Officially pulling back the curtain today, Europe’s freshest foodtech-focused VC fund, Kost Capital says it has completed the first close of a targeted €25 million fund. While the firm declined to comment on the exact amount of capital committed, general partner Bodil Sidén remarked, “... but we are very happy”.
Kost Capital intends to make pre-seed and seed investments in 20 to 25 European startups using renewable biological resources to produce food over the next four years, with an average ticket size expected to be between €750,000 and €1 million.
Room for more?
With European foodtech startups raising well over €700 million in 2023 from the likes of Balderton Capital, Planet A Ventures, Earlybird Venture Capital, and the list goes on, is there space for a niche fund at an already crowded table?
In Kost Capital, the ace up its sleeve might be found in the kitchen in the basement.
Allow me to explain.
To the test
In December of 2013 former Podio (acquired by Citrix Online) co-founder and Peakton (acquired by Workday) co-founder Kasper Hulthin established Kost Studio, a project designed to help great minds leveraging cutting-edge science to create better food translate these concepts into commercial products and services.
With Kost Capital, Hulthin — alongside LPs the Danish Sovereign Fund, Christian Tang-Jespersen, Mark Emil Hermansen, and Jacob Lee Ørnstrand — is taking this concept one step further and providing financial backing as well.
Kost Studio and Kost Capital share the same address and thus, the same kitchen, nay, food development studio space.
While almost every VC can talk about a hands-on approach and value add, by its very definition, Kost Capital can put a potential investment to the test simply by walking downstairs.
Investments
The firm has already invested in three European startups, Estonian palm oil replacement company Äio, French infant formula company Numi, and Denmark’s Nutrumami.
On the launch of the new fund, Kost Capital general partner Bodil Sidén shared:
“Denmark has a proud history of food and the most interesting fermentation and biotechnology companies have started here. Denmark’s gastronomy scene is also world-class but Michelin star restaurants only serve 40 seats per night.
“We need to achieve scale to reach more people and the key is to combine bioeconomy and gastronomy. We want to empower the next generation of these companies and establish Denmark as the bioeconomy hub in Europe.”
Lead image: Kost Capital general partner Bodil Sidén. Photo: Uncredited.
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