Better Bite Ventures, located in Singapore and Hong Kong, has announced the formation of a $15 million fund to promote Asian businesses producing climate-friendly meat, dairy, egg, and seafood alternatives. Leading impact investors, growth-stage fund managers, family offices, and food and tech entrepreneurs from Asia, the United States, and Europe are among its anchor investors.
Better Bite Ventures Launches $15M Fund for Asian Alt-protein Startups
Better Bite Ventures has already backed ten startups in the region, with a focus on the founding, pre-seed, and seed phases. Fund I intends to invest in 20-30 ventures in total.
Co-founder and general partner of Better Bites VC, Michal Klar, commented on this funding venture-
“Of course, there are challenges. One of the main barriers is affordability. These products still need to get much cheaper to attract mass-market consumers. They are on the right trajectory as they scale up, but it will take some time.”
Klar mentioned that a surge of plant-based seafood enterprises is emerging in the region when discussing trends in the alternative food sector. The early days were marked by milk and meat substitutes, but these days, a growing number of entrepreneurs are focusing on alternative seafood products.
He stated that,
“And this is very important in Asia, the world’s largest seafood market. We have already invested in some alt-seafood startups and hoping to support many more.”
About Better Bites VC
Michal Klar and Simon Newstead, general partners at Better Bite Ventures, have a combined 20 years of experience in the plant-based industry as well as a track record of investing and venture creation in food and technology.
While there are various alternative protein funds around the world, most of them focus on Western entrepreneurs, according to Michal Klar. He also added,
“Better Bite is the first to invest only in startups based in Asia Pacific. We believe the time has come for Asia to have its own dedicated fund for alt-protein, just like it has happened with VCs in other sectors,”
The VC fund claims to have a straightforward, quick, and transparent decision-making process, as well as founder-friendly terms. The opportunity for impact and growth, according to Better Bite Ventures, is tremendous. When compared to conventional animal proteins, alternative protein products can save up to 93 percent in greenhouse gas emissions, 89 percent in water, and 98 percent in land use, according to a study by Johns Hopkins University.
In addition, across the region, large chains are introducing plant-based solutions. In Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, and Korea, for example, Burger King sells plant-based whoppers.
Find out more about Better Bites VC through this link.