International Plant-Based Investment Competition Opens Today

Calling all vegan entrepreneurs! If you think you have a product that might be the next Beyond Burger, Vevolution’s Pitch & Plant competition wants to help you make your idea into a reality. The competition will be open to any vegan or plant-based start-up from any country in the world. The most exciting part: Investors have pledged to invest £120,000 which is roughly $155,000, to bring their favorite products to the next level.

The founders of the competition, Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel explained: “Pitch & Plant 2020 is our first global investment competition, and we are proud to have partnered with such a great group of investors who are responsible for backing some of the plant-based startup movement’s biggest success stories. They define it as a "global investment competition by Vevolution for plant-based and animal-free startups" from any category.

"We are excited that all the startups that apply this year will go onto the BETA of the new Vevolution platform and will be seen by investors from all across the globe. Hopefully, Pitch & Plant will lead to many businesses finding the community support and investment they need to reach their business goals and positively change the world.”

The recent success of plant-based startups like Oatly, Beyond Meat, and Impossible Foods as well as JUST Foods (maker of bean-based egg substitutes) has given rise to a new generation of plant-based meat and dairy alternatives. The Beet covers our Editors' Favorites of the Week. Other incubators are also looking to promote new products, and Startup CPG’s competition chooses winners every quarter to back and help bring to market or further their penetration of the category (since some of those companies are already on store shelves). Entries for the Pitch & Plant aren’t limited to food and beverage brands, since any plant-based company from any sector can apply.

The participating investors in Pitch & Plant can name companies such as Impossible, Heura, THIS, Mighty Pea, The Vurger Co, The Vegan Kind, Livia’s in their investment portfolios.

The virtual global competition is open for startups that are looking to raise investment from some of the world’s leading plant-based investors.

Investment firms lined up to invest in startups through Pitch & Plant include:

• Måns Ullerstam - Kale United

• Michiel van Deursen - Capital V and a partner in Vevolution

• Simi Valecha Johnson and Cliff Johnson - Veg Capital 

• Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni and Miray Zaki - Dismatrix  

• Willem Blom - Plantbase

• Silla and Martin Scheepens - S2 Capital 

This year each investor has committed to invest a minimum of £20,000 as part of the Pitch & Plant competition making a minimum total of £120,000 on offer to finalists. Although they may invest higher sums if the right startup takes their eye.

Finalists will be selected to pitch at the live virtual event, which will take place on the 10th December to a global audience.

Applications are open from today Monday, September 28th until  November 8th, 2020.

Entrepreneurs can apply now at www.vevolution.com,