From kitchen to capital: Where plant-based startups are finding funding in a tighter market

ProVeg International has published a new guide aimed at helping plant-based and alternative protein startups navigate accelerators, grants, and investment opportunities in a more cautious funding environment.

Titled Fueling plant-based innovation: A guide to accelerators and funding for alt-protein startups, the report offers a practical overview of the organizations, programs, and financing routes still actively supporting early-stage companies, despite a broader slowdown in sector investment.

The guide positioned alternative proteins as one of the most dynamic areas of food innovation, while acknowledging that moving from pilot production to commercial scale increasingly required more than product quality alone. Access to capital, infrastructure, and specialist support had become central challenges for founders, ProVeg said.

Accelerators and incubators featured prominently in the guide, which highlighted programs offering a combination of early funding, mentorship, and investor access. Among them was the ProVeg Incubator, which the organization described as the world’s leading incubator for alternative protein startups. Since its launch, the Berlin-based program had supported more than 100 startups from nearly 40 countries through a five-month curriculum culminating in investor demo days.

Other programs referenced included Big Idea Ventures, which operates accelerator programs in North America, Europe, and Asia, and the EIT Food Accelerator Network, co-funded by the European Union to support agrifood startups preparing for commercialization. Brinc FoodTech was also cited for its global accelerator programs targeting alternative protein, food-tech, and packaging startups.

Beyond equity-based accelerators, the guide drew attention to non-dilutive funding sources, particularly grants and public financing. ProVeg pointed to research grants from the Good Food Institute, which had awarded more than US$24 million globally since 2019, alongside loans from institutions such as the European Investment Bank to support production scale-up and R&D.

The report also highlighted national and regional programs, including US federal research grants and early-stage financing initiatives such as the Netherlands-based StartLife program, which provides pre-seed loans and investor access for agrifood startups.

For companies with early commercial traction, ProVeg identified a growing ecosystem of venture capital firms specializing in alternative proteins and food technology. Funds such as CPT Capital, Blue Horizon, Synthesis Capital, and Veg Capital were cited as examples of investors continuing to back animal-free food innovation, alongside broader impact-focused firms operating across food and agriculture.

Crowdfunding was presented as a complementary funding route, particularly for consumer-facing brands. According to the guide, reward-based and equity crowdfunding platforms had enabled startups to validate demand, build brand loyalty, and convert customers into long-term investors.

While outlining these opportunities, ProVeg emphasized that the funding landscape had become more selective. The guide stressed the importance of clear commercial strategies, credible impact metrics, and alignment between mission and business fundamentals when approaching investors.

The organization said the guide was intended to help founders understand where capital was still flowing, and how different funding mechanisms could be combined at various stages of growth.

ProVeg International said the report formed part of its broader work to support the global transition toward more sustainable, plant-based food systems by accelerating innovation and reducing barriers to scale.