Vegan Companies Dominate List of Most-Funded Brands

Market research firm CB Insights released a list of the 15 companies that received the most venture capital funding, reeling in a total of $1.49 billion as of May 2017. The list included five companies that focus on replacing animal products with plant-based protein, namely Hampton Creek, Impossible Foods, Califia Farms, Ripple Foods, and Beyond Meat. Hampton Creek—known for its eggless mayonnaise “Just Mayo”—was named the most-funded startup, raising $240 million in venture capital to date from a variety of investors, while Impossible Foods came in third place, with $183 million in capital funding. Plant-based milk companies Ripple Foods and Califia Farms raised $50 million and $44 million, respectively. “Investors seem attracted to startups focusing on health,” CB Insights’ Martín Caballero observed, “as well as those with the potential to disrupt not just single verticals, but entire categories, such as meat or dairy.” Last year, meat corporation Tyson invested an undisclosed amount in vegan meat-alternatives company Beyond Meat, which has raised $40 million to date.