IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
-Longève Brands raises a $5M seed round led by Wavemaker Partners and Springboard Ventures, with participation from RezVen Partners and Alumni Ventures Group
-Longève Brands is the first to create shelf-stable, pea protein-based products for people who love to cook
-With a strong track-record accelerating startups, Cie’s go-to-market strategy and rapid scaling of Longève Brands are central to its success
Cie, a California-based venture studio, announced today that their co-founded startup Longève Brands has raised $5M in seed funding. Longève Brands has pioneered the first shelf-stable, plant-based protein products created for the rapidly growing flexitarian market. The capital will be used to accelerate Longève Brands’ growth from its current direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, expanding into retail and food service channels and to bring to market several new products during 2021.
“Now more than ever people are looking for healthy options to add plant-based meals into their diets without sacrificing their food choices,” co-founder and CEO of Longève Brands, Doug Kantner said. “Longève Brands creates clean label, high protein, plant-based products that allow people to cook the food they want and enjoy.” Unlike other products in the meat substitute space, Longève Brands is minimally processed, does not require preservatives and adapts to diverse cooking styles and appetites.
Since launching Longève Brands in 2020, Cie has put their proven startup experience in retail, e-commerce and product innovation to work. “Longève Brands’ DTC launch was designed to develop consumer relationships and extract insights to hyper-scale in the right areas, something the traditional CPG go-to-market model doesn’t allow for,” Cie CEO Anderee Berengian notes. Berengian will serve on Longève Brands’ board along with CEO Doug Kantner and Cie’s Executive-in-Residence Jim Davis, who brings extensive consumer product experience including Vitaminwater, Gatorade and Pepsi.
“We see Longève Brands as perfectly positioned to fill the expanding demand for a flexible protein substitute,” explains Eric Manlunas Founder and Managing Partner of Wavemaker Partners. “Longève Brands’ team combined with Cie’s experience in building and scaling businesses will supercharge growth, allowing them to reach the millions of people looking to improve their diets and their lifestyles.”
About Cie
Cie is a venture studio that serves as an innovation lab and accelerator for bold entrepreneurs who want to transform disruptive ideas into thriving ventures.
Cie blends Silicon Valley DNA with the business maturity of serial entrepreneurs, seasoned venture capitalists, and Fortune 500 executives. Combined with the team’s strategic and operational expertise in technology, product development, brand building, and customer acquisition, Cie consistently drives positive outcomes across a wide range of business challenges.
Cie's venture portfolio includes Cie Games (acquired by Glu Mobile), Nativo, ASAP Tire (acquired by Tire Rack), Titan School Solutions (acquired by LINQ), Performa Labs, and a growing list of emerging start-ups. Cie’s leadership team has served key roles at transformational companies such as Amazon, eBay, Yahoo!, Overture, Pepsi, Nestlé and Internet Brands.
Visit www.ciedigital.com to learn more.
About Longève Brands
Longève Brands is a line of shelf-stable, pea protein products for those who like to cook. Developed by industry veteran Douglas Kantner as a healthy and sustainable meat substitute, Longève Brands includes 20 grams of protein per serving and uses minimal processing, is non-GMO certified, allergen free and soy free. Longève Brands’ clean label, pantry proteins are simple for anyone to use across a wide range of recipes.
Available for purchase at www.longevebrands.com and select retailers.
About Wavemaker Partners
Wavemaker is a cross border venture capital firm founded in 2003. The firm is dual headquartered in Los Angeles and Singapore and has raised over $410M across multiple funds. Wavemaker is one of the most active early stage investors in Southern California and Southeast Asia and has invested in over 350 companies the last 17 years. Wavemaker is the Southern California and Southeast Asia affiliate of the Draper Venture Network. For more information, visit wavemaker.vc.
Contact Information
Cie, news@ciedigital.com
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