INNOVATIONS FOR A HEALTHIER, SAFER, AND MORE SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM
ABOUT US
We have helped to germinate and grow some of the most iconic start-up companies that are revolutionising the world of food and agriculture today.
Pioneers in deploying venture capital into 'New Protein', we back ambitious teams who are developing transformative solutions for a healthier, safer and more sustainable food and feed system.
Our global food system is experiencing profound changes across its entire value chain. Unsustainable production methods, devastating diseases in livestock and aquaculture, antibiotic resistance, consumer demand for healthier food propositions, and a diabetes epidemic — are all challenging an industry desperately looking for ways to adapt.
This context presents us with unrivalled opportunities for smart investing — investments that address urgent issues today, for a better tomorrow.
OUR APPROACH
We focus our investments on innovations that address systemic issues with a large impact for the food and feed industry.
We seek the ‘must-haves’ and not the ‘good-to-haves’.
We are strongly committed to innovation. Our conviction is that a more scientific approach will be crucial to provide solutions that stand the test of time. Tomorrow, our planet’s resources will diminish whereas our technological prowess will increase. Some technological advances are particularly timely to address the challenges of our food system. They can give life to transformational processes and approaches.
We invest in early-stage companies, from Seed to Series C. Strong intellectual property, scientifically rigorous, delivery-focused management teams, and the ability to apply solutions globally — especially to Asia — are some of the qualities we seek in our target portfolio companies.
INVESTMENT THEMES
PROTEIN QUALITY & SUSTAINABILITY
Producing better quality protein more efficiently and sustainably
EMPOWERING PASSIONATE ENTREPRENEURS
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ENABLING IMPACTFUL IDEAS
10
Seed, Series A and
Series B investments with
follow-ons to Series C
350+
employees across
portfolio companies
$780M+
total equity funding raised across portfolio companies
2000+
relevant start-up companies in proprietary pipeline
" It is not an investment if it's destroying the planet. "
The industrialisation of food has greatly improved the capacity and efficiency of our food system. Yet, this reality is changing – for far too long, capital has been deployed at the expense of our planet; resources are exploited, natural habitats are destroyed and pollutants have been released irresponsibly into our environment. In a resource-constrained world, the status quo simply cannot continue. The same holds true for the effects of mass-produced foods on our health. In our opinion, investing can only be truly impactful if the solutions we invest in enable industries to produce foods that are not only beneficial to your health but also affordable and with much fewer resources.
'Impact' investing was never about compromising financial performance. Rather, it is ensuring that capital is deployed with rigour to help reshape how companies approach their businesses. Ensuring the sustainability of our finite resources and promoting healthier processes are afterall the only way to ensure that businesses can flourish indefinitely.
At VisVires New Protein, 'impact' is a cornerstone of our investment approach. To date, our investments address ten of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
MEET THE TEAM
We work closely with the management teams of our start-up companies to identify strategies for both value creation and value capture. A lot has been said about creating value. However, it doesn’t do much for the start-up company if most of the value created accrues to others in the chain. We help the company to pivot its business model if necessary, to help it capture more of the value.
In addition to business, our team has a strong scientific and technical expertise. All of us have an extensive network of contacts among global food, beverage and feed companies (from brand owners to ingredients innovators and suppliers) that we can leverage to help secure partnerships for our start-up companies.
Everest Capital | Banque Paribas
Helms the development and implementation of investment strategies at VVNP
Matthieu Vermersch
Saratoga Capital | Aquilus
Heads VVNP's business development and investment management activities
Gerard Chia
A*STAR | L'Oréal
Works with portfolio companies to maximise value; establish key collaborations with stakeholders
Dr Kenneth Lee
Guillaume Andriveau
Barclays | Lehman | J.P. Morgan
Manages VVNP's investor relations
New Protein Capital (NPC)
Started the research project, NPC, that led to the launch of VVNP
Marie-Anne Dupin
Luc Giraud
Nexgen | Crédit Agricole Lazard
Advises on strategic and operational developments of portfolio companies
Manages the pipeline of VVNP while assisting with deal structuring and execution
Darren Leong
Wageningen / NTU graduate in Food Science and Biology;
researches on emerging trends and new startups
Celine Ng
Klaus Krause
UCL graduate in Economics;
researches on emerging trends and new startups
IC and IAC Members
Dr. Sze Tan acts as an independent industry expert on our Investment Committee (IC). She is responsible for providing an objective assessment of each investment proposal.
Dr. Sze Tan is the Chief Technology Officer of CJ Cheiljedang (CJ Foods), the company's first non-Korean CTO. Dr. Tan has a penchant for breaking barriers, spending her last 23 years with Nestlé and was the first Singaporean to be appointed Managing Director of its R&D centre in Singapore. Dr. Tan also serves as an independent Director on the board of DSM-Firmenich.
To further strengthen our investment thesis and maximise value creation for our start-up companies, we have assembled an Innovation Advisory Committee (IAC). The IAC comprises academia and industry professionals who are recognised leaders in the global food, nutrition, and agriculture domains.
Nic Lindley
Scientific Director (Biotransformation Innovation Platform), A*STAR Singapore
Hervé Gomichon
Former Quality and Sustainable
Development Director, Carrefour Group
CONTACT US
We are located in Singapore, in the heart of one of the fastest growing regions in the world. It is a major R&D hub for agrifood companies. With its receptiveness to new technologies and availability of talent, the city is an attractive location for start-up companies looking for a springboard to the larger Asian region.
We love to hear about your venture! Tell us more about:
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the problem you are addressing
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what product or service you are working on
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your target industry and market
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how is your venture unique
Email: info@vvnpc.com
Call us: +(65) 6221 6738
We are in the midst of raising the second close for our Fund II. Should you be interested to know more, do reach out to us!