Investment Climate Podcast: Mariliis Holm of Sustainable Food Ventures – How to Get Funded in 2024 – vegconomist

In this podcast series, co-produced by vegconomist, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2024 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. 

Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies.

Find part one, two, three, and four by clicking on the links.

Episode 04: Sustainable Food Ventures: Mariliis Holm 

In this episode, Alex talks to Mariliis, Co-Founder and Partner of Sustainable Food Ventures, which backs early-stage founders building leading cell-based, plant-based, and fermentation food companies. Mariliis talks about their investment process and how possible it is for investors to make a call within two meetings with the right team and market size insights presented by the founders.

Key Facts Sustainable Food Ventures:

• Goal: To support founders in developing sustainable food products and scaling profitable companies in the global $12 trillion food and grocery retail market.
• Invested in 59 companies.
• Deployed $4M

Alex’ Top Findings:

1. 1. Outreach Strategies. One of the things that has been pretty fruitful specifically for Sustainable Food Ventures is applying through the website. The other one is great warm introductions for people who are either from fellow investors or fellow founders. Last but not least, LinkedIn is also a place that just cold reaching out can work really well.
   2. Investors Insight. Investors are here to provide not just funding but also guidance, support, and a network of resources to help them succeed. They are looking for a founder with the willingness to learn and adapt, have an understanding of the market and problem being solved, and a clear vision for the future.
   3. Going through Due Diligence. Investors out there can make a call within two meetings especially with the right emphasis on team, market potential, and personal intuition about the founder’s passion and capability. Sometimes, investors would base it on the founder’s insights and attitude during the call rather than on pitch decks solely.
   4. Importance of Understanding Venture Capital. It is essential for founders to know if their company is venture-backable or if venture capital actually makes sense for them. Founders should understand venture basics, ideally through resources like “Venture Deals” by Brad Feld and Jason Mendelsohn. Recognizing if your venture is suitable for venture capital is so important.
   5. Advice for Founders. Always note that passion, perseverance, and a clear understanding of the venture process are critical. Ensure readiness for the complexities and accelerated growth expectations of venture funding. It’s not just about the money or the immediate returns. It’s about creating something meaningful and lasting, something that can change the world. The road to building a successful company is long and fraught with challenges, but with the right team, vision, and support, anything is possible.