A new UK start-up, Messyface, is launching its range of better-for-you spreads this month, aiming to

funding raise, African Originals said its success is part of a ‘growing trend of female-led African start-ups

Biotech start-up TurtleTree has received a ‘No Questions’ letter from the US Food and Drug Administration

The EU has announced that it will invest €50 million in 2024 to help start-ups scale up the production She added: “It’s also very welcome that this funding aims to develop new ways of scaling up production

Inghams Group has made a strategic investment in Australian food technology start-up Just Meat Protein Hayes, Inghams' chief growth officer, will join the JMP board, providing strategic oversight as the start-up

Those Vegan Cowboys, a Belgian start-up specialising in precision fermented dairy, has celebrated record-breaking Notably, the start-up raised €1 million within an hour – a new record for Invesdor, the crowdfunding successful €6.25 million raised in Those Vegan Cowboys’ first funding round in December 2025, with the start-up continuing to progress toward scale-up and commercialisation of its animal-free casein ingredient. indistinguishable from their conventional dairy counterparts. © Those Vegan Cowboys French food-tech start-up

Hulo, a Netherlands-based water technology company developing AI tools to identify leaks in water networks, has raised €2.3 million in seed funding to support international growth. The round was led by VP Capital and Lumo Labs, with participation from Vanagon, Rabobank, the FOM and the Netherlands Enabling Water Technology fund (NEW). Hulo provides a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that uses pressure and flow data from existing utility systems to detect, localise and prioritise leaks and other anomalies. The system combines AI and physics-based models to analyse how each network behaves dynamically, and can integrate into existing utility operations without additional hardware or the need for district metered areas (DMAs). The funding will enable HULO to accelerate deployments in Europe, the UK and Latin America, and expand its capabilities in AI, network analytics, cybersecurity and customer success. Traditional leak detection methods often depend on physical inspections or hydraulic modelling. Hulo's approach instead draws directly from real-time operational data, learning from network flow and pressure changes to surface actionable insights. The company’s hardware-agnostic design allows utilities to adopt the technology without new infrastructure investments. Hulo was spun out of Wetsus, the European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology in Leeuwarden, and has grown alongside the Netherlands’ strong water management ecosystem. Erica van Eeghen, senior manager ventures of VP Capital, said: "Water scarcity is emerging as one of the world's most pressing environmental constraints, with around 30% of treated water lost globally, often through ageing water network infrastructure". "Hulo's ability to detect leaks early, using advanced AI rather than expensive sensors, is exactly the kind of lean, scalable innovation that fits our investment lens. This is a domain where measurable environmental impact and efficiency go hand in hand. We're glad to join forces with such thoughtful co-investors and a technically sharp founding team." Robbert Lodewijks, co-founder of Hulo, added: "The future of water infrastructure requires that digital innovation integrates with the operational reality of today's networks. We're building solutions that are both powerful and practical – enabling water utilities to take action without overhauling their systems."

Growcer, a Canadian start-up specialising in modular vertical farms that enable year-round food production

Dutch food-tech company Revyve has raised nearly €24 million in Series B financing to accelerate the rollout of its functional yeast proteins, designed to replace eggs and additives in mainstream food categories. The Series B funding round, which brings the company’s total funding to more than €40 million, was co-led by ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund and Invest-NL, with additional backing from Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), Lallemand Bio-Ingredients’ Swiss affiliate Danstar Ferment, Grey Silo Ventures (the CVC of Cereal Docks Group), Oost NL and Royal Cosun. Revyve produces yeast proteins that replicate the performance of eggs in applications such as bakery, sauces, meat alternatives and plant-based dairy. The ingredients are marketed as natural, sustainable and cost-competitive, helping food manufacturers respond to challenges including volatile egg prices, consumer scrutiny of ultra-processed foods and industry-wide pressure to reduce carbon footprints. Cedric Verstraeten, CEO of Revyve, said: “Food manufacturers are cutting back on eggs to offset increasing prices and reach sustainability targets, but replicating their unique functionality is crucial to maintaining the texture and mouthfeel consumers are used to". "This is exactly where our Yeast Proteins come in, providing an affordable and clean label solution for egg replacement or egg reduction. This funding round marks a tipping point for us: allowing us to modularly scale production and branch out to more food categories and serve our sustainable solutions to larger customers worldwide.” The company commissioned its first commercial-scale facility in Dinteloord, the Netherlands, in 2024 . The site, which is already operating at capacity for several customers, has demonstrated Revyve’s ability to produce industrial volumes. The new investment will enable the company to expand output to more than 1,600 tons per year. Hanna Zwietering, senior investment manager at ABN AMRO, commented: “We are excited to partner with Revyve as they pioneer pressing sustainable alternatives to traditional egg ingredients. Its solution addresses a critical need in the food transition: scalable ingredients with a low environmental footprint and compelling economics for food manufacturers." "We believe this combination of commercial viability and measurable sustainable benefits makes Revyve uniquely positioned to grow into a global leader. We look forward to supporting their journey." Lisette Kersting-van der Boog, senior investment manager of Invest-NL, added: “With their functional egg-replacement ingredients, Revyve can play a major role in accelerating the global protein transition and fostering circular solutions that reduce pressure on land, water and animals. We are proud to invest in this Dutch company, which strengthens the country’s innovative power with a pioneering technology that has the potential to transform food production worldwide.” Revyve is currently supplying customers across Europe, North America, Mexico and Australia. The company will showcase new applications and partnerships later this year at Anuga in Cologne and Food Ingredients Europe in Paris.

Alt-dairy start-up Climax Foods has rebranded to Bettani Farms; has appointed former Califia Farms CFO Additionally, the start-up said its natural, farm-sourced ingredient can provide a more cost competitive Sanjeev Krishnan, managing partner at S2G, said: “As Bettani starts this new chapter, we believe it’s

Food-tech start-up TissenBioFarm has announced a major breakthrough for the cell-based F&B category: Due to various hurdles surrounding scaling up, regulatory complexities, production challenges and cost The start-up has approached the issue by focusing on tissue rather than individual cells.

Brainr, a European start-up focused on digitising food manufacturing, has successfully raised €11 million producer, reported a 94% reduction in shipping errors and achieved 100% digital traceability thanks to start-up's