Lever VC - early stage investor in alt protein startups - closes Fund I at $80m; plans fund II in early 2022

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Lever VC has invested in several firms growing protein, fats or other ingredients from microbes or animal cells in bioreactors... Image credit: GettyImages-Artis777 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Venture capital firm Lever VC has completed final close of Lever VC Fund I, with $80m raised to back early stage plant-based and cell-cultured meat and dairy companies around the world.

The fund – which has already built a portfolio of 19 plant-based, cell-cultured, and fermented animal protein companies in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America – is backed by some of the world’s largest meat companies and ingredient and food commodities companies; one of the world’s largest fermentation companies; two of the world’s largest AgriFeed companies; family offices of leading retail groups; and a range of additional family offices, said Lever VC co-founder Nick Cooney.

“We’re pleased with the strong growth in value, sales and technology of our current portfolio, and we’ll continue to invest in more stellar companies over the next year… We look forward to beginning the raise of Lever VC Fund II early next year.”

Lever VC tracks 2,000+ alternative protein companies globally and has invested in firms including TurtleTree Labs (led pre-Seed), Avant (led pre-Seed), THIS (co-led Series A), Mission Barns (Seed and Series A), Bond Pet Foods (led Seed), Better Meat Co (Seed), Blackbird Foods (led Pre- Seed and Seed), The New Butchers (Seed), Bluu (Seed), A Dozen Cousins (Seed and Series A), Welldone (Seed), Marvelous Foods (led Seed), Good Planet Foods (Pre-A), The Good Spoon (led Seed), Grounded (led Seed), CellX (Seed), NoMoo (Seed), Mozza (led pre-Seed) and Heura (Series A).

Nick Cooney recently participated in FoodNavigator-USA's Protein 2.0 webinar, which you can watch on demand by registering HERE.