Lever VC

The alternative protein job market in North America is growing steadily, with consistent job openings and an increase in monthly postings from ~350 to ~400 since June 2023, according to Alt Protein Careers. As of last week, food science roles made up 16% of open positions, while marketing, sales, and business development roles comprised 30%. This trend indicates continued growth and demand for labor in the alternative protein space. Read more about this trend here: https://lnkd.in/g6Xxuk2z

A recent study published in Foods has explored Gen Z consumers' attitudes towards adopting plant-based diets, surveying over 500 university students across Greece, India, and the UK. Findings reveal a notable 46.5% of Indian students are open to transitioning to plant-based diets, while 51.5% of all of the respondents believe anyone can easily adopt a plant-based diet. These results highlight evolving dietary preferences among the younger demographic. Read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/eRCFHmaY #GenZ #plantbased #Students

A recent study published in Foods has explored Gen Z consumers' attitudes towards adopting plant-based diets, surveying over 500 university students across Greece, India, and the UK. Findings reveal a notable 46.5% of Indian students are open to transitioning to plant-based diets, while 51.5% of all of the respondents believe anyone can easily adopt a plant-based diet. These results highlight evolving dietary preferences among the younger demographic. Read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/eRCFHmaY #GenZ #plantbased #Students

Eleven Dutch supermarkets are committing to significantly increase their plant-based protein offerings, aiming for 50% by 2025 and 60% by 2030. This initiative, covering over 90% of the Netherlands' market share, includes leaders like Albert Heijn, which has already made strides, reaching 44.1% plant-based proteins in 2023. Read more about this commitment here: https://lnkd.in/exBKZXTu #plantbased #dutch #supermarkets

Lever VC's portfolio company Blackbird Foods has expanded its plant-based wings lineup with two new flavors: Texas BBQ and Thai Chili. Featuring seitan-based meat-style interiors and hand-battered crispy exteriors, these new offerings aim to provide flavorful clean-label alternatives to traditional wings. Blackbird Foods continues to grow its sales with its products on-shelf in Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Target. Learn more about Blackbird here: https://lnkd.in/gX-fThGk

Lever VC's portfolio company, TurtleTree, has partnered with Strive Nutrition Corp to introduce health-focused beverages featuring LF+, the world’s first GRAS and vegan-certified animal-free lactoferrin. Aiming to capitalize on the functional beverage market, their products will target immunity and sports nutrition in the USA by 2025. Strive's immunity support beverage will come in an 8 oz carton containing 12-15 grams of fermentation-derived whey protein, 250 mg of fermentation-derived lactoferrin (LF+), and a mix of 23 essential vitamins and minerals, designed to benefit aging adults. Read more about the partnership here: https://lnkd.in/e4x_Xx_r. #lactoferrin #nutrition

The Bezos Earth Fund opened its second Center for Sustainable Protein at Imperial College London, following the recent unveiling of the first center in North Carolina. This new hub, supported by a $30M investment over five years, spans seven academic departments and focuses on advancing alternative protein technologies such as precision fermentation and cultivated meat. Plans are underway to establish a third center in Southeast Asia, furthering the Fund's commitment to sustainable protein research and innovation. Read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/etUpJDqf #BezosEarthFund #SustainableProtein

The Illinois ARCS (Advanced Research Center at Singapore), affiliated with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has received a $14.8M grant from Singapore's National Research Foundation to establish the Centre for Precision Fermentation and Sustainability (PreFerS). PreFerS will focus on microbial cell engineering to convert sugars into alternative proteins, healthy fats, and vitamins, enhancing food supply resilience and sustainability. Read more about PreFerS here: https://lnkd.in/gTQdH9TK #precisionfermentation #biotech #PreFerS #Singapore #sustainability

Support for precision fermentation grows, as giants Danone, Michelin, DMC Biotechnologies, Inc., and Crédit Agricole Centre France have joined forces to create the Biotech Open Platform, a cutting-edge biotechnology platform for precision fermentation. With an initial investment of over 16 million euros, this initiative aims to advance fermentation processes and will be located in Clermont-Ferrand at the Parc Cataroux Center for Sustainable Materials. Read more about the biotech platform here: https://lnkd.in/dpnnrE4S

Lever VC's portfolio company, THIS™, a London-based startup producing plant-based meat alternatives, has raised a £20M Series C round. The company saw a 42% increase in product presence per store last year and was named in the Sifted 100 list of fastest-growing companies by revenue in the UK and Ireland. THIS aims to achieve its first profitable quarter by the end of 2024. Read more about the round: https://lnkd.in/eaVq3mAD