The food processing industry includes 11 unicorn startups. These companies are changing how food is made and sold around the world.
Impossible Foods leads the group with a $7 billion valuation for its plant-based meat. Others like NotCo use artificial intelligence to create new food from plants.
Below is the full list of 11 Food Processing unicorn startups at this time.
Top 10 Most Valuable Food Processing Unicorns
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Get the Sheet for $50Impossible Foods develops plant-based substitutes for meat products, aiming to create a more sustainable food system. They are widely recognized for the Impossible Burger, which is crafted to replicate the experience of cooking and eating traditional ground beef.
| Valuation | $7B (Joined May 2019) |
| Headquarters | Redwood City, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Monte Casino, Patrick Brown |
| Funding Amount | $1.9B |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series H |
| Top Investors | Trinity Capital, Coatue, Khosla Ventures, Temasek Holdings, Serena Ventures |
Gousto delivers a subscription meal-kit service with pre-portioned ingredients for a wide variety of home-cooked meals. Their platform uses AI and automation to provide a highly personalized menu with extensive weekly choices.
| Valuation | $2B (Joined November 2020) |
| Headquarters | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | James Carter, Timo Boldt |
| Funding Amount | $675.7M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Canaccord Genuity Group, Business Growth Fund, HSBC, ACF Investors, SoftBank Vision Fund |
Perfect Day produces dairy proteins that are nutritionally identical to those from cow's milk, but made without any animals. Their animal-free whey protein is used by food companies to create more sustainable versions of products like ice cream, cheese, and milk.
| Valuation | $2B |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Perumal Gandhi, Ryan Pandya |
| Funding Amount | $801.5M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series E |
| Top Investors | K5 Global, ICONIQ Capital, SOSV, Presight Capital, Temasek Holdings |
NotCo uses artificial intelligence to create plant-based alternatives to animal products, including milk, meat, and mayonnaise. Their technology analyzes foods at a molecular level to replicate their taste and texture using only plant-based ingredients.
| Valuation | $2B (Joined July 2021) |
| Headquarters | Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Karim Pichara Baksai, Matias Muchnick, Pablo Zamora |
| Funding Amount | $433M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | Endeavor Catalyst, Tiger Global Management, L Catterton, Bossa Invest, General Catalyst |
Naixuecha operates a popular chain of modern teahouses pairing premium fruit teas with freshly baked soft-euro bread. They pioneered the "tea and bake" model in China, creating a new standard for the modern tea-drinking experience.
| Valuation | $2B |
| Headquarters | Shenzhen, Guangdong, China |
| Year Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | $215.8M |
| Company Size | Enterprise Organization (5,001+) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | YF Capital, Tiantu Capital, PAG, Shenzhen Capital Group |
Rebel Foods operates a global network of cloud kitchens, building and scaling a portfolio of digital-only food brands. Their internet restaurant model enables them to deliver a wide variety of cuisines directly to customers on demand.
| Valuation | $1.4B (Joined October 2021) |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Year Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Jaydeep Barman, Kallol Banerjee |
| Funding Amount | $829.6M |
| Company Size | Enterprise Organization (5,001+) |
| Last Funding Status | Series G |
| Top Investors | Goldman Sachs, Sequoia Capital, Temasek Holdings, RTP Global, Peak XV Partners |
UPSIDE Foods develops and produces cultured meat, poultry, and seafood grown directly from animal cells. They are pioneering a more sustainable way to enjoy meat without the need to raise and slaughter animals.
| Valuation | $1B (Joined April 2022) |
| Headquarters | Berkeley, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Nicholas Genovese, Uma Valeti, William Clem |
| Funding Amount | $581M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Atomico, Fifty Years, SOSV, Norwest, Temasek Holdings |
Eat Just develops and markets plant-based alternatives to conventionally produced food products. They are best known for their popular egg substitute, JUST Egg, which is made entirely from plants.
| Valuation | $1B |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Year Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Josh Balk, Josh Tetrick |
| Funding Amount | $465M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Khosla Ventures, Charlesbank Capital Partners, Collaborative Fund, AME Cloud Ventures, Founders Fund |
Zihaiguo creates self-heating hot pot meals that package the traditional dining experience into a convenient format. They are recognized for making the popular dish accessible, allowing people to enjoy it anywhere without needing a kitchen.
| Valuation | $1B (Joined May 2021) |
| Headquarters | Banan, Chongqing, China |
| Year Founded | 2017 |
| Founders | Hongliang Cai |
| Funding Amount | $79.6M |
| Company Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Shenzhen Qianhai Xingwang Investment, Meridian Capital Asia, Beijing Taikang Investment, Matrix Partners China, CICC |
Nature's Fynd creates a nutritional vegan protein from a microbe originally discovered in a volcanic spring. They use this unique ingredient, called Fy, to produce a range of sustainable, animal-free foods like dairy-free cream cheese and meatless breakfast patties.
| Valuation | $1B (Joined July 2021) |
| Headquarters | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Year Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Mark Kozubal, Matthew Strongin, Thomas Jonas |
| Funding Amount | $509.6M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Generation Investment Management, Hillhouse Investment, National Science Foundation, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Trinity Capital |
The Remaining Food Processing Unicorn
The ten most valuable companies are just a piece of the larger picture in food processing. The industry's reach is global, with the final company on our list coming from China.
It has raised over $348 million to reach its billion dollar status. Here’s a look at the last food processing unicorn shaping the industry.