May 11, 2023

May 11, 2023 This week, Singapore-based tech-forward coffee chain Flash Coffee secured funding, as did soil science startup ChrysaLabs, biotech startup MicroHarvest and sustainability measurement platform Improvin’. Beyond Meat got a thumbs up from the American Heart Association and New Culture plans to launch its animal free mozzarella at a high-profile pizza joint. Image credit: Flash Coffee Foodtech funding 🇸🇬 Flash Coffee raises $50 million Series B from Delivery Hero , Geschwister Oetker & others. Flash Coffee will expand its “high-tech” coffee chain across APAC. ( Vulcan Post ) 🇳🇱 Cosun and Oost NL invest €8 million ($8.7 million) into microbial food ingredient startup revyve . The latter will scale up its business to produce upcycled and local ingredients from co-products from the food industry. ( Cosun ) 🇩🇪 🇵🇹 Biotech company MicroHarvest raises €1.5 million ($1.6 million) from Simon Capital . MicroHarvest will use the funds to work towards commercialization of its alternative protein ingredients. ( Future of Protein Production ) 🇩🇪 TastyUrban bags up €1.5 million ($1.6 million) to cook up a virtual restaurant franchise business. The seed round was led by Earlybird and will help TastyUrban launch around Europe. ( EU Startups ) 🇳🇱 Farmless raises €1.2 million ($1.3 million) pre-seed round for its carbon dioxide fueled fermentation platform. Revent ,  Nucleus Capital , and  Possible Ventures participated in the round. ( AFN ) 🇺🇸 Sobo Foods emerges from stealth with $1 million from Sustainable Food Ventures & others. The company wants to reimagine Asian comfort food for a new generation of consumers. ( AFN ) Ecorobotix’ ARA in action. Image credit Ecorobotix Agtech funding 🇨🇭 Ag robotics startup Ecorobotix has raised $52 million in Series B for automated precision spraying robots. Aqton PE  and  Cibus Capital co-led the round. ( AFN ) 🇨🇦 Soil science company ChrysaLabs raises CAD $15 million ($11 million) Series A. Leaps by Bayer , TELUS Ventures & others participated in the round. ( FinSMEs ) 🇸🇪 Sustainability measurement platform Improvin ’ secures €3.5 million ($3.8 million) seed round from Pale Blue Dot & others. Improvin’ will use the funds to enter new markets including Germany, Belgium and others. ( Tech.eu ) ChatFood cofounders Vinicius Rodriguesby (left) and Benjamin Mouflard (right). Image credit: Deliverect M&A, IPOs & partnerships 🇺🇸 🇦🇪 Restaurant tech startup Deliverect acquires ChatFood for undisclosed sum. The former will launch ChatFood in Europe and Australia and then in the US, Canada. ( AFN ) Funds, grants & accelerators 🇨🇦 The51 Food and AgTech GP closes $30 million round of their $50 million fund. The money will go towards pre-seed to Series A investments to increase diversity in ag and agtech. ( AFN ) 🇮🇱 Evogene ‘s Ag-Seed Division gets €1.2 million ($1.3 million) EU Horizon grant. The grant will support the creation of oil-seed crops with high carbon-dioxide assimilation and enhanced drought tolerance. ( PR Newswire ) Image credit: New Culture Other news 🇺🇸 New Culture to launch animal-free mozzarella at Nancy Silverton’s Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles. The two will host a series of launch events leading up to the official release in 2024. ( Food Dive ) 🇺🇸 Autonomous delivery startup Nuro pauses commercial expansion amid restructure. Nuro will do more layoffs and shift some focus to R&D, away from commercial operations. ( TechCrunch ) 🇺🇸 Salad chain Sweetgreen opens automated store in Illinois. The “Sweetgreen Infinite Kitchen” features an automated makeline meant to speed up the order fulfillment process. ( Restaurant Dive ) 🇺🇸  Beyond Meat ‘s Beyond Steak now certified by American Heart Association ’s Heart-Check program. The item is low in saturated fat with no cholesterol, GMOs or added antibiotics and hormones. ( WallStreet Online ) 🇬🇧 Ag robotics startup Small Robot Company says it’s nearly “through the danger zone” it entered after recently losing its lead investor in a funding round. The company is now crowdfunding via a pledge campaign. ( AFN ) 🇳🇱 Cultivated meat startup Mosa Meat opens 30,000sq ft “scale-up plant.” The plant will initially have the capacity to make tens of thousands of cultivated burgers a year from 1,000-liter bioreactors. ( AFN )