Bobby Flay Helps Vegan Company Raise $43 Million

Plant-based smoothie company Daily Harvest announced this week that it closed a $43 million series B funding round led by investment firms Lightspeed Venture Partners (LVP) and VMG Partners, and bolstered by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, and actress Haylie Duff. “Daily Harvest is the first major innovation in the frozen category since TV dinners were introduced in the 1950s,” LVP partner Alex Taussig said. Founded in 2015 by Rachel Drori, Daily Harvest produces a number of frozen foods including a range of smoothie packs—made with a combination of fruit, spices, and vegetables—that require only one step to prepare. “I’m so impressed with Daily Harvest’s quality and approach to good living and healthful eating that I literally begged the founders to let me invest,” Flay told Fortune. “The word ‘vegan’ is now inclusive of everyone interested in living a better lifestyle, and Daily Harvest is no exception.” Drori plans to use the new capital to expand the brand’s accessibility, which she hopes will ultimately lead to the “democratization of wellness.” The new investment round follows the company’s series A funding in June, when it raised an undisclosed sum from tennis star Serena Williams and actress Gwyneth Paltrow.