1955 Capital Reinvests in Foodtech Leader Nature’s Fynd: $350M Series C

Congrats to 1955 Capital’s portfolio company Nature’s Fynd for raising $350 million. I’m grateful and humbled that Thomas (CEO) and Matt (CFO) chose 1955 as their Series A lead investor back in 2018, and we remain strong supporters, with $50 million invested to date. We are thrilled to partner with Softbank, Blackstone, Hillhouse, Balyasny Asset Management, Hongkou, EDBI, and SK in this round. The founders’ incredible vision is unchanged, and they continue to show tremendous progress toward achieving their goal: to build the next great sustainable food company and impact the lives of millions around the globe.

Alternative food technology has never been more critical, at a zenith since I was a GP at Khosla Ventures and we started seeding companies like Impossible Foods, Just, and Ripple Foods a decade ago. The need for alternative, animal-free food sources has become a survival-driven one for many regions. Countries like China now face a severe protein supply shortage after the Swine Fever killed an unfathomable 300 million pigs there in recent years — more than the entire U.S. supply!

To address that need, 1955 sought out highly-differentiated technology platforms that met these criteria:
(1) Versatility to make products sustainably across all the food groups that taste good, are nutritious, and able to meet consumer demand in different geographies
(2) Elegant, scalable manufacturing method that enables the building of economical factories at a fraction of today’s costs
(3) Worldwide partnership strategy that offers multiple go-to-market paths

We also wanted to back founders with relentless trailblazing passion, deep operational experience, and a global perspective. Nature’s Fynd met all of these criteria, and what a journey in partnership to see all that the team has accomplished since our partnership began in 2018.

Indeed, at 1955 Capital, we partner with entrepreneurs closely: we seek to be active supporters of our founders, the first call on the CEO’s speed dial, and a candid and trusted voice on the board. With Nature’s Fynd, we’ve worked hard to support their capital formation efforts, to recruit board directors and team members, to introduce them to global partners and investors, and to advise on product and market strategy. We’re proud that they’re part of the 1955 family and look forward to continue supporting their world-changing endeavors.