New York · Pre-Seed–Series A · 14 people tracked
Also known as LEVER VC FUND II TECHNICAL ADVISORS LLC
Investment thesis
Lever VC invests in the transformation of food and agriculture, driven by consumer trends toward health and sustainability and a growing, more affluent population increasing demand for efficient, sustainable food production. The firm believes technological breakthroughs, expanding government support, and a focus on resource allocation are disrupting traditional agriculture. It backs entrepreneurs building the future of food and agriculture, spanning areas such as crop genetics, animal health analytics, plant-based proteins, and fermentation-based ingredient production.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 25, 2026.
Team · 14 people
from the firm's website & public directoriesWhat they invest in
from 38 of 49 portfolio companiesFoodTech ×34Consumer ×19Direct to Consumer ×15Biotech ×12Climate Tech ×7AgTech ×5AI & Machine Learning ×5Wellness & Fitness ×3
HQs:United States×15United Kingdom×4Brazil×1China×1Sweden×1
Who they back
founder profiles across 19 portfolio companiesFounding team size:solo founder×172 founders×13 founders×1
Investments · 49 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathBy year:2026 · 12025 · 12024 · 12023 · 22022 · 22018 · 12015 · 19 dated
Clever Carnivore develops cultivated meat — beef, pork, and chicken grown from animal tissue samples in a food production facility — as an alternative to industrial farm-raised meat.
BiotechClimate TechFoodTechChicago, US
BURRIDGE PAUL(Founder & CSO)RANGOS VIRGINIA(Executive Officer, Director)Virginia Rangos(Founder & CEO)inSTEPHANIE HARRISON(Executive Officer)NICHOLAS RANGOS(Executive Officer)RUSSELL THOMAS(Chief Product Officer)
Board seatJames Caffyn· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsNewfund CapitalStray Dog CapitalValo VenturesMcWin Capital Partners
Blackbird Foods makes plant-based foods including seitan, crispy tofu, battered wings, and frozen pizza, sold direct to consumers via shipping.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechLong Island City, US
Emanuel Storch(Executive Officer, Director)inYaqi Gao Grover(Director)Craig Cochran(Director)Mark Mebus(Director)
Board seatNick Cooney· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsSustainable Food VenturesWefunder
Produces real meat proteins from precision fermentation as ingredients for the pet food sector.
Boulder, US
Board seatNick Cooney· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsAgronomicsArgonautic VenturesCavallo VenturesiSelect Fund
Boston Bioprocess provides fermentation and bioprocess development services—including scale-up across 1.5L to 1,500L vessels, downstream process development, regulatory guidance, and tech transfer to CMOs—for companies bringing biomanufactured products to production.
AI & Machine LearningBiotechSaaSChampaign, US
Michael Tai(Executive Officer, Director)Ted Netland(Executive Officer, Director)
Board seatJames Caffyn· per SEC Form D
Co-investorsClear Current CapitalFTW VenturesSiddhi Capital
A Dozen Cousins makes ready-to-eat packaged foods—including seasoned beans, bone broth rice, and seasoning sauces—inspired by Creole, Caribbean, and Latin American recipes.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Ibraheem Basir(Founder)in
Co-investorsECP GrowthRCV Frontline
Avant develops cultivated animal protein as an alternative to wild-caught fish, aiming to produce seafood protein without contaminants such as heavy metals, microplastics, and parasites.
BiotechFoodTechChicago, US
Mario Chin(Biotech Expert / Co-founder)Siddharth Mehta(Director)Adam Hughes(Executive Officer)Adam Jiwan(Director)Anna Fridman(Executive Officer)Steven Joung(Director)
Co-investorsAlwyn CapitalBrincParticle
The Better Meat Co. develops fermentation-based technology to produce alternative protein ingredients, aiming to build a more sustainable food system.
BiotechClimate TechFoodTechNew Materials
Paul Shapiro(CEO & Board Member)in
Co-investorsEvolution VC PartnersGreen Circle Foodtech VenturesFuture Ventures
Birdman makes vegan, plant-based nutrition products including protein powders, creatine monohydrate supplements, and functional blends with ingredients like BCAAs, prebiotic fiber, and vitamins.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerWellness & Fitness
BLUU develops marine cell-based ingredients derived from cultured fish cells for personal care, health, and food applications.
BiotechDeep TechFoodTech
Dr. Sebastian Rakers(Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer)in
Co-investorsLBBW Venture Capital GmbHManta Ray VenturesNorrsken VC
Bond Pets develops brewed meat proteins using precision fermentation for pet food products that are marketed as better for pets, farm animals, and the planet.
BiotechFoodTechBoulder, US
Rich Kelleman(CEO & Founder)
Co-investorsAgronomicsCavallo VenturesGenoa VenturesiSelect Fund
Co-investorsAgronomics
FLOX provides an automated intelligence system for poultry producers that replaces manual weighing and delayed reporting with continuous flock tracking, instant alerts, and a daily dashboard.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningFoodTech
Co-investorsIlluminate Financial
Produces plant-based cheese products including shreds, slices, wheels, and cream cheese.
GOOD PLANeT Foods makes plant-based cheese made with olive oil, offering products with minimal saturated fat and good melt as an alternative to dairy cheese for consumers.
Advanced ManufacturingConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechBellevue, US
David Israel(Founder)Joe Essa(Director)Michael Frey(Director)Dan Gross(Director)Josh Wand(Director)Jay Bauer(Director)
Co-investorsCleveland AvenueGreatPoint VenturesStray Dog Capital
Harken Sweets produces plant-based candy bars made from date fruit, containing 14g of prebiotic fiber and no added sugar at 150 calories per bar.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTechWellness & Fitness
Co-investorsMelitas Ventures LlcSelva VenturesTaste Tomorrow Ventures
HerdDogg makes Bluetooth-enabled smart ear tags and solar-powered transmitters that continuously monitor cattle movement and temperature, using AI to generate real-time health and estrus alerts.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningHardwareIoTSeward, US
MELISSA BRANDAO(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Andrew Uden(Executive Officer, Director)Michael Peck(Executive Chair)Jonathan Moyes(VP of Engineering)inTHOMAS TRONE(Director)
BoardJason Wrone(Director)
Co-investorsInnova Memphis, Inc.Invest NebraskaiSelect FundPortland Seed FundSerra Ventures
Heura Foods makes plant-based meat alternatives — including burgers, chunks, fillets, cold cuts, nuggets, sausages, and mince — using ingredients such as soy and pea protein and extra virgin olive oil.
Climate TechConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Co-investorsUnovis Asset Management
Coffee-as-a-Service platform with in-house roasting, IoT bean-to-cup machines, and a subscription model, avoiding single-use capsules.
Co-investorsBStartupBynd Venture CapitalCardumen CapitalMcWin Capital PartnersP101 Ventures
Lyro Robotics builds machine vision and robotic automation systems for food production and supply chain operations, using proprietary Variability Intelligence to handle products that vary in size, shape, and quality.
AI & Machine LearningFoodTechRobotics
Co-investorsStray Dog Capital
Marvelous Foods makes Yeyo, a coconut-based yogurt brand marketed as China's first coconut yogurt, along with related granola, super-food powders, and coconut frozen desserts.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Athena Zhu(Founder)in
Co-investorsNew Climate Ventures
Melt&Marble uses precision fermentation, microbial metabolic engineering, and synthetic biology to produce fats and ingredients aimed at creating more sustainable food products.
BiotechClimate TechConsumerFoodTechNew MaterialsGothenburg, SE
Anastasia Krivoruchko(Co-founder & CEO)inFlorian David(Co-founder & CSO)inJens Nielsen(Co-founder & Chairman of the Board)inThomas Cresswell(Chief Business Officer)inTue Holdal(Chief Technology Officer)in
Co-investorsBeiersdorf Innovation FundCatalyze CapitalChalmers Ventures ABIndustrifondenNordic Foodtech VC
Mezcla makes plant-based snack bars with a light, crispy texture, offering flavors such as Matcha Vanilla and Peanut Butter Chocolate with plant protein and fiber.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Griffin Spolansky(Founder)in
Co-investorsHabitat PartnersBluestein VenturesTONIC VENTURES
The Mediterranean Food Lab (MFL) uses proprietary solid-state fermentation to turn grains, legumes, and vegetables into additive-free culinary flavor ingredients that replicate the depth of meat- and bone-based dishes.
BiotechFoodTech
Co-investorsPeakBridge VC
Mission Barns produces cultivated meat products, primarily pork-based items like meatballs, bacon, and sausages, combining lab-grown pork fat with plant protein for consumers seeking sustainable alternatives to conventional meat.
Climate TechFoodTechBerkeley, US
Ilan Eitan Fischer(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardDavid Bowman(Director)
Co-investorsAir Street CapitalBabel VenturesBetter Ventures Central LlcBloom8Blue Ledge CapitalJoyance Partners+6 more
Mozza Foods develops casein protein grown in soybeans as an ingredient for the dairy industry, aiming to replace cow-dependent supply chains using existing agricultural infrastructure.
AgTechBiotechFoodTechLos Angeles, US
Adam Tarshis(Founder)Natasha Sharma(Director)
BoardRose Eva Wardle(Director)
Co-investorsStray Dog CapitalSynthesis Capital
Mush Foods produces 50CUT, a line of mushroom root (mycelium) and mushroom products designed to be mixed with ground meat or poultry to reduce emissions and add nutrition.
AgTechClimate TechFoodTechChicago, US
Ashley Thompson(Executive Officer, Director)Joanna Dutta(Executive Officer)Guillermo Freile(Executive Officer)
BoardSam McBride(Director)
Co-investorsViola VenturesSiddhi Capital
New School Foods makes plant-based salmon designed to match the appearance, cooking behavior, flavor, and flaky texture of real fish.
ConsumerFoodTech
Co-investorsAlwyn CapitalBlue Horizon CorporationBlue Revolution Investments G.P.Clear Current CapitalClimate CapitalGood Startup+3 more
NoCow makes plant-based protein bars that are dairy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, soy-free, and vegan.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Daniel Katz(Founder)
Co-investorsAssembled BrandsSun Mountain CapitalValor Equity Partners
NuCicer develops improved crop varieties through selective breeding, starting with high-protein chickpeas designed for better nutrition.
AgTechAI & Machine LearningFoodTechDavis, US
Kathryn Cook(Executive Officer, Director)inDouglas Cook(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardPaimun Amini(Director)inJerry Steiner(Director)inCarsten Boers(Director)in
Co-investorsBetter Ventures Central LlcBlue Horizon CorporationIllumina VenturesRhapsody Venture PartnersStray Dog Capital
Nude is a Brazilian foodtech that makes oat-based plant milk with few ingredients and lower environmental impact, positioned as an alternative to dairy milk.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Co-investorsCapria Ventures
Offbeast manufactures plant-based whole-cut steaks using a proprietary fiber-alignment technology to achieve texture comparable to conventional meat products.
Climate TechConsumerFoodTechNew York City, US
Co-investorsGlobal BrainY CombinatorCollaborative Fund
Mooji Meats develops a proprietary Cross-Fiber Assembly platform that adds meaty whole-cut textures to plant-based and real-meat proteins at scale, with a flagship line of plant-based filet mignons.
BiotechDirect to ConsumerFoodTechBaltimore, US
Insa(Founder)
Co-investorsY CombinatorClear Current CapitalSiddhi Capital
Omni is a UK-based pet food company that makes novel protein, allergy-friendly food for pets, aimed at improving pet health while reducing environmental impact.
ConsumerDigital HealthDirect to ConsumerE-commerceFoodTechHealthtech
Guy Sandelowsky(Co-Founder)Shiv Sivakumar(Founder)Dr Guy Sandelowsky(Founder)
Co-investorsArtesianBrincCompanion FundIW CapitalMiroma VenturesCraft Ventures+1 more
Nomina is a unified trading terminal for perpetual future decentralized exchanges (perp DEXs) that lets DeFi users run and automate advanced cross-exchange trading strategies.
Crypto & Web3Data & InfrastructureFintech
Tyler Tarsi(Co-Founder and CTO)Austin King(Founder)in
Co-investorsPantera CapitalCraft VenturesDigitalis VenturesICONIQIW CapitalRedrice Ventures
Oobli develops sweet proteins derived from equatorial fruits and berries, using a fermentation process to produce a sugar alternative that is thousands of times sweeter than sugar.
BiotechCleantechFoodTechImpact & Social Good
Jason Ryder(Founder & CTO)
Co-investorsGlobal BrainPiva CapitalKhosla VenturesPETRONAS Ventures
Smash Kitchen makes pantry food products formulated without GMOs, artificial flavors, sweeteners, dyes, high fructose corn syrup, or hydrogenated oils.
ConsumerFoodTech
Sameer Mehta(Founder)in
Co-investorsAurumCosmic Venture Partners
Produces novel fermented mycelium protein as an ingredient for meat alternatives and hybrid meat products.
Co-investorsEPIC VENTURESGreen Circle Foodtech VenturesHemisphere Ventures LLC
Produces flavorings via multi-stage fermentation as ingredients for plant-based foods.
Leading high-quality plant-based meat brand in Brazil producing beef, chicken, and fish products.
THIS manufactures consumer products positioned as environmentally and socially responsible, with B Corp certification validating both product and business practices.
Circular EconomyConsumerFoodTech
Co-investorsFive Seasons VenturesManta Ray Ventures
Tiba Tempeh makes tempeh products using a slow fermentation method, offering a range that includes a smoky block, marinated pieces, burgers, and mince as plant-based food options.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
TurtleTree produces LF+, an animal-free lactoferrin made through precision fermentation, marketed as an ingredient for vitamins and supplements, functional beverages, sports nutrition, skincare, and plant-based products.
BiotechFoodTechWellness & FitnessSacramento, US
Fengru L(Founder)
Co-investorsK2 Global
XOXO makes prebiotic sparkling sodas containing 6g of prebiotic fibre and low sugar, sold in seven fruit flavours as a gut-health-focused alternative to regular soda.
ConsumerDirect to ConsumerFoodTech
Rory Paterson(Founder)in
Co-investorsGGFGreen Generation FundHeartfelt CapitalSamos Investments
Portfolio news
latest coverage across their companies
Grounded · automotiveworld.com · Aug 18, 2026
Omni · news18.com · Aug 17, 2026

Offbeast · agfundernews.com · Aug 13, 2026
Avant · abfjournal.com · Aug 4, 2026
No Cow · tbbwmag.com · Jul 10, 2026
Omni · businesswire.com · Jul 6, 2026
Mezcla · greenqueen.com.hk · Mar 5, 2026
Frequently asked questions
- How many investments has Lever VC made?
- Lever VC has 45 tracked investments.
- What stage does Lever VC invest at?
- Lever VC invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A stages.
- What is Lever VC's typical check size?
- Lever VC typically writes checks of $100K – $5M.
- What sectors does Lever VC focus on?
- Lever VC focuses on AgTech, Biotech, FoodTech.
- Where is Lever VC located?
- Lever VC is headquartered in New York, US.
- Does Lever VC lead rounds?
- Yes, Lever VC leads investment rounds.
- Who does Lever VC co-invest with?
- Lever VC most often shares deals with Stray Dog Capital, Agronomics, iSelect Fund, among 73 tracked co-investors.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamMBS585- The Future of Food: Investing in Alternative Protein with Nick Cooney of Lever VC
Matt Brown Show · Nick Cooney
Nick Cooney of Lever VC
Cultured Meat and Future Food Show · Nick Cooney
Images
Co-investors · 5
Better Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm backing mission-driven technology companies working to build a better world across climate, health, and workforce sectors.
BITKRAFT Ventures is a global investment platform focused on gaming, interactive media, and related technologies, backing companies building at the convergence of physical and digital worlds (which it calls Synthetic Reality).
BGF provides minority growth capital and support to entrepreneurial small and medium-sized businesses across the UK and Ireland, from university spinouts to established brands.
Firms observed investing alongside Lever VC, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Lever VC's recorded portfolio.
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