Mushroom Meat & Probiotic Plant-Based Ice Cream? Meet These 9 Startups Disrupting Food

Turning a new page in the alternative protein and food tech ecosystem, startups are now taking innovation to a new level, from tapping underutilised crops and unique ingredients to adding allergy-fighting qualities to their products. The latest group of food techs to join the ProVeg Incubator has recently been announced, and they’re doing just that – making everything from microalgae supplements for athletes, alternative proteins based on upcycled fruit pits, vegan cochinitas, ready meals, ice creams and so much more. 

Let’s take a look at the nine startups joining the accelerator and hailing from Mexico, Chile, India and across Europe, and the disruptive solutions they’re bringing to the table. 

1.  Asanté 

Founding date: 2018

Founder: Iván Jiménez de Sandi

Headquarters: Mexico City, Mexico

Asanté is a plant-based meat and seafood company based in Mexico, developing alternatives to traditional Mexican foods and dishes, such as pastor, cochinita, and barbacoa. Their ready-to-eat range is made with 100% vegan GMO-free ingredients such as wheat protein, pea protein, amaranth and nopal (yes, cactus!) and is shelf-stable, coming in recyclable pouches. 

2. EggField 

Founding date: 2020

Founders: Silvan Leibacher & David Ebneter

Headquarters: Zurich, Switzerland

EggField is a Swiss food tech dedicated to developing eggs without chickens. They have created plant-based egg alternatives – both liquid and whole-egg – and are primarily focused on replacing eggs in the baking industry. 

3. Nøko Foods 

Founding date: 2021

Founder: Maxence Damarey

Headquarters: Paris, France

Nøko Foods is a French startup founded by a professional boxer, developing plant-based microalgae supplements, food products and beverage shakes for fighters and athletes. The brand’s entire range of products is vegan-friendly and made in France. 

4. Omni

Founding date: 2020

Founders: Shiv Sivakumar & Dr. Guy Sandelowsky

Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

Omni is a plant-based sustainable pet food company creating a range of nutritionally complete, eco-friendly and healthy protein products for pets. Their first product, plant-powered dog food,  is set to launch this year and contains more protein than traditional meat-based options on the market. 

5. ProMeat

Founding date: 2020

Founders: Pranjuli Garg & Debabrata Das

Headquarters: Delhi, India

ProMeat (India) is a clean-label, plant-based chicken based in India, aiming to create sustainable smart proteins with its proprietary technology that leverages indigenous and underutilised crops. Using electrospinning tech, the firm has created its first product, a clean-labelled  plant-based chicken analogue that boasts a higher protein content than its conventional counterpart. ProMeat recently showcased its innovation at the virtual Future Food-Tech Summit. 

6. Kinoko Labs

Founding date: 2020

Founder: Isabella Iglesias-Musachio

Headquarters: Berlin, Germany

Kinoko Labs is a food tech producing “better-than-meat” alternative proteins using fermentation technology. From seafood to beef, the firm uses fungal mycelium to grow clean-labelled, minimally processed and whole-cut meat alternatives – and it wants to compete with real meat on taste, experience or cost. Female founder Iglesias-Musachio was recently a finalist of VWS Pathfinder, the world’s first dedicated plant-based female pitch competition.  

7. Root Kitchen

Founding date: 2020

Founders: David Beaver & Rishma Remtulla

Headquarters: Manchester, United Kingdom

Root Kitchen plant-based frozen ready-meal startup founded by brother and sister-in-law duo, offering a range of 100% vegan meals available directly to consumers and via retail. Among some of the delicious healthy meals offered by the brand include butternut squash lasagne, Korean-style tofu noodles and vegetable jalfrezi. 

8. Bidifice

Founding date: 2016

Founder: Anastasia Gutkevich

Headquarters: Santiago, Chile

Bidifice is a biotech startup developing ice creams that are packed with healthy probiotic bacteria, which help people fight against allergies and chronic illnesses. They offer different programs suited for children, families and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, ranging from 30 days to 90 days. While the startup is not exclusively plant-based, with some ice creams containing dairy, it does offer a vegan-friendly mango flavour. 

9. Kern Tec

Founding date: 2019

Founders: Luca Fichtinger, Sebastian Jeschko, Fabian Wagesreither, Michael Beitl

Headquarters: Wien, Austria

Kern Tec is an upcycled food startup that processes cherry, apricot and plum pits that would otherwise go to waste, and uses them to develop high-value raw materials for new food products, plant-based protein powders and alternatives, oils, fertilisers and superfood snacks, as well as non-food applications like cosmetics. 

Lead image courtesy of Root Kitchen.