• Plant-based and cell-cultured meat producer Tender Food has raised USD 12 million in seed funding led by Lowercarbon Capital with participation from Hollywood actress Natalie Portman and venture capitalists including Unovis Asset Management, Rhapsody Venture Partners, Safar Partners, Bread & Butter Ventures, and MCJ Collective.

• The funds will be used to scale up production for its product launch in 2022.

• Founded in 2020, Tender Food (formerly Boston Meats) uses its plant-based fiber spinning technology licensed by Harward University to produce whole muscle cut plant-based meat (including chicken breast, pulled pork, and steak) and cultivated meat. The company claims that its meat alternatives have the same texture, cooking process, and nutritional profile as animal meat. 

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: Several celebrities have invested in vegan companies ranging from vegan food to vegan leather. Portman, a vegan activist promoting a plant-based lifestyle, also backed French bacon manufacturer La Vie’s Series A fundraising round early this year and Mycoworks, a manufacturer of alternative leather using mycelium. Hollywood stars such as Robert Downey Jr. (MyForest Foods) and Leonardo Di Caprio (Beyond Meat) to Bollywood stars such as Anushka Sharma (Blue Tribe) and John Abraham have invested in plant-based meat and dairy companies. Vegan Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton co-founded vegan burger chain Neat Burger in order to make a plant-based diet accessible to everyone.</ul>