Techcrunch was truly breathtaking yesterday afternoon. Startup BEVO, finalist of the Slovenian Start:Up of the Year 2021 award, announced a 4.5 million investment. The company will be backed by a 350 million World Fund, which focuses on supporting companies that contribute to a lower carbon society through new technologies, alongside other investors.

“Fancy” meat substitute

Filet mignon, or "fancy plant meat" as BEVO calls it in their pitch, is the product that the company will bring to supermarkets and restaurants in 2022 under the Juicy Marbles brand, with a limited range also available for online purchases.

It is a plant-based product that is not just another meat substitute, but a premium steak that is reminiscent in taste, appearance and texture of a real filet mignon or other prime cuts of meat. 

"We’ve decided to begin with the filet mignon because it is the ‘crown jewel’ of the steak world, and it showcases our marbling technology best — which we would say is our clear and defining selling proposition, before we move onto other whole-cuts," the Juicy Marbles team, consisting of Tilen Travnik, Luka Sinček, Vladimir Mićković and Maj Hrovat, told Techcrunch.

Našli manjkajoč košček puzzle

The $4.5 million seed raise will come from a number of investors - the $350 million World Fund, founded by Ecosia (an online search engine that donates 80% of its profits to non-profit organisations focusing on reforestation), Agfunder, and other business angels from Y Combinator and Fitbit.

Commenting in a statement, Danijel Visevic, general partner at the fund, said: “There has been a seismic shift in recent years towards plant-based alternatives, driven by a generation who want to make a real difference to the planet and their health. However, so often they’re met with poor substitutes, or they resist going fully plant-based because they’re not ready to give up on little luxuries, like whole cut meats. The team at Juicy Marbles acutely understands this. Their realistic and considered approach, combined with their technology — and appetites! — has seen them finally crack a major piece of the plant-based puzzle. We’re excited to join them and witness just how much of an impact they’re due to make in the months and years to come."

You can read the whole interview here.