Livekindly Collective secures $335m in funding to fuel expansion

Livekindly Collective has closed a $335 million growth funding round, as it looks to accelerate its expansion across the US and China.

The total includes $135 million converted from a prior round, which was led by Blue Horizon Corporation in October. The new round was led by The Rise Fund – a global impact investment platform managed by TPF – and joined by Rabo Corporate Investments, S2G Ventures and other existing investors.

Livekindly’s recent investment brings its total funding to more than $535 million since it launched 12 months ago, which it claims makes it one of the top three highest-funded and fastest-growing plant-based food companies.

Livekindly is a collection of start-up brands focused predominantly on meat alternatives, including Oumph, The Fry Family Food, LikeMeat and recently-purchased Iceland Foods’ No Meat brand.

The capital will be used to accelerate Livekindly’s expansion into growth categories such as the US and China, as well as fuel future acquisitions, key partnerships and investments in plant-based innovation.

“Our mission is to make plant-based living the new norm, creating a healthier, more sustainable global food system through our international portfolio that meets local tastes,” said David Knopf, CFO of Livekindly Collective.

“With the close of this funding round, we are ideally positioned to rapidly scale our model and lead the global consumer shift toward healthy, delicious and sustainable plant-based alternatives,” he added.

Roger Lienhard, founder and executive chairman of Blue Horizon Group and founder of Livekindly Collective, said: “In just one year, we have raised a significant amount of capital, which testifies to the urgency of our mission and the enormous investment opportunity it represents. We believe the momentum behind plant-based living will continue to grow in both the private and public markets”.

Livekindly Collective marks The Rise Fund’s second major investment in the global plant-based ecosystem. Steve Ellis, co-managing partner of The Rise Fund, has joined the Livekindly Collective board of directors.