Grateful Greetings
Shorter newsletter this week.
Weāre grateful for YOU, dear reader - enjoy your time off.
Top Deals of the Week
![Starbucks trials precision fermentation alternative milk by Perfect Day Starbucks trials precision fermentation alternative milk by Perfect Day](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F75dd677d-fbc0-42f0-bfbc-1c5361e82c5e_1199x674.jpeg)
Impossible Foods raised $500M led by Mirae Asset Global Investments (BW)
The Story: The decade-old, Bay Area-based plant protein alternative giant finds their new investment riding on record growth, new markets, and new product lines.
Why weāre excited about it: Animal agricultureās threats to human health, our planet, and animal welfare all meet a formidable foe in alternative protein. Impossible numbers among New Culture, Mosaic Foods, and Juicy Marbles in securing funding in the last week, while more and more of your favorite restaurants are stocking plant-based meats.
Arc raised $30M led by Eclipse Ventures (TC)
The Story: The months-old, Los Angeles-based startup is making electric boats, among other watercraft, building on a seed round from Andreessen Horowitz.
Why weāre excited about it: Electric boats can democratize access to energy in coastal areas with limited infrastructure. Though the $300k price tag on current models is far from affordable, investment and growth in the āEBā space could contribute to a new paradigm in boat communitiesā freedom. Imagine these boats paired with floatovoltaics.
Other Deals This Week
Ionity, a four-year-old, Munich, Germany-based electric vehicle fast-charging charging network provider whose owners include Daimler AG and Volkswagen Group, has scored a ā¬700 million ($783 million) investment from BlackRock Global (TC)
Alternative meat producer Impossible Foods raised a $500M funding round led by Mirae Asset Global Investments (BW)
Farmers Business Network, a seven-year-old, San Carlos, Ca.-based ag-tech firm aimed at making it easier to track the carbon footprint of crops from the planting stage (it also has a direct marketing business), has raised $300 million in Series G funding led by Fidelity Investments. (WSJ)
Gradiant, an eight-year-old, Boston-based cleantech water treatment solutions company and projects developer, has raised over $100 million in Series C funding co-led by Warburg Pincus and Schlumberger New Energy. (BW)
Vegan cheese startup New Culture raised a $25 million seed round led by Ahren Innovation Capital (TC)
Mosaic Foods, a two-year-old, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based plant-based meal company that delivers food to its customers' doors, has raised $6 million in seed round led by Gather Ventures (TC)
Juicy Marbles, a 2.5-year-old, Kamnik, Slovenia-based startup that says its proprietary protein texturing tech enables it to produce plant-based whole cuts of "filet mignon," has raised $4.5 million led by tree-planting search engine Ecosiaās new World Fund (TC)
Streetlogic, a year-old, San Francisco-based startup that has developed a computer vision-based e-bike collision warning system, just raised $2.1 million in pre-seed funding from LDV Capital (TC)
One Actionable Item
Compost!
Got more TG leftovers than you can stuff yourself with? Remember to compost them. Food sent to landfills doesnāt decompose properly, creating methane emissions instead of nutritious soil.
Green Theory
Thanksgreening
Wishing you a happy and safe holiday, with three Green Theory appetizers, based in-part on Katharine Hayhoeās Saving Us.Ā
Center native people and honor their histories. Erasure of indigenous peoples relates both with the dominant narrative around Thanksgiving, and forces exacerbating the climate crisis. Wherever you are, itās always a good time to learn about local history, acknowledge the landās people, and look for organizations that support indigenous sovereignty and restorative relationships with nature.Ā
Keep it relatable. The diverse impacts of climate change threaten many distinct parts of our ways of life today. If your holiday dinner table invites climate deniers, you may be better off avoiding the subject. Debating for scientific fact will often leave identities feeling threatened.Ā Instead, learn what issues are important to those around you, and let those discoveries guide your conversation. Itās likely climate connects to what they value.Ā
Practice gratitude. Giving thanks stages a revolt against greed-accelerated climate change. Rejecting the consumerist, anxious drive for more, we instead appreciate what is already around us.Ā Gratitude must be deliberately cultivated, and it requires effort to divorce the joy of thankfulness from dread about what may come.Ā Thatās important when we reflect on our relationship with nature in 2021--we can take stock and appreciate the biodiversity we enjoy today, even when many species will go extinct in the coming years.Ā Lastly, consider whether or how participation in Black Friday aligns with your practice of gratitude and values around sustainable stewardship of the planet.