The 50 Next Big Innovations in FoodTech, According to 20 VCs

As the FoodTech sector grapples with the challenging realities of capital shortages, geopolitical uncertainty, and disrupted supply chains, the urgency to transform our food system remains a north star for hundreds, if not thousands of FoodTech Founders around the world.

And despite these challenges, startups are forging ahead to (re)build momentum in an unpredictable global landscape — sparking renewed investor interest.

To explore where the next big innovations in food will emerge, here at FoodHack we spoke with 20 VCs leading the charge in FoodTech investment. From CRISPR-enabled crop resilience to precision fermentation, food-as-medicine breakthroughs, and supply chain traceability, investors reveal a full menu of solutions they’re eager to back.

What’s hot? What’s hype? Where’s the money going? Catch up on the trends and technologies set to shape the future of food in 2025 and beyond, including:

💊 Food as Medicine
🧉 Functional Beverages
♻️ Upcycling Waste to Value
🌾 Regenerative Agriculture
🎯 Supply Chain Optimisation
🧫 Maturing of Cultivated Meat
⚖️ Obesity and Nutrition Innovation
🦗 Insect-Based Proteins and Algae
🔬 Cost-Competitive Biomanufacturing

Tip: If you’re fundraising and your startup is working on one or more of these solutions, then reach out to the investors to start discussions today or join us at the HackSummit to meet many of them IRL.

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Get the inside scoop from leading VCs:

Dan Altschuler at Unovis Asset Management

• Gene-Editing Technologies to Improve Crops: Gene-editing tools like CRISPR are changing the game in agriculture—making crops more resilient, more nutritious, and more productive. These innovations are tackling some of the biggest challenges we face, like extreme weather and degraded soil, helping farmers grow more with fewer resources. By 2030, experts predict these technologies could boost global crop yields and reduce pesticide use and water consumption. We’re keeping a close eye on companies that are moving beyond lab breakthroughs to real-world, scalable solutions that meet regulatory requirements and can make a measurable impact in the field. 

• Food as Medicine: The realization that food can be used to prevent and treat disease is gaining traction, and it’s changing the way people think about their health. Advances in microbiome research and personalized nutrition are driving this shift, with more companies creating foods designed to address chronic health conditions like diabetes and heart disease. We see huge potential in science-backed products that don’t just work but resonate with a wide audience—and we’re especially focused on those that can navigate the complexities of regulatory approval. 

• Food Safety Innovation: Food safety isn’t just about preventing recalls—it’s about building trust with consumers and making the entire supply chain more resilient. Contamination-related incidents cost the food industry billions each year, but new technologies like blockchain for traceability, AI for risk detection, and biosensors for real-time contamination alerts are changing how we manage food safety. We’re watching for companies that are moving from reactive fixes to proactive, end-to-end solutions that make food systems stronger and safer.

Anna Raptis at Amplifica Capital

• Clean Ingredients: As consumers become increasingly health-conscious, the demand for clean ingredients is rising in 2025. Clean ingredients emphasize natural, minimally processed, and recognizable components in food products, eliminating artificial additives and preservatives. Companies developing clean ingredients have leverage to foster trust between brands and their customers while contributing to the development of healthier food options. 

• Sustainable Supply Chain & Traceability: Sustainability and traceability are critical as climate concerns grow and consumers demand accountability from food producers. A sustainable supply chain reduces environmental impact through ethical sourcing, waste reduction, and efficient logistics. Regenerative agriculture, which focuses on restoring soils and promoting biodiversity, is gaining traction. With the help of advanced technologies, foodtech solutions focusing on improving the supply chain ensure food quality and long-term security while providing transparency through ethical practices. This approach supports a more responsible and resilient food system for the future.

• Alternative Ingredients: With increasing pressure to address food security and sustainability, alternative ingredients—such as plant-based proteins, fermentation derived alternatives and insect-based products—are gaining momentum. These innovations reduce reliance on traditional agricultural systems that strain natural resources and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. By diversifying the food landscape, foodtech companies offer sustainable, nutritious, and scalable solutions to meet the demands of a growing global population, driven by both environmental and health concerns.

Felix Leonhardt at Oyster Bay Venture Capital

• Upcycling Waste to Value: The food system is woefully inefficient. We are actively looking at companies upcycling waste to value. The impact of any business model based on valorizing waste streams is clear - the economic model can also be highly attractive. We are excited by more and more start-ups in this space. 

• Impact Driven Brands: The D2C hype is over - and at the same time there has never been a better time to start a new brand. The tools to quickly build a brand are 10x better today than they were 10 years ago. From shopify to stripe to fulfillment service providers, scaling a brand has never been easier. Consumers crave authenticity - something big corporates struggle to provide. We see second time founders and early employees of the first D2C wave starting companies with a mission first approach and are excited by this.

• Technological Breakthroughs Being Applied to the Food Value Chain: From robotics to CRISP Cas. This theme spans many different topics and yet is a constant we see across the food value chain. And as food is one of the largest sectors of the economy, the potential here is significant.

Jasmin Kern at Lever VC

• Precision Fermentation & SynBio Cost Reductions: Advancements in tools like AI-guided strain development, standardizing waste stream utilization, and optimizing host systems for improved productivity are creating opportunities to significantly scale production. These technologies not only make production more economical but also unlock the potential for broader applications, diversifying the use cases for fermentation-derived products. It is important that these solutions are cost-effective, scalable, and easily installable in existing fermentation manufacturing systems. 

• Enteric Methane Emissions and Manure Emissions Reduction: Solutions aimed at reducing enteric methane emissions and improving manure management to minimize emissions and prevent Nitrogen and Phosphorus leaching, are key levers in decarbonizing the food industry. The challenge is for these solutions to deliver tangible ROI for farmers. These approaches should enhance efficiency without increasing labor demands, given the labor shortages in agriculture, and avoid reliance on carbon market incentives for financial viability. Innovations like feed additives, enteric methane prevention vaccines, or automated manure management systems need to integrate seamlessly into existing operations. 

• Producing More with Less Through Resource Efficiency: Innovative methods to produce more from fewer resources are critical to addressing supply chain vulnerabilities and environmental constraints. Solutions that enhance the nutritional or functional value of resource-intensive materials or partially replace commodities can drive significant impact if they do not compromise taste, cost, or performance. These opportunities can be approached from various angles, such as leveraging AI and data-driven tools to optimize food waste reduction and supply chain or developing ingredients that replace even 50% of a commodity or resource-intensive ingredient. Such strategies not only improve efficiency but also build resilience and sustainability into our food systems.

Erik Byrenius at Mudcake

• Methane: Far more potent than CO₂, yet innovation in this space remains limited. The food system is a leading source of methane emissions, driven by livestock, rice cultivation, and landfills—presenting untapped opportunities for impactful solutions. 

• Software: Having built my own foodtech software startup, I want to see more founders using software to e.g. automate processes, minimize waste, enhance transparency, improve traceability, and optimize efficiency, unlocking new value across the supply chain. 

• Obesity and Nutrition Innovation: Cutting-edge science is powering solutions to combat obesity and improve nutrition, such as enhancing satiety, enriching foods with essential nutrients, reducing sugar dependency, and boosting fiber content for healthier, more sustainable diets.

Ashley Hartman at Bluestein Ventures

• Pharma-Food Fusion and the Rise of Prescription Nutrition: The distinction between food and medicine will continue to erode, with more products occupying a hybrid space. Expect to see "food prescriptions" becoming commonplace, where clinically validated functional foods and beverages are used as first-line treatments for various health conditions, with a particular focus on mitochondrial and cellular health as key to resilience and optimal functioning. This trend will be accelerated by the growing adoption of GLP-1 drugs, creating a new market for complementary nutrition products designed to work synergistically with pharmaceuticals. 

• Biohacking Revolution: From wearables to ingestibles, Biomeasurement is evolving rapidly, with wearables, swallowable sensors, and smart implants becoming mainstream. These devices will provide real-time, continuous monitoring of various biomarkers that will enable unprecedented personalization in nutrition. We’ll finally start to go from what we wear to what we eat, where wearables will help us answer the question 'what's for dinner?.' This will blur the lines between food, technology, and healthcare, and create opportunities for novel products that integrate seamlessly into daily life. 

• Cognitive Nutrition: Feeding the Mind Innovations in nootropics and nutritional psychiatry will flourish as Gen Z prioritizes mental health and older generations focus on cognitive performance. Food and supplements will be designed to enhance brain function, improve mood, and potentially even slow cognitive aging. From stress-reducing adaptogens to memory-boosting peptides, these products will target a wide swath of consumers looking to optimize their mental capabilities through nutrition.

Michel Kovac at McWin Capital Partners

• Food as Medicine: Startups are transforming nutrition by creating functional foods that address diet-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Using AI, nutrigenomics, and clinically proven ingredients, these innovations offer measurable health benefits, delivering real impact on consumer wellness and reshaping the food industry. We are particularly interested in companies developing functional foods that target metabolic health, as they represent a significant and growing market opportunity. 

• Traceability: The FDA’s Food Traceability Rule, effective by January 2026, requires producers to trace food through the supply chain, driven by frequent foodborne outbreaks like McDonald’s E. coli and Boar's Head listeria cases. This regulatory push creates significant opportunities for startups offering traceability and supply chain optimization solutions to meet compliance and market demand. 

• Precision Spraying: Advances in AI and machine vision are driving a step change in precision farming, particularly in precision spraying technologies. Unlike earlier iterations, where many solutions seemed like technologies in search of problems, startups now appear to be focusing on actionable solutions that deliver measurable value to their customers. Reducing and regulating pesticide use has become a significant priority, with strong alignment to RFK’s plan for the FDA. Precision spraying companies are well-positioned to capitalize on this momentum by offering solutions that not only meet regulatory demands but also deliver meaningful cost savings for farmers. We are particularly interested in companies tackling precision spraying for broad-acre crops, which represent a vast market opportunity. 

• Functional Beverages: The market for “new-concept” beverages is growing at an incredible pace, driven by consumer demand for health-focused, convenient solutions. Large beverage companies are constantly on the lookout for innovation but often struggle to develop new concepts internally, leading them to pursue acquisitions. This makes the exit market for fast-growing beverage concepts extremely liquid and lucrative, often with premium valuations. Our portfolio of 2,500+ restaurants can serve as a powerful distribution channel for such innovations, particularly those compatible with GLP-1 agonists, aligning with wellness and metabolic health trends.

Bodil Sidén at Kost Capital

• Enabling Technologies: To accelerate product development cycles and market iterations within the food tech space, enabling technologies must become more data-driven and predictive. By leveraging advanced tools such as AI, machine learning, and big data analytics, companies can create faster, smarter solutions to food challenges. These technologies also help address price parity issues, enabling companies to bring innovative and affordable products to market more efficiently. 

• Price Surge Mitigation: Climate change is increasingly disrupting essential crops like coffee and chocolate, leading to price volatility and supply chain challenges. As this trend extends to more food products, companies must prioritize stabilizing food supplies and protecting against price surges. This can be achieved through a combination of tools, such as climate-adaptive farming technologies, and the development of alternative products to reduce reliance on vulnerable crops. 

• Multi-Functional Ingredients for Sustainability: As well as flavour, and nutrition are essential investment criteria when evaluating food products. To move up-market and create a stronger value proposition, there is a significant opportunity in developing multi-functional ingredients. These advanced ingredients can replace harmful or low-value additives while enhancing taste, nutritional value, and sustainability. By improving food across multiple dimensions, they help meet growing consumer demands for better, healthier options.

Erika Hombert at PINC (Paulig Incubator)

• AI Transforming Industries: We’re eager to see how AI continues to reshape the food and beverage sector in the coming year. There’s already significant progress in enhancing process efficiencies, understanding consumer behaviour, and driving new product development. We’re particularly excited about the potential of AI in tackling impactful challenges like food waste and improving nutrient use and flows in agriculture.

• Sustainable Agriculture: We’re enthusiastic about the technologies and solutions enabling the shift towards regenerative agriculture. These practices represent the most effective carbon sequestration tool available today, while also fostering resilience and biodiversity in farming systems. 

• Cost Competitiveness of New Ingredients: As failed harvests and supply chain disruptions push up the cost of traditional commodities, we’re expecting to see how new and alternative ingredients are reaching price parity with established incumbents, driven by the simultaneous reduction in production costs of alternatives. 

• Alternative Investment Consortiums: In 2025 and beyond, corporate investors, corporate venture capital (CVC), and family offices (FO) will play an increasingly pivotal role in the agrifood funding landscape. As a CVC, we welcome resilient, long-term co-investors and are actively seeking partners who are committed to addressing and funding the challenges of a changing world.

Leonardo Sabo at Mandi Ventures

• Food as Medicine: Food as Medicine is redefining the role of food in our lives—not just as nourishment, but as a proactive tool for health and disease prevention. With chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, and heart disease on the rise, innovative solutions are emerging at the intersection of nutrition and biotechnology. These food-based innovations can, for example, help regulate appetite, stabilize blood sugar, and reduce inflammation, with the potential to complement existing medical treatments. The future of wellness lies in the intersection of health and food.

• Food Waste: Billions of tons of food are wasted annually, across every stage of the food value chain, from farm to fork. Technologies like AI, machine learning, and computer vision are revolutionizing how we identify inefficiencies, optimize inventory, and streamline operations. Combined with IoT-enabled hardware, these advancements are creating smarter systems to minimize waste and build a sustainable, equitable food ecosystem.

• Supply Chain Optimisation: The food supply chain needs to undergo several transformations to improve efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. By tackling challenges in production, procurement, processing, distribution, and trade, these solutions are paving the way for a more reliable and resource-efficient global food system.

Andrew Ive at Big Idea Ventures

• A Shift to Resilient Supply Chains in Chocolate Production: By 2025, the adoption of alternatives to cocoa-derived products is expected to gain significant traction across the supply chain. Escalating cocoa prices, driven by production challenges in West Africa caused by adverse weather conditions and crop diseases, have pushed food manufacturers to explore innovative technologies for creating ingredients like cocoa butter and powder. Advances in plant cell culture, fermentation, and recipe-based techniques to replicate desired taste profiles offer promising solutions to reduce dependence on conventional cocoa sources. These approaches enable the development of chocolate analogues that deliver the same indulgent experience while mitigating environmental risks and addressing supply chain vulnerabilities.

• Next-Generation Sugar Alternatives: Existing natural and artificial sweeteners address health concerns over high sugar consumption but often raise questions about their impact on gut health. The future lies in sweet ingredients that achieve a balance between health benefits, functionality, and flavor. In 2025, we anticipate significant progress in these alternatives, with new solutions focused on clean-label, gut-friendly formulations. These advancements will aim to satisfy consumer expectations for health-conscious products while meeting industry standards for taste and performance.

• Closing the Cost and Functionality Gap for Alternative Fats: Creating more sustainable fat choices will remain a critical focus in 2025. Emerging bio-based fats and lipids show great potential, but their high costs and functional limitations compared to traditional fats continue to present hurdles which we believe will be solved over the forthcoming years. Technological breakthroughs are expected to reduce production costs and improve functionality, moving these alternatives closer to large-scale commercial viability. We expect the increasing demand for cost-effective and scalable solutions will drive further innovation and adoption within the fat space.

Gil Horsky at FLORA Ventures

• Weight Management: Nearly 40% of adults worldwide are overweight, and the GLP-1 pharmaceutical market is set to explode to $100 billion. But here's the catch—access to these cutting-edge drugs remains out of reach for many, with prices soaring above $1,000 per month and a range of unpleasant side effects. In fact, about 1/3 of users abandon GLP-1 treatments. This creates a massive, untapped opportunity for the food and supplements industry to step in with innovative, next-gen oral products and ingredients. Think high fiber +satiety ingredients, supplements powered by peptides designed to naturally target GLP-1 hormones, or natural bioactive compounds like Reducose and Berberine, which can support weight loss and blood sugar management. The future of weight management might not be in pricey injections, but in accessible, powerful food alternatives that fit seamlessly into consumers’ lives.

• Bio-Based Infrastructure: The potential of bio-based ingredients in the food industry is exciting —but to truly capitalize on this booming market, we need to invest in the infrastructure that powers it. Enter the "Picks & Shovels" of the Biotech World: Technologies that will make bio-based production more cost-effective, scalable, and efficient. We’re talking about breakthroughs in biomanufacturing, from advanced fermentation systems to modular platforms that scale up production with precision. Imagine AI-powered sensors that enhance fermentation insights or innovations that streamline the extraction and purification of bio-based ingredients. These foundational technologies are the key to bridging the gap between small-scale experiments and industrial-scale success—unlocking a new era of sustainable, high-performance bio-based products for the food and ingredients industry. 

• Longevity: Longevity and nutrition are deeply intertwined, as what you eat has a significant impact on how long you live and the quality of your life. The relationship between food and longevity can be understood through several mechanisms, including the effects of nutrients on cellular health, inflammation, metabolic processes, and the prevention of chronic diseases. Will see new food & supplement products tailored to promote longevity while being interconnected to other digital health tools that provide diagnostics and personalized recommendations.

Noga Sela Shalev at Fresh Start FoodTech Incubator IL

• Sustainable Production Systems: The future of sustainable production lies in holistic, systems-level solutions that reimagine food production at an industrial scale. Technologies like molecular farming and fungi fermentation are paving the way for resilient, decarbonized infrastructures that replace resource-intensive methods. By prioritizing technoeconomic viability and integration, the next wave of foodtech investments is expected to be more realistic, more feasible, and hence more impactful, reimagining the way we produce food, rather than the food itself. 

• Regenerative Agriculture: The food industry’s heavy reliance on large-scale crops like cocoa, coffee, and wheat has pushed major companies to adopt regenerative agriculture as a key strategy. Rather than replacing current systems, the intersection of foodtech and agtech is about improving the way we farm. This approach focuses on optimizes resources, boosting soil health, conserving water, and integrating cutting-edge technology with traditional farming practices. It’s a move toward more sustainable, collaborative food ecosystems that work in harmony with nature. 

• NutritionTech: NutriTech is transforming health and wellness by offering data-driven, hyper-personalized solutions and discovering better ways to identify high-impact ingredients. With the power of automation and precision, this sector is crafting longevity foods, metabolic health solutions, and functional ingredients designed to anticipate and prevent health issues. By delivering high-value, margin-rich products, it's attracting major investment and opening up new funding opportunities, positioning itself as the future of personalized nutrition. It's also making a significant impact in the food supplements space.

Steve Molino at Clear Current Capital

• Food Waste: A lot has been done upstream, but retailers and consumers are starting to become more aware of how food is impactful to their bottom line (and hopefully climate), so food waste reduction innovation closer to the downstream (retailers and consumers) will continue to be attractive. The biggest hurdle at the consumer level is overcoming behavior change requirements (or minimising it), but it's worth the effort since 30-40% of food waste in developed countries occurs at this stage.

• Non-Food Essentials: Circularity in packaging, while hard, continues to show promise, as does optimisation of food supply chains to reduce waste and energy usage.

• Alternative Proteins: Plant-based meat alternatives and cultivated meat will continue to struggle as a whole. Opportunities will exist for biomass fermentation companies, given their strong value proposition around health and low processing, but these should be treated as traditional food and ingredient companies. Additionally, B2B enabling tech players in fermentation will be attractive, especially if they can (1) address key upstream or downstream bioprocessing costs and/or (2) generate revenue from areas outside of food (chemicals, pharma, etc.), as well.

Christian Nagel at Earlybird

• Fermented Fungal Ingredients: By 2035, alternative proteins are projected to account for 10% of the market, expanding from 13 million to 97 million metric tons—a more than sevenfold increase over the next decade (Source: Euromonitor). Compared to conventional meat, Nosh Bio’s products reduce emissions and natural resource usage (water and land) by over 90%, according to our LCA report. 

• Cultured Meats: Both our portfolio companies Nosh Bio and GOURMEY provide sustainable sources of protein without compromising on taste, texture, or visual appeal, and meet the growing consumer preference for shorter ingredient lists and premium products. 

• Insect-Based Proteins and Algae: These alternatives are also at the forefront of this food revolution, offering sustainable and clean-label meat analogs, and providing net-zero technology solutions to decarbonize our food production.

Mirasbek Kuterbekov at Thia Ventures

• Food as Health: The convergence of nutrition and health is driving strong demand for functional foods that offer specific health benefits beyond basic nutrition. Accelerated by the increasing adoption of GLP1 drugs, consumers are seeking out products enriched with bioactive compounds, pre- and probiotics, or tailored nutrient profiles. Startups developing at this junction with truly differentiated science are poised to capture market share by addressing consumer desires for wellness through diet.

• Cost-Competitive Biomanufacturing: Achieving price parity is the linchpin for the mainstream adoption of biomanufactured foods. The future belongs to companies revolutionizing biomanufacturing by unlocking continuous fermentation, engineering high-yield microbial strains, and slashing costs in downstream processing. These innovations are non-negotiable for scaling the industry and redefining the economics of sustainable food production.

• Maturing of Cultivated Meat: Despite naysayers, in 2024 cultivated meat companies have made significant strides in lowering their production costs and are on the cusp of achieving price parity with certain farmed meats. Redoubling efforts that lead to further cost reductions and working jointly with the meat industry will allow maturest players to make a dent in the enormous meat market. Today is not about adding new pies in the sky but focusing on things that work and can be easily adopted.

Rachel Feller at Great Circle VC

• Functional Ingredients as the frontline of “Food as medicine”: As the Food as Medicine ecosystem faces delays in scaling within health systems due to funding constraints and complex ROI validation, the focus will narrow to what’s achievable today: disrupting health outcomes through novel ingredients that don’t require consumers to change their consumption patterns. These breakthroughs promise to improve health without requiring a shift in consumer habits, a compelling value proposition for both manufacturers and consumers. Innovations like bioactive fibers and metabolic modulators (e.g., molecules that alter sugar digestion) will see accelerated adoption in B2B food formulations. Additionally, regulatory approvals for novel ingredients designed to support gut health, metabolic stability, and chronic disease prevention will enable brands to make more robust claims.

• Proactive Testing for Longevity and Metabolic Optimization: Consumers will increasingly prioritize holistic health measurement and recurring testing to support their longevity, performance, and nutrition goals. In addition to life science companies working on longevity solutions to slow biological aging, we will continue to observe the rise of consumer-centric longevity clinics offering personalized diagnostics for areas including microbiome analysis, genetic profiling, and continuous glucose monitoring. Partnerships between testing providers and healthcare organizations will enable more targeted interventions, allowing consumers to take control over their health journeys by tracking biomarkers over time and factoring insights into routine primary care check-ups. Food and nutrition companies will continue to build offerings that support the outcomes of these diagnostics, from personalized gummies and supplements to tailored meal plans.

• Solving the Simplicity vs. Sustainability Trade-Off: Consumer demand for transparent, simple ingredients has resulted in a trend towards an "animal-based” diet filled with premium animal-based products (e.g., grass-fed, regenerative beef and beef tallow, A2 organic milk), especially as the plant-based movement grapples with whether to emphasize health or climate claims, and the cell-based industry faces scalability and affordability roadblocks. While a shift towards animal-derived ingredients like whey protein, collagen, and beef tallow to replace seed oils and alternative protein sources will cater to consumer preferences for nutrient density and simplicity, they come at the expense of climate goals, as many of these animal-based products are inherently tied to high carbon footprints, deforestation, and water overuse. As the food industry grapples with this growing trade-off between meeting consumer desires for optimizing health vs. advancing climate goals, we we will continue to see tech innovations in the alternative fat and protein space that can satisfy consumer demand for both health and sustainability (e.g., fermented oils, proteins from fungi).

Steve Simitzis at Solvable Syndicate

• Alt Protein Pet Food: Pet food manufacturers are feeling the squeeze. Supply chains are under pressure from climate change and pandemics. Avian flu found its way into cat food, prompting recalls, and ingredient costs continue to climb. These new realities are an opening for alt proteins and fats (plant-based, cultivated, fermentation - we need all of the above) to scale up in pet food. This will solve real business problems for pet food manufacturers. Pet food consumers, along with their cats and dogs, also benefit, with superior products for allergy relief, food safety, and longevity.  

• American Biomanufacturing: Government support for biomanufacturing is expected to remain strong under the Trump admin and continue the progress made under Biden. China is already making moves here, which is igniting a “space race” dynamic over who owns the future of food security. Project financing is still an open question (market shaping may be a path forward), and is unlikely a fit for venture capital. But enabling tech - especially tech that reduces cost, increases yield, and improves quality/consistency - is a natural fit for early stage startups, with opportunities in both hardware and software.

• Cellular Agriculture 2.0: The space keeps being declared dead, but the fundamental need remains the same: Climate change is sending commodities into crisis mode, starting with cocoa and eggs, and is making its way to beef and dairy as herd sizes decline. What’s changed for cellular agriculture is the use of AI to accelerate research, with heavy focus on driving down media costs, the main barrier to commercial scale. Unlike the first wave of cell ag, which tried to disrupt the meat industry by pursuing consumers, this new generation of startups will win by going B2B and solving industry problems.

Sara Böcking and Fabio Ziemssen at ZINTINUS

• Further Focus on B2B Ingredient Plays: We have seen a trend away from brand plays to ingredient plays that address either regulatory or supply chain issues (e.g., palm oil alternatives or alternative cacao), provide cleaner labels (e.g., replacement of binding agents like methylcellulose), or increase functionality, such as texturization or higher protein content—all at price parity. We expect this trend to continue across segments, with the topics of nutritional supply certainty and a needed increase in resource efficiency becoming even more prevalent in the coming year. A further driver will remain the scrutiny on ultra-processed products and the preference for natural ingredients, which give room for the introduction of highly functional, natural ingredients. In terms of companies, we expect those start-ups that have successfully developed and produced their products at the pilot stage to receive funding to move toward larger-scale production and commercialization, while new players will continue to emerge with novel technologies to address the challenges above. 

• Funding for Healthier and Cleaner Nutrition: We have seen a continued trend toward food tailored to a healthier diet. This includes a number of companies removing allergens from food, while others have tailored their products to the GLP-1 use case and reduce glucose spikes to balance the diet of those on GLP-1 agents. In the beverage sector, start-ups have introduced healthier solutions, such as probiotic, sugar-reduced carbonated drinks. This trend started in the US and is slowly making its way to Europe. We expect the healthy food category to expand further in the coming year, with start-ups and incumbents fighting for shelf space and market share, and the first winners emerging in its subcategories. 

• Better Product Applications: In 2025, we will see numerous new product launches that represent the next generation of alternative protein sources. On the one hand, whole cuts in the meat and fish categories will achieve a new dimension of quality. On the other hand, we will witness the first introductions of novel food ingredients across geographic Europe. This will provide a clearer understanding of consumer openness and feedback regarding new technologies such as cultivation and precision fermentation, especially in the context of a growing discussion around UPFs (ultra-processed foods).

Louise Heiberg at Nordic Foodtech VC

• Tackling Food Waste: We’re diving deep into pre- and post-harvest solutions to build a more resilient global food system. Reducing food waste is not only an environmental necessity—it’s a fundamental driver of food security. We’re on the lookout for research-based solutions that prevent losses at the source and save food across the entire value chain.

• Health Through an Excellent Microbiome: Over the past two decades, the gut microbiome has emerged as a critical contributor to human health. A new generation of solutions targeting the gut is paving the way for transformative advancements in nutrition, immunity, and overall well-being. We’re excited about the potential of microbiome-focused solutions backed by science to improve health outcomes globally.

• Boosting Sustainability and Health Through Nature: Biotech continues to unlock new opportunities by enabling the production of high-impact ingredients that were previously untapped by the food industry. We’re particularly interested in biosolutions that: Deliver clear value at low inclusion rates, enhance the structure, taste, or nutritional profile of food products.