Selected from a global pool of applicants, the second Fast-track To Impact cohort delivers innovations across plant-based formulations, precision and biomass fermentation, cultivated seafood, next-generation fats, and upcycled ingredients.
The ProVeg Incubator, the world’s first and longest-running incubator focused on alternative protein startups, has selected 15 food-tech startups to join its Autumn cohort. Representing eleven countries across four continents, this international lineup highlights the global momentum toward sustainable food systems. The founders in this cohort bring an extraordinary range of expertise, from Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees, world-renowned agronomists, veteran corporate C-suite executives, world champion baristas, and leading bioengineers.
Over the coming weeks, these disruptive innovators will participate in a tailored program designed to equip founders with the strategic clarity and market resilience needed to navigate a dynamic ecosystem like alternative protein. The program provides access to deep-sector expertise, 1-on-1 executive mentorship, startup fundamentals like financial models and pitch decks, and corporate and investor networking opportunities. The curriculum is structured to help these ventures navigate current market challenges, achieve commercial validation, and scale their solutions to reach the mass market.
Finless Foods (USA) founded by Brandon Chen, Brian Wyrwas, and Michael Selden. They produced the first cell-cultured fish meat ever tasted by a person, a milestone tasting of lab-grown carp in their startup kitchen. Today they are developing sustainable, sushi-grade Pacific bluefin tuna directly from fish cells, without mercury, microplastics, toxic heavy metals, or antibiotics. They operate a B2B commercialisation and licensing model. They hold proprietary cell lines, have submitted their regulatory dossier to the US FDA, maintain commercialisation partnerships with Japanese seafood leader Dainichi Corporation, and are backed by At One Ventures, Hanwha, Draper Associates, SOSV, and the Sustainable Ocean Alliance. Founders Brian Wyrwas and Michael Selden were also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Social Impact.
MATRIA Biotechnology (Turkey) founded by Dr. Öykü İrigül Sönmez and Ozan Selvi. MATRIA has developed ZEROFERM, a circular dual-fermentation platform that transforms food industry side streams into high-value, sustainable ingredients. The process generates two complementary outputs: a lipid-rich yeast biomass and a protein-rich functional ingredient containing valuable yeast-derived components such as beta-glucans, with both products designed for applications across human nutrition and pet food, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional ingredient production. Backed by the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pre-Accelerator and recognized by the EIT Community, MATRIA is now advancing ZEROFERM toward pilot-scale validation with industrial partners across the food and pet food sectors.
NOIET (Italy) founded by Lorenzo Paolini and Dr. Marcello Brugnoli. They upcycle oat and rice by-products into NOIFERM Oat and NOIFERM Rice, multifunctional, clean-label fermented protein ingredients produced through a proprietary multi-microbial fermentation process. By leveraging microbial fermentation to generate organic acids and other functional metabolites, NOIET combines nutrition with functionality. NOIFERM Oat contains 40% protein and 25% fiber, while NOIFERM Rice contains 68% protein. Beyond improving nutritional values, both ingredients provide antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, helping food manufacturers extend shelf life, simplify formulations, and create cleaner, more consumer-friendly products while adding valuable protein and fiber. The dry-powder ingredients are designed for easy integration into existing production lines, with applications across bakery, gluten-free and high-protein foods, and plant-based meat and cheese alternatives. NOIET has received several recognitions, including Most Innovative Startup at Alimentaria 2026 and Best Startup in Healthy Food at Expo FoodTech 2026. Co-founder Dr. Marcello Brugnoli was also named to Forbes Italy’s Under 30 list.
Abydos Bioscience (Argentina) founded by Karina Amado and Mauricio Javier Braia. They are reimagining the future of fats through precision fermentation, using oleaginous bacteria, one of the highest-productivity microorganisms for lipid production. Abydos’ proprietary lipid platform transforms agro-industrial side streams into speciality fats designed around food functionality, from texture, melting properties, stability, and performance to nutritional enhancement. They are expanding their platform to develop a milk fat replacer that delivers the functionality of dairy fat while remaining completely animal-free. The company is supported by strategic advisor Ingeborg Gasser-Kriss, an industry expert and long-standing mentor to the ProVeg Incubator.
Anomaly Bio (Singapore) founded by Armaan Dhanda and Samyak Baid, develops functional ingredients using advanced fermentation. By engineering microbes into micro-factories that transform simple sugars into functional ingredients for nutrition and health, they are decoupling production from biological and environmental constraints. Anomaly aims to address key formulation and scalability challenges in alternative protein. Both founders were featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2026 Healthcare and Science list and bring expertise in science, technology and research. Together, they have raised US$2.6 million in pre-seed funding led by Pebblebed and secured more than US$125,000 in grants, including the 2025 MIT Food, Water and Agriculture Innovation Prize, recognizing their work in fermentation-based ingredient production.
Mähmi Bio (USA) founded by Rudy Ham-Zhu, uses AI and precision fermentation to develop functional food proteins with reduced allergenic potential. They help food and medical nutrition companies make clean-label and safer foods for people with food allergies, starting with dairy. The mission is also personal: Rudy’s children have food allergies, giving him firsthand experience with the challenges families face. Rather than breaking down allergenic proteins or relying on plant-based alternatives, they identify entirely different proteins that can deliver similar functionality without reproducing the original allergen’s immune profile. Backed by Techstars and Alchemist Accelerators, and physicians-investors with immunology expertise, Mähmi is led by a seasoned team that has held leadership positions across foodtech, biotech and pharma, with backgrounds at Beyond Meat, BASF and AstraZeneca. Mähmi was named one of HackSummit’s 350 Food BioTech Startups to Watch and has received growing recognition for its technology and commercial potential.
OMN9 (India) founded by Pravek Soni manufactures clean-label plant protein isolates from indigenous, climate-smart crops using a proprietary green extraction process. Their flagship mung bean protein isolate achieves 80% purity, with strong foaming and emulsification properties that make it suitable for applications including beverages, bakery, meat, egg, and dairy alternatives. Their process is designed to valorise all side-stream fractions, with the potential to adapt the same platform to other underutilized crops. With a cost profile designed to compete with more expensive and often imported plant proteins in India, OMN9 aims to make high-functionality plant proteins more accessible to food manufacturers.
The Fat Company (Israel) founded by Shahar Margalit and Asaf Cohen-Jonathan. They produce plant-derived fat particles designed to replicate the flavor, texture, juiciness, and cooking functionality of animal fat while containing zero cholesterol or trans fats and being more cost-effective. Their ready-to-use particles can be tailored to different applications and integrate directly into existing production lines, making them suitable for alternative protein products. They are currently conducting industrial line trials with several food manufacturers. They were selected as the winner of PLANETech’s Food Innovation competition, highlighting the potential of their technology to advance the next generation of alternative protein products.
Protein Plus (Singapore) founded by Noel Wong and Jocelyn Chng. They produce patented, zero-waste ingredients extracted from 100% mature coconut fruit, including plant-based coconut powders, virgin coconut oils, and stable raw coconut creams. Designed to power Asia-Pacific’s expanding dairy-free beverage and culinary sectors, their clean-label ingredients provide single-source texture and mouthfeel without common allergens. Recognized with the Most Innovative Ingredient Award at the 2024 IUFoST Global Industry Awards, they are FSSC 22000 certified.
Deligene (Israel) founded by Pini Kamari and Dr. Itay Cohen. They developed next-generation soybean varieties designed specifically for modern food applications using transgene-free genome editing. Their Generation 1 platform includes two protein varieties, each optimized for different functionalities. One is designed for emulsification and foaming in applications such as beverages and egg alternatives, while the other offers high gelation, improved texture and water retention, as well as higher methionine content for better protein quality, making it suited to plant-based meat and structured dairy alternatives. By tailoring soybeans to specific food applications, they aim to deliver better-performing ingredients with less processing and fewer additives. They are now developing Generation 2 to retain these functional benefits while eliminating compounds responsible for undesirable off-flavors. Ingredients from their Generation 1 varieties are currently undergoing functional characterisation and food-application testing at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), marking their transition to independent performance validation.
Wauw! (Norway) founded by Toke Fonsbøl and Richard Nystad, is developing frozen plant-based convenience foods including falafel, bites, burgers, mince, nuggets and schnitzels, combining clean-label recipes with a focus on taste and texture. Taking a taste-first approach, Wauw! develops its recipes with highly regarded Danish culinary expertise from the Michelin-starred restaurant scene, aiming to create plant-based food that people choose because it tastes genuinely good and appeals beyond the traditional plant-based consumer. Toke brings more than 17 years of experience building and scaling FMCG and food brands across the Nordics, while Richard combines extensive chef experience with more than a decade of plant-based product development. Following its rollout through NorgesGruppen and Oda, Wauw!’s Original Falafel became the platform’s best-selling falafel, with the company now moving towards national scale in Norway through the launch of Bites and Original Falafel across all 690 REMA 1000 stores in September 2026 and an expanded assortment of eight products within NorgesGruppen.
Meat the Next (Hong Kong) founded by Edmund Chan, Markus Cheung, and Michelle Che. They are the food technology venture behind TIGA MILK, marketed as the world’s first full amino acid combo-formulation plant milk crafted from tiger nuts, non-GMO soybeans, and oats. Driven by patented enzymatic hydrolysis technology, TIGA MILK naturally releases sweetness from starch without added sugar, eliminating raw bean aftertaste while delivering microfoam that will not clog commercial coffee machines. Winner of the 2024 Geneva Gold Medal for Invention. They utilize AI-smart agriculture and advanced farming technology to cultivate tiger nuts, and their products are now available in over 5,000 retail outlets in Hong Kong and major chains including Pret A Manger and Pacific Coffee.
Dylan’s Petfood (USA) founded by Matthew Miksic, is a premium allergy-friendly dog food company based in San Diego, California. They offer vet-formulated meals that are made with organic ingredients, packaged into compostable packaging, and delivered direct-to-consumer via a subscription model. Their 100% plant-based recipes are formulated to be suitable for all dogs and all life stages, while being especially beneficial for dogs that may be allergic to beef, chicken, or dairy. Their recipes are also a potential solution for dogs struggling with allergies, food sensitivities, or itchy skin. They have successfully scaled production from small-batch kitchens to a fully operational industrial co-packer and developed three AAFCO-compliant recipes, while establishing partnerships across independent retail, pet care, veterinary, and plant-based channels in Southern California. Dylan’s Pet Food is on a mission to make a beneficial change to the environment while feeding all dogs a healthy and nutritious diet.
Arummi (Indonesia) founded by Nacitta Kanyandara, is Indonesia’s first locally produced cashew milk brand and the country’s third alternative dairy brand in national supermarkets, achieved with just two products. Made from local, rain-fed cashews, its flagship barista milk delivers stable microfoam under steam and was used by 2024 World Barista Champion Mikael Jasin in his milk blend. Arummi has expanded to 4,000+ café outlets, including Starbucks and IKEA, and into one of Indonesia’s largest minimarket chains with more than 20,000 stores. With lactose intolerance affecting many Southeast Asians and Southeast Asia a global cashew-growing hub, Arummi’s locally sourced model aims to offer a path toward price parity with dairy and reach consumers priced out of imported alternatives. Arummi won Food Startup Indonesia 2024, received the Excellence Award at Global ImpactPreneur 2026 and was selected for the Partnerships for Forests program for its work building a smallholder cashew supply chain in Indonesia.
Hemisphere (Sweden) founded by Hans Karlstrand and Erik Rune. They use a proprietary, patent-pending, solvent-free extraction process to produce neutral-tasting hemp protein and unlock 100% of the hemp seed with zero waste. Their process enables five products, including protein flour, cold-pressed oil, dehulled seeds, crushed hearts, and natural hemp hulls, serving food, sports nutrition, bakery, cosmetics, and pet food applications. They operate Sweden’s first dedicated FSSC 22000 and EU Organic certified hemp processing facility and have secured distribution contracts across Europe and North America.
Together, the 15 startups in this cohort demonstrate how technology can diversify and strengthen global food security. Whether by offering direct consumer alternatives or delivering the B2B building blocks of ingredients and technologies, each startup brings a scalable pathway to building a better food system.
ENDS
Notes for Editors
For media inquiries, email Gabrielle Meyer at [email protected]
For general inquiries about ProVeg International, email Peter Rixon at [email protected].
About ProVeg Incubator
The ProVeg Incubator is the world’s first and leading accelerator program for food-tech startups working in the alternative-protein space. It works with pioneering founders from around the world to transform our food systems and build a fairer, healthier, and more resilient future for all. The team supports startups that are working on new products, ingredients and enabling technologies that can help to accelerate this transition at scale.
ProVeg International is a food awareness organization working to transform the global food system by accelerating the transition to a sustainable global food system by making plant-rich foods and alternative proteins more accessible and appealing.
ProVeg engages with all relevant stakeholders to create a world where the food we eat is good for all people, animals, and our planet.
