The LIVEKINDLY Collective raises 335 million US dollars
LIVEKINDLY Collective | LikeMeat GmbH
With total funding of more than $535 million within the first twelve months, LIVEKINDLY Collective is one of the three highest funded and fastest growing plant-based food companies in the world.
LIVEKINDLY Collective, an amalgamation of heritage and start-up brands and on its way to becoming one of the world's largest plant-based food companies, today announced a successful capital raise led by The Rise Fund, the global impact investing platform managed by TPG. In addition to Rabo Corporate Investments, the investment arm of Rabobank, which also invested in this round, S2G Ventures and other existing and additional mission-oriented investors participated.
The investment completes a $335 million growth financing round, including converted $135 million.
US dollars from an earlier funding round, bringing the collective's total raised in its first year to $535 million. This latest investment places LIVKINDLEY Collective among the top three highest funded and fastest growing plant-based food companies in the world.
"Our mission is to make plant-based living the new norm and create a healthier, more sustainable global food system through our international portfolio that serves diverse, local tastes," said David Knopf, CFO of LIVEKINDLY Collective. "With the closing of this funding round, we are ideally positioned to rapidly scale our model and lead the global consumer shift toward healthy, delicious and sustainable plant-based alternatives."
The funding will accelerate the collective's expansion into growth regions such as the U.S. and China and support acquisitions, key partnerships and investments in plant-based innovation.
"We are building a global pureplay in plant-based alternatives, which we believe are the future of nutrition," said Roger Lienhard, founder and executive chairman of Blue Horizon Group and founder of LIVEKINDLY Collective. "In just one year, we have raised a significant amount of capital, demonstrating the urgency of our mission and the tremendous investment opportunity it represents. We believe the momentum behind plant-based living - both in the private and public markets - will continue to grow."
The Rise Fund partners with high-growth, high-potential and visionary companies that seek to generate meaningful returns while advancing the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This investment in LIVEKINDLY Collective is The Rise Fund's second major investment in the global plant-based ecosystem. In addition, Steve Ellis, Co-Managing Partner of The Rise Fund, has joined LIVEKINDLY Collective's Board of Directors effective March 1, 2021.
"We are excited to partner with LIVEKINDLY Collective and its ecosystem of innovative companies and world-class leaders to meet the growing global demand for healthy, plant-based, clean-label options," said Ellis.
"The company's unique, mission-driven model works across the entire value chain, from seed to plate, to drive global adoption of plant-based alternatives and create a healthier planet for all."
LIVEKINDLY Collective has five companies under its umbrella. In addition to Ellis, the company recently installed six new directors, Suzy Amis Cameron, Barbara Kux, Shujun Li, Paul Polman, Walter Robb and Gaby Sulzberger.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.