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Bluestein Ventures, a venture capital firm specialising in early-stage investments within the food industry, has announced the closing of a $45 million fund. This marks the firm's third fund anchored by the Bluestein Family, and the first to include external investors. Founded in 2014, Bluestein Ventures invests in ventures across the food supply chain – including consumer, software, and food-tech businesses – aiming to improve the food system's health, sustainability and effectiveness. It focuses on high-growth consumer brands, proprietary food-technology, next-gen commerce and digital tech. The firm has started investing its new capital in nutrition, sustainability and industry digitisation. Companies in the Fund III portfolio include BiomeSense, offering an end-to-end platform for scaling gut microbiome research and testing; WECO Hospitality, providing chef-quality prepared meal delivery; and Attane Health, operating as a marketplace for food prescriptions for individuals with chronic conditions. Ashley Hartman, co-managing partner of Bluestein Ventures, said: “Food is a massive industry and powerful driver of our economy. While the food system is magical, there is tremendous opportunity for improvement. We’re on the cusp of rapid, disruptive change across both consumer and technology that’s only continuing to compound." "We believe that investing in companies at the frontier of innovation is critical in accelerating the health of our population and environment. There shouldn’t be a tradeoff between impact and returns; in fact, 67% of our portfolio is making an impact in nutrition, 40% in sustainability and 62% have a diverse founder.”