in July 2020, Mori raised USD 12 million in a Series A funding round led by Acre Venture Partners. The round also attracted new investors Prelude Ventures. Mori intends on using the funding to build out its manufacturing capabilities and continue to develop commercial partnerships in multiple food categories.
 
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 Apeel Sciences produces edible coatings made of plant materials that extend the lifetime of fruits by 2-3x with the goal of preventing food wastages in regions where there is a lack of refrigeration. According to the company, US retailers that use Apeel experience a 50% reduction in waste alongside a 5%-10% growth in sales on average. As of July 2021, Apeel Sciences reported to have saved around 69 million pieces of produce from going to waste at retail stores by partnering with small family-owned farmers, local organic growers, grocery stores, and large food brands. As of August 2021, the company was offering its solution to a network of 30 suppliers and 40 retailers across eight countries, including the US, UK, Spain, Netherlands, and Kenya. The company focuses on expanding its market presence across North America and the EU. 
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s early years were supported by a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant of USD 100,000 in 2012 and Andreessen Horowitz, which led the company&rsquo;s 2016 Series B funding round. Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and Katy Perry have also invested in Apeel.
 
 
 In May 2020, Apeel announced plans to expand to Sub-Saharan Africa, Central, and South America&mdash;all regions where food wastage is increasing. In May 2021, Apeel Sciences acquired startup Impact Vision for an undisclosed amount. Impact vision&rsquo;s technology allows suppliers to see inside their fresh produce and ultimately reduce post-harvest loss, optimize distribution, while continuing to extend shelf-life. 
 
 
 In August 2021, the company raised USD 250 million in a Series E funding round led by Temasek at USD 2 billion valuation. The company expects to use the funds to expand its product distribution across the US, UK, and Europe by accelerating deployment of its product across its existing supplier network and by partnering with 10 new suppliers by the end of 2021. The company also plans to use the funds to strengthen its data and insights offering and support its future acquisition plans.
 
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Apeel Sciences

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 Shelf Engine provides demand forecasting tools for perishable food items to reduce inefficiencies in the ordering system and minimize overall costs. According to Shelf Engine, more than 30% of highly perishable foods in grocery stores such as meat and vegetables expire before the sell-by date. Shelf Engine’s scan-based trade (SBT) technology guarantees sales and pays for any items that remain unsold. Via the SBT, Shelf Engine manages orders, pays vendors, and only charges the retailer for what sells while still paying suppliers for their full order and increasing its accuracy over time. Shelf generates revenue by charging a mark-up on the product from the vendor to the retailer.
 
 
 The pandemic benefited Shelf Engine as grocers found it difficult to manage orders during lockdown. In March 2021, Shelf Engine raised USD 41 million in a Series B funding round led by General Catalyst to further invest in its growing team of engineers, data scientists, and supply chain automation experts. As of March 2021, Shelf Engine operated in more than 2,000 grocery stores and claimed to increase profit margins by more than 50% by reducing food waste by as much as 32%.
 
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Shelf Engine

<div>
 
 Afresh began as a research project in 2017 to develop AI-powered software that optimizes the entire food supply chain. Specifically, the company offers an in-store solution for grocery stores that applies artificial intelligence to manage the freshness of food. According to the company, implementation of its technology has led to a 25%&ndash;45% reduction of in-store food waste and increased gross margin of fresh produce sales by 4 percentage points. The company generates revenue under a SaaS model.&nbsp;I
 n 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16835">
 March 2023,
 </a>
 the company expanded into fresh departments, including meat, seafood, deli, and food service.
 
 
 Some of Afresh's key customers include Fresh Thyme Market, WinCo Foods, and Heinen&rsquo;s. In 2019, the company also reported that it had established partnerships with three US grocery chains, each with more than 100 stores in operation. &nbsp;The company also collaborated with Bashas&rsquo; Supermarkets Inc. (a chain of grocery stores based in North America with over 100 stores) in September 2021 and New Season Market (a chain of 19 privately owned grocery stores) in October 2021 to pilot the &ldquo;Afresh AI-driven software solution&rdquo; at selected stores. In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15786">
 January 2023
 </a>
 , Afresh and Albertsons Companies announced the completion of an enterprise rollout of the Afresh predictive ordering and inventory management platform. As of January 2023, the company&rsquo;s technology was deployed across 3,000 stores in 40 states in the US, and it also reported that it was able to triple its customer base in 2021. Afresh notes that it is on track to help retailers save 34 million pounds of food waste by the end of 2022.
 
 
 In August 2022, AFresh raised USD 115 million in a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12187">
 Series B 
 </a>
 funding round led by Spark Capital. Following the USD 13 million funding round in November 2020, the company was valued at USD 100 million.&nbsp; 
 
 
 
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AFresh

UK-based Winnow Solutions identifies and measures waste in commercial kitchens. The company records the reason for the waste, calculates the value of the wasted food, and keeps track of this data in the cloud. The company’s self-titled product shares technology with autonomous vehicles, using cameras to record and learn about food being wasted and calculate the financial and environmental cost of this discarded food. Winnow Vision also provides a Waste Monitor solution to help kitchen staff track how and what food is wasted to adjust their spending on food ingredients and eliminate overproduction.Key customers and partnershipsWinnow’s customers include the catering company <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/5386">ISS</a> and hotels such as Accor, Fairmont, The Westin, Four Seasons, and Hilton Tokyo Bay. As of June 2023, Winnow claims that its AI solution has so far saved customers USD 174 million and cut 217,000 tons of CO2 emissions worldwide, equivalent to taking nearly 50,000 cars off the road for a year.Funding and financials<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/27315">In March 2024</a>, the company raised an undisclosed amount from ABC Impact to accelerate its expansion into the Asian market. Previously, In June 2023, the company raised USD 10 million in a Series C funding round led by ArcTern Ventures.

Winnow Solutions

<div>
 
 Hazel Technologies is a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded technology company that develops a packaging which releases vapors that slow the aging process and prevent fungus or decay. Its solution is claimed to double the shelf-life of produce. Hazel operates a B2B business that targets large enterprises. The company has reported treating 700 million pounds of produce as of 2019, saving about 60 million pounds from going bad in 2019 alone. The company has a target to save one billion pounds of produce from going to waste by the end of 2021. Hazel operates in 12 countries including the US and Chile (entered in October 2020). 
 
 
 Hazel works with around 250 foodservice providers and produce companies including the likes of Sysco, Mission Produce, Zespri, Calavo, and Oppy. The company reported in 2019 that it plans to develop new products such as antimicrobial packaging for berries, grapes, and other fruit, and also expects to launch its shelf-life extension technology for meat products.
 
 
 Since 2016, the company has received a total of USD 1.5 million from the USDA to develop its technology. Hazel received the USDA funding in December 2020 for solving the problem of unwanted sprouting in potatoes. In April 2021, the company announced that it had closed a USD 70 million Series C financing round led by Pontifax Global Food and Agriculture Technology Fund (Pontifax AgTech), and Temasek, to expand operations across Southeast Asia, Africa, and the EU. 
 
 
 
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Hazel technologies

Solutions that keep food waste out of landfills

Recycling and upcycling food waste to keep them out of landfills

IoT-enabled waste prevention techniques for purposes such as longer shelf-life and inventory management

Waste prevention analysis platforms use AI/ML

Startups that prevent food wastage by prolonging the lifetime of food or better managing food production through the supply chain. Companies that develop products such as sanitizers, containers, and machines that allow food to stay fresh longer are included here. Startups that develop algorithms to determine food preservation strategies are also included.

Mori

Food Waste

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Mori raises USD 50 million in Series B1 funding

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