The world is entering a new era of food and agriculture transformation. Long-term consumer trends towards health and sustainability, along with a growing and more affluent population, are driving the demand for more efficient and sustainable food production methods. Fueled by recent technological breakthroughs, increasing government support, and a focus on resource allocation, the traditional agriculture industry is facing significant disruption and pressure to adapt. Lever VC backs the entrepreneurs creating the future of food and agriculture.
What we look for
Lever VC invests in companies creating the future of food and agriculture, encompassing anything that drives improvements in sustainability and ESG targets in the current food system.
For novel ingredient companies, such as providers of sustainable commodity goods, nutraceuticals, proteins, flavorings, or fats, we look to invest in companies with significantly improved quality, price, sustainability, and functionality, that demonstrate product-market fit.
For technology-driven companies across the food and agriculture supply chain, we look to invest as early as possible in global or regional pioneers of technologies that create ingredients, inputs, services, machinery, or products that generate significant improvements compared to state-of-the-art incumbents and have a clear path to market-accessible price points.
For product-driven companies in the better-for-you, pet food, and plant-based space, we look to invest early in companies that are #1 or #2 in quality in their broad geographic region, in product categories with large total addressable markets that are not over-saturated, and that have demonstrated early sales traction and strong weekly unit turnover.
In all categories, we look for reasonable deal terms and fantastic founding teams with the vision, work ethic, good judgment, intelligence, and self-awareness needed to build an incredibly successful company.
Lever VC conducts robust, lead-level due diligence before every investment
Sourcing
Lever sources deals from our extensive personal networks in the sector, robust inbound cold contacts, incubator and accelerator partners, and trade media and sales channel monitoring.
Tracking
The Fund tracks and monitors over 5,000 companies in the protein landscape through its proprietary database, allowing for robust peer analysis and early detection of breakout growth.
Scientific and Technical Review
Lever utilizes its in-house scientific expertise to conduct extensive technical review on all relevant deals via interviews, data analysis, IP and academic literature reviews, and site visits.
Due Diligence
The Fund conducts lead-level due diligence before all investments, including financial modeling, returns analysis, taste panels, site visits, competitor analysis, and general financial and strategy reviews.
Lever VC's deep sector experience allows it to provide portfolio companies with much more than just capital
The Fund taps its extensive network of investors in the category to help portfolio companies raise follow-on rounds with value-add partners. It utilizes its connections with leading food companies around the globe to help portfolio companies secure product development, scale-up and sales partnerships. It draws on years of experience investing across scores of companies in the Food and AgTech sectors (and reviewing thousands more) to advise on commercial and marketing strategies.
Lever VC prefers to lead or co-lead rounds and to take board or board observer seats when possible, although neither is required.