Vegan food unicorns are taking over the market
The plant-based meat and dairy industries are worth a combined $22B and are growing fast.
By: Ethan Brooks | @damn_ethan
The Huustle
March 24, 2021
There’s a new cow in town, and this one really is ready to jump over the moon.
NotCo is a Bezos-backed plant-based protein company from Chile that makes vegan milk, mayonnaise, ice cream, and burgers.
They’ve raised $120m so far thanks to Giuseppe, their patented AI software, which helps them analyze and develop new product recipes.
Now, they’re eyeballing a $1B valuation as they expand further into the US, Canada, and Mexico.
There’s a surprising number of vegan moo-nicorns
According to Lever VC, a leading investor in the alt-protein space, the plant-based meat and dairy industries are worth a combined $22B and are growing fast.
-- Just Inc. (plant-based eggs) is valued at $1B+
-- .Beyond Meat (plant-based meats) has an $8.8B market cap.
-- Oatly (oat milk) recently rais ked $200m at a $2B valuation and is reportedly targeting a $10B IPO.
The industry is projected to grow 31% YoY, reaching $85-$140B in the next 10-15 years — and, most likely, minting several new billion-dollar companies along the way.
The first-ever Chilean unicorn?
There’s another interesting angle here: If NotCo does hit a $1B valuation, it’ll be Chile’s first unicorn startup — vegan or not.
Despite pandemic woes, Latin America saw a record 488 VC deals in 2020, and Mexico and Uruguay minted their first billion-dollar startups.
NotCo — which so far only operates in Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and the US — is projecting 4x sales growth in 2021 as they move into even greener pastures.
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