David Levin

The Washington Post just posted an article about "mushrooms as the darling of sustainability" and showcased various industrial applications of fungi. Among other, they showcased the pioneering work of our friends on MycoWorks with philip ross, and Ecovative - the mycelium technology company, both paving the way for fungal applications for a more sustainable trajectory. It was also mentioned how scientific researchers are "pioneering new ways for fungi to better manage environmental problems such as transforming food waste into novel edible materials, eliminating toxins like heavy metals at contamination sites, devouring plastic pollution, or improving soil as an impressive organic fertilizer". I caught one new solution that was new to me - PACT Outdoors makes kits for backpackers with mycelium tablets that breaks down 💩 quickly, killing bacteria that can disturb ecosystems. The usecases of mycelium and fungi are - endless! https://lnkd.in/diZPyqYY #Fungi #Mycelium #Biotechnology #Pioneeers #NewFuture

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I was saddened, but not surprised, to read in AgFunderNews that Motif FoodWorks is shutting down, given the challenges it has faced, including management turnover and lack of market traction, during the past few years. Motif, a FoodTech ingredients company using precision fermentation to create products that improve the aroma, taste, and texture of alternative proteins, raised $345 million since it spun off from Ginkgo Bioworks, Inc. in 2019. Motif also was in an IP fight with Impossible Foods over patents surrounding hemeproteins, which was resolved just prior to Motif’ announcement that it would be shutting down. Motif was one of a group of alternative protein companies that completed large financings in 2021, when it closed a $226 million series B round. At that time, capital was abundant and cheap, and valuations were nearing record highs due to rising consumer demand for alternative proteins following positive media exposure and extensive marketing campaigns by the likes of Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods. Since then, Motif, and many of its peers, have struggled to navigate a more challenging environment where retail sales stagnated, and they struggled to deliver products that are competitive on taste and cost with traditional animal proteins and provide improved nutritional value. Despite over $16 billion in capital having been raised globally by alternative protein companies between 2018 and 2023, according to Pitchbook, Motif will not be the last alternative protein company to go bankrupt. As the current difficult financing market stretches into 2025, more companies will struggle to raise capital and, as existing investors decide to stop funding those companies unable to achieve positive cash flow, they will either be shut down, like Motif, or sold off cheaply. Although the current outlook for alternative proteins looks rather bleak, my mid- and long-term prognosis remains positive, as the mega trends towards food security, sustainable food systems and health and nutrition remain catalysts for shift toward alternative proteins. Additionally, new plant-based, mycelium, and fermentation products are starting to hit store shelves that are better tasting and more nutritious. https://lnkd.in/gRwfHvRh Alan Hahn Annie Ryu Arturo Elizondo ‪Aviv Wolff‬‏‏‏ Didier Toubia Eitan Fischer Eshchar Ben-Shitrit Eyal Afergan, Ph.D Fengru L. George Peppou Jim Laird Jonathan McIntyre Josh Tetrick Justin Kolbeck Irina Gerry Lou Cooperhouse Maarten Bosch Martin Habfast Matias Muchnick Matt Gibson Matthew Strongin Michael Leonard Nicolas Morin-Forest Nicolas Schweitzer ⓥ🥓 Paul Shapiro Peter McGuinness Phil Graves Thomas Jonas Tristan Maurel Uma Valeti, MD Virginia Rangos #foodsecurity #foodtech #food #sustainability #climatechange #alternativeproteins #plantprotein #fermentation #precisionfermentation #mycelium EcoTech Capital Cy Obert

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Landing back from #nyc and a great week at the Global AgInvesting conference, it’s clear that the weather has changed since last week and the presence of the winters #flooding has started to subside. When we ran a farming academy in Northumberland with the Understanding Ag, LLC - Experts in Regenerative Ag in October 2022, one of the profound comments was around the suitability for #agriculture and #regenerativeagriculture in the UK’s climate. Yesterday WIRED published an article on ‘the rise of the carbon farmer’ which provides a positive lens on the potential impact of agriculture to sequester carbon. If soil health beneficial practices are used to generate regenerative outcomes. Quoting UK #organic farmer Patrick Holden. “My farm’s been farmed organically for 51 years,” says Patrick Holden “I’ve built up soil carbon, my operation is now carbon-negative—if I was to switch to intensive methods then theoretically I could burn up that carbon stock. But if I was paid to be a carbon steward, I’m not going to do that.” Having experienced one of the wettest winters on record, let’s not forget the value of slowing down and filtering water with #healthysoils. Ryan Cameron Nicholas Burlington Addy Windsor-Clive Paul Benjamin Alvaro Aguirre Taimur Malik Jeremy Stroud Ananya Manna Jackson Baris Matt Jordon Regenerate Asset Management Regenerate Outcomes Rodale Institute https://lnkd.in/e8cP6AAu

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The Capital Access for Seed & Early Stage Investments Vs Later Stage Investments; ---> Roll Call for International Partners wanting to Add Value in the Region. https://hubs.ly/Q02CLVS90

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In this week's surfactant capsule, we talk about where surfactants come from. We discuss the origins of surfactant hydrophobes and hydrophiles and particularly how most of the key building blocks used in the surfactant value chain are co-products or by-products. Much larger products like polymers and foods are driving the economics of the processes of which key surfactant feedstocks are a co-product. This is important to know when thinking about your supply chain, whether you are a buyer or manufacturer of surfactants. #surfactants https://lnkd.in/eG6jyBUd

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Thanks Amanda Mull for citing the Coefficient Capital Consumer Trends Report in partnership with The New Consumer and Toluna in your latest The Atlantic article: America is nowhere near peak stuff.

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CEO of The Production Board and Bestie on the All In Podcast, David Friedberg, joins me on The Plantbased Business Hour with Elysabeth Alfano to explain how the growth of alternative proteins could help to boost the economy. Link to the full podcast is in the comments. #alternativeproteins #economy #business

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The consolidation play by Private Equity has both pros and cons, and it cannot be denied that sometimes the consumer may suffer, but the quality of the provision may become higher. It's a trade-off that needs to be managed well in order for it not to become "vampire economics" #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #ImpactInvesting #Economy #USEconomy #Investing https://lnkd.in/gtdk6d5v

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A great article on the state of food tech investing by PeakBridge. The combination of consumer demand, lower capex strategies and large corporates driving M&A activity make for a great time to be investing in the future of food. #foodtech, #agtech, #venturecapital,

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We are so excited to announce our investment in Raechel Lambert, Bernard Kobos, and Ryan Lambert and their company, River Platform Company. River is a platform that empowers brands and influencers to build large-scale, in-person communities. To date, the platform has hosted over 2,000 events with 3,000 crowdsourced hosts and 55,000 attendees across more than 15 cities worldwide. We like to think of it as the operating system for community management. If the Catholic Church were founded today, it would use River to coordinate its global activities. No kidding. Jason Calacanis, the American internet entrepreneur and investor known for his All-In podcast with Chamath Palihapitiya, David O. Sacks, and David Friedberg, saw their potential early on. So did Balaji Srinivasan, Bryan Johnson, Tim Ferriss, and many others. We met the River team six months ago and have been incredibly impressed by their big-picture thinking, relentless hustle to connect with the right people and flawless execution. And as if that wasn’t enough, working with them is an absolute pleasure. These guys are a source of renewable energy. We’re proud to be part of this journey alongside wonderful co-investors like Blue Wire Capital, Blockwall, Solana Foundation, very early Ventures, and LAUNCH. Congratulations to the entire River team on this exciting milestone! We know firsthand that when things seem effortless, it’s because a tremendous amount of hard work went into making it happen. Want to join or host an IRL community event? Head over to getriver.io. #getriver #community #blockchainfounderscapital #startup #venturecapital #creatoreconomy

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In a world buzzing with #GenAI noise, it's rare to find a company that stands out by focusing on real-world industry transformation in agriculture. That's why we’re excited to announce our investment as part of the $1.3MM pre-seed round in Brilliant Harvest Inc.. 👨‍🌾 🚜 I vividly remember sitting in a boardroom in downtown Calgary almost a year ago with Remi Schmaltz, brainstorming new business ideas. We started by exploring concepts around agricultural immigration, but as we dug deeper into the industry's challenges, we shifted our focus to what eventually became Brilliant Harvest Inc. It’s been incredible to watch his vision evolve from those early discussions into a fully developed AI solution for the agriculture equipment industry. With the support of Cory Janssen and the talented team at AltaML, the team has created a cutting-edge solution that addresses the industry's specific needs. Brilliant Harvest emerges from stealth today with an AI-powered platform revolutionizing the agricultural equipment industry. Their dealer-branded solution brings auto-industry-level innovation to farm machinery, streamlining the entire customer journey from research to maintenance. With 41% of farmers now Gen X, Millennials, or Gen Z demanding self-serve, omnichannel experiences, Brilliant Harvest is unlocking a multi-billion dollar market opportunity in the outdated agriculture and construction sectors.  As Gordon Ritter, Founder + General Partner of Emergence Capital, aptly puts it: "In the age of generative AI, one lesson remains true: the tighter your context and industry, the wiser your model and product." This perfectly encapsulates why we're so excited about Brilliant Harvest and our Vertical AI thesis at Builders VC. Brilliant Harvest exemplifies why we're so bullish on Vertical AI: 1️⃣ Prioritize Quality Data Over Complex Models: Brilliant Harvest's approach focuses on leveraging the right data, not just advanced AI models. By ingesting equipment manuals and learning from customer interactions, they're building a proprietary dataset that continually improves their AI capabilities 2️⃣ Founders with Vertical Expertise and GTM: With domain experience Remi Schmaltz brings deep agtech expertise as a serial entrepreneur with two successful exits (DynAgra & Decisive Farming by TELUS Agriculture). His team includes industry veterans with 15+ years in farm equipment software and 25+ years in global software development 3️⃣ Capturing Leadership in Underserved Markets: The agriculture equipment industry has lagged behind in digital transformation, presenting a $15B/year opportunity that Brilliant Harvest is poised to capture. By bringing the same innovation that transformed car buying to farm machinery dealers, they aim to address critical pain points like dealer inefficiencies and outdated customer experiences in a rapidly evolving market. https://lnkd.in/gbizJgYp AgFunder #agtech #agriculture #verticalai CDL-Rockies

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Worth checking out for any companies at the right stage.

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NY friends! Please come see me at Tech Day on my panel discussing the future of the NY tech ecosystem and what I hope to bring to it!

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Indoor farming has attracted over $6 billion in investments since 2019: It's a year-round method of crop production that optimizes space through its use of vertically stacked layers. It’s projected to grow (10% by 2032, reaching $96 billion*), yet many are struggling to deliver returns. Notably, AppHarvest recently filed for bankruptcy after reporting a net loss of $177 million, highlighting the challenges in achieving profitability in this sector. ⬆️On the up - Plenty® is one to watch - they are flush with funding from SoftBank and have formed a JV with Abu Dhabi-based Mawarid Holding Investment .They are building a network of indoor farms, likely starting with an indoor strawberry farm in Abu Dhabi. If successful, it would help elevate indoor farming as a more marketable proposition - particularly in locations that are too dry for traditional farms. Indoor farming has appeal for sure..but they an infrastructure-heavy, pricey endeavor that has proven incompatible with venture exit time frames. This begs the question around the sustainability of funding models in industries focused on longer-term growth. #VentureCapital #IndoorFarming #Investment #Sustainability #Agriculture *Statista

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Over the summer, The New York Times' David Wallace-Wells put out an urgent notice around the need for a "food transition" at the speed and scale we've seen implemented around the energy transition that could deliver "better nutrition more equitably and more affordably to more people, all without devastating ecosystems or polluting local environments or pushing the planet further into climate disarray." This food transition won't happen without heavy innovation and heavy investment (like we've seen in the energy transition). The statistics Wallace-Wells cites are shocking: - About three-quarters of all global agricultural land is vulnerable to substantial climate disruptions. - The effects of climate change have reduced the growth of overall global agricultural productivity by between 30 and 35 percent. The climate threats to come loom even larger. - According to the World Resources Institute, we may need to add almost two Indias to the world’s existing farmland to meet food needs in the second half of this century. — but adding that farmland means cutting down forests, which store carbon, in order to graze more animals, which produce carbon. -Over a 30-year time horizon, the insurer Lloyd’s recently estimated a 50 percent chance of what it called a “major” global food shock. If you are passionate about the opportunity to innovate within food systems to mitigate climate risk and you are in our hometown for #NYClimateWeek, please come by the event we are co-hosting with FoodxClimate on Wednesday at the C16 Biosciences HQ. Link to register below. Article: https://lnkd.in/eYQ_Hh9P

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🍷 Big shoutout to Archer Roose Wines, one of our SoGal Ventures portfolio companies, for their groundbreaking collab with Cornell University! They released a research with the Food Science Department on sulfite formation in canned wines and is getting serious attention in the media! 🥂 🔬 This is more than just a win for Archer Roose—it’s a huge moment for the whole canned wine industry. As Co-Founder & CEO Marian Leitner-Waldman puts it, “This study isn’t just about showing how Archer Roose ensures premium quality, it’s about pushing the entire industry forward. We’re breaking old perceptions and driving innovation.” This is how change happens—raising standards, sharing knowledge, and inspiring a whole category to evolve. 🍇🎉 Check out the research here: https://shorturl.re/7frkq #innovation #cannedwine  #foodscience #womeninbusiness #industrydisruption

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What Laurel Mintz and Fabric VC are doing to change the current and long-standing suboptimal standards of venture capital is truly inspiring. The VC industry has historically been dominated by a narrow demographic, often overlooking the incredible potential that diverse founders bring to the table. Laurel's work is a breath of fresh air, showing that by supporting a wider range of voices and perspectives, we can achieve more innovative and successful outcomes. Her dedication to fostering an inclusive environment where all entrepreneurs have the opportunity to thrive is not just admirable, but necessary for the future of business. As a woman entrepreneur myself, I understand the challenges that come with navigating a landscape that hasn't always been welcoming or equitable. That's why I am so grateful for leaders like Laurel, who are not just talking about change but actively making it happen! #DEI #Entrepreneurship

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The real issue isn't the asset class itself, but rather selecting the right VC. Unlike other asset classes, the return dispersion in VC is immense. VCs that adopt a gambling approach often drag down the median returns. In contrast, those with a structured and disciplined investment thesis can significantly reduce exposure to losing companies while enhancing their upside potential by investing the right amount at the right valuation. Achieving favorable returns in VC requires a programmatic approach: 1. Great manager selection and access: Identifying and gaining access to top-tier managers is crucial. 2. Consistency across cycles: Long-term commitment and consistency in deployments across various market cycles are key. This doesn’t mean investing the same amount each year, but maintaining a relatively stable investment pace where the VC is able to invest for value not just a trend follower. Many LPs tend to commit more capital during peak periods (e.g., 2019-2021) and scale back during tougher times. This natural psychological behavior often results in suboptimal outcomes. Peak periods can lead to behavioral changes and the inclusion of 'tourist' investors, ultimately affecting valuations and returns. It's all about dollar-based risk-adjusted returns. Selecting the right VC with a disciplined investment approach can make all the difference. Consistent, strategic investments, rather than reactionary ones, are essential for capturing the best returns over the long term. Thoughts?

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Great article on the founder-investor relationship—one that’s so critical to the success of any venture. Tough times are inevitable, and the true strength of a founder-investor partnership isn’t measured during the good times, but in how both sides show up when things go wrong. These moments test trust, alignment, and shared resilience. As founders, we’re expected to lead our teams through crises, rally, adapt, and navigate the storm. The best investors also show the same level of leadership and step up during challenging moments, offering guidance, empathy, and actionable solutions. It’s a collaborative effort, and I’ve been fortunate to witness how impactful it can be when investors show true leadership. One way to ensure this is to work with investors who’ve been in your shoes before—there’s nothing quite like operator investors to bring valuable perspective and support when it matters most.

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