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Alternative Protein Startups

Updated July 2026

Companies in the alternative protein sector developing innovative solutions and technologies.

Explore 155 recently funded alternative protein companies with verified founder contact information and fundraising data.

Total Companies
155
Total Funding
$267.5M
Avg Funding
$10.7M
Global Reach
14
countries

Top Cities for Alternative Protein

Berlin
Vienna
Barcelona
Zwijnaarde
Kemptthal
Cambridge

Recently Funded Companies

Export
Berlin, Germany

Project Eaden engages in the development and licensing of technologies for the production of sustainable food and meat alternatives.

$15.6M raised
Jan 2025

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Vienna, Austria

LIVIN farms is a leading industrial technology provider in the alternative protein industry.

Dec 2025

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Barcelona, Spain

Libre Foods is a biotech startup on a mission to liberate the food system and create a more free future for people, the planet and animals.

$368K raised
Dec 2023

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Zwijnaarde, Belgium

Those Vegan Cowboys is a dairy product producer that makes cow-less milk and cheese products.

$7.3M raised
Dec 2025

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Kemptthal, Switzerland

Planted Foods is a food processing company that specializes in plant-based meals.

Dec 2024

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Qkine is a specialist developer and manufacturer of growth factor proteins for stem cell, organoid and cellular agriculture applications

$5.2M raised
Dec 2022

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

London, United Kingdom

This Pet Group is an independent parent company that focuses on using technology and science to make pets lives happier and healthier.

$491K raised
Dec 2021

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

London, United Kingdom

Unlocking the next generation of biotech solutions.

$19.8M raised
Dec 2025

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Santiago, Chile

NotCo is a food tech company that uses artificial intelligence to create food from plants.

$70.0M raised
Dec 2022

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Intelligent Technologies to Sustainably Craft Meat

$989K raised
Dec 2023

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

San Francisco, United States

SCiFi Foods is racing to be the first to bring cultivated beef to market with an advanced synbio platform & cutting-edge tools like CRISPR.

Nov 2022

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Birmingham, United States

Skinny Butcher is a food production company that produces and distributes plant-based meats to consumers.

$10.0M raised
Jan 2022

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

London, United Kingdom

Multus is a global leader in cell culture media design for cell-based biomanufacturing, combining AI, robotic automation, and cell biology.

$9.5M raised
Jan 2023

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Chicago, United States

Clever Carnivore is a cultivated meat company specializing in pork products, headquartered in Chicago, IL

$2.4M raised
Nov 2025

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

San Marcos, United States

Plantible Foods is a food technology company that develops sustainable plant-based proteins from the aquatic plant lemna.

Jan 2025

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Paris, France

nextProtein develops a new large-scale technology that produces a sustainable source of protein.

$20.7M raised
Nov 2025

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Madrid, Spain

Cocoon Bioscience produces recombinant proteins and enzymes for individual protein, nutrition, and healthcare applications.

$2.1M raised
Nov 2023

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

St Louis, United States

Mighty Cricket offers clean protein powders and oatmeals made with sustainable protein and organic ingredients.

$650K raised
Nov 2024

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Mexico City, Mexico

Propel Foods specializes in the development and production of plant-based and innovative alternative food products.

Jan 2024

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Palo Alto, United States

Avenue Biosciences is a transatlantic biotech business that specializes on innovative protein engineering technologies.

$7.4M raised
Jan 2026

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Vancouver, Canada

No Meat Factory is a co-manufacturer of alternative protein products.

$42.0M raised
Jan 2023

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Härryda, Sweden

Peas of Heaven is a producer of pea-based burgers, sausages, and mince.

$3.0M raised
Nov 2021

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Okaya, Japan

Cricket Farm is a food manufacturing company that produces and retails a wide range of eco-friendly and protein-rich insect food products.

$292K raised
Nov 2022

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Sydney, Australia

Vow is a meat production company specializing in producing meat from animal cells.

$49.2M raised
Nov 2022

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Chapel Hill, United States

B2B food tech company that transforms gourmet mushrooms and upcycled plant proteins into mushroom-based meats.

$275K raised
Nov 2022

Founder Contacts

30,000+ verified contacts

Showing 126 to 150 of 155 companies

About the Alternative Protein Startup Ecosystem

The alternative protein sector is an active area of startup innovation and venture capital investment. Companies in this space are developing new technologies, platforms, and services that address evolving market needs and create new business opportunities.

Funding Trends in Alternative Protein

Alternative Protein companies raise capital across various funding stages, from early seed rounds to late-stage growth financing. Investor interest in this sector is driven by the size of the addressable market, the pace of technology adoption, and the potential for scalable business models.

Growth Outlook

The alternative protein sector is expected to continue evolving as technology advances, market dynamics shift, and new opportunities emerge. Companies that demonstrate strong product-market fit, efficient growth, and clear competitive advantages are well-positioned to attract continued investment.

Alternative Protein Funding Breakdown

Here is how funding is distributed among the 155 alternative protein companies tracked in the VCBacked database.

Average Funding
$10.7M
Total Funding Tracked
$267.5M
Countries Represented
14

Distribution by Funding Stage

Other25 companies

Top Cities for Alternative Protein

1.London
3 companies$29.8M
2.Cambridge
2 companies$6.2M
3.Berlin
1 companies$15.6M
4.Vienna
1 companiesUndisclosed
5.Barcelona
1 companies$368K

Related Industries

Companies in the alternative protein sector often overlap with or complement businesses in adjacent industries. Exploring related verticals can help you discover additional companies, identify partnership opportunities, and understand the broader competitive landscape.

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155 Alternative Protein Startups (2026) — Recently Funded Companies, Investors & Rounds | VCBacked