Heura, the Spanish start-up active in the plant-based food technology sector, has closed a new round of financing from 20 million euros, which provides for the issue of convertible notes. The investment round saw contributions from NBA star Ricky Rubio, footballers Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto, comedian David Broncano and Unovis Capital.
“Having the backing of investors motivated by our own mission and willing to take bold action to accelerate the transition to plant proteins provides us with the resources to continue driving the growth of the category across Europe,” said Marc Coloma, activist alimentary, CEO and co-founder of Heura Foods, continuing then: «Our vision is clear: this new loan will allow us to mature and become a food-tech company capable of leading the protein transition in Europe. This growth path is designed to lead us, in 2023, to close the largest Serie B round in the sector and to inaugurate a better future for people, the planet and animals ».
Thanks to the new funding, Heura will work to position itself as the European leader in plant-based products by 2027. The company will expand its ‘meat successors’ in the countries where it is currently present – such as France, Italy and the UK – and in new European regions, including Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and more. In addition, new technologies and innovations will be launched in new segments, filing the first patents in November 2022, with the aim of providing new foods in 2023 that are respectful of nature, rich in nutrients and that guarantee culinary excellence.
The investment round opened earlier this year with Heura raising over 4 million euros in just 12 hours, through the campagna di crowdfunding Equity for Good Rebels, which has seen more than 5,000 people from all over the world unite for a common cause. About half of the participants were between the ages of 18 and 35 and 42% were women, numbers that overturned traditional investment rules.
In terms of economic results, the company almost doubled its turnover in the first half of 2022. In the middle of the year it achieved revenues of 14.7 million euros, up from 7.6 million euros in the same period of the year. Last year. During the first half of the year, Heura also entered major retailers, including Carrefour in Italy, Ocado in the UK, Migros in Switzerland, E.Leclerc, Intermarché and Super U in France. During the year, new partnerships with major European retailers will be announced and details on the company’s triple-digit growth will be provided.