9 Vegan Startups You Need to Know About in 2018

In case you hadn’t noticed, the vegan market has exploded. Plant-based food production in the United States is worth $2.22 billion, and it is estimated to reach $5.2 billion by 2020. A few reasons for this massive increase might be the Oxford study that shows how switching to a plant-based diet can save 8.1 million lives per year by 2050 and greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced by two-thirds, and also because of the growing awareness of animal oppression. In fact, vegan investments are becoming so popular that CNBC labeled a group of investors “the vegan mafia” due to their investment in companies such as Beyond Meat. While listing all of the new and exciting cruelty-free startups would be next to impossible, we’ve found 10 new startups and companies that we think you should know (and love) in 2018 … if you don’t already.

1. Joel’s Kitchen
Joel’s Kitchen app allows users to share meals with friends and see the nutritional content of what they are eating. The app also reminds users when they need to eat next, while the sharing part of the app creates a social network that provides new ideas for new recipes. This combination means we can keep track of our meals while sharing creative recipes such as vegan schnitzel sliders with pumpkin dinner rolls.

2. Vynelife
New York-based Vynelife is another plant-powered startup for healthy vegan meals. The website is geared toward people looking to improve their health through vegan meals, which range from beet falafel bowls to an E.L.T. (eggplant bacon, lettuce, and tomato) salad. The site has chefs and nutritionists working on great meals to cater to any lifestyle animal-free, while users choose between two meal packages—the Weekday Warrior (which delivers only lunch) or the New You, which delivers five days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

3. Lily Lunch Box
Lily Lunch Box is a new vegan meal delivery company that allows San Diego children to have healthy vegan meals. A lunch replacement for busy parents, the business makes health the first priority. Sample meals include macaroni and cheese meals and superfood crustless sandwiches. Even better? All meals are allergen-free, too!

4. Sprinly
Organic, plant-based meals are now available in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana thanks to Sprinly, which provides whole-food, plant-based dishes that are 100-percent gluten free. By using only limited amounts of oil, salt, and sugar. Sprinly creates another, healthier option for vegans who are used to or are looking for the healthiest meals that are also all organic.

5. Susty Party
New in the startup world is Susty Party, which has eco-friendly tableware such as cups, plates, bowls, and straws. These are not your typical compostable plates that fall apart during meals. Rather, these are sturdy utensils that also look cute thanks to silver-starred napkins, textured dotted plates, and square patterns on the silverware handles.

6. The Abbot’s Butcher
Located in Los Angeles and Orange County, CA, The Abbot's Butcher sells several vegan meat options (many made with textured vegetable protein). Unlike other butcher shops, these meats are pre-packaged for longer shelf life and have a wider availability than other vegan meats. The Abbot Butcher’s foods might be difficult to find right now, but we suspect the brand’s vegan turkey burgers and perfectly spiced meatballs will hit nationwide shelves in 2018.

7. Organ on a Chip
After receiving $45 million in funding, Organ on a Chip has the potential to end animal testing, as the chip can mimic human tissue environments such as neurons and breast cancer cells. Researchers and clinicians will be able to personalize which drugs work most effectively and safely on healthy or diseased human tissue, which is more accurate than any animal-testing model.

8. Love Goodly
Love Goodly is a monthly box program filled with cruelty-free and toxin-free goodies such as oils, foods, lotions, and cosmetics. Similar to a mystery box, users get new products every month that are selected by the company. All of the boxes have a mix of vegan beauty, skincare, wellness, and/or lifestyle items with a total retail value of at least $80. There is also an à la carte option that allows users to choose what they would like and have it shipped to them.

9. Vegan Cuts
Vegan Cuts’ monthly vegan box programs curate the best vegan items for the three primary reasons for being plant-based: your health, the environment, and the animals. Users can get a snack box, a makeup box, a beauty box, and a gift box set, all of which help customers get to know new vegan products.

Ana Levley is the founder of Aveccio by Levley Marketing, a vegan marketing agency, and creator of Vegan Business Exchange, a vegan business support group.