Marc Coloma dropped out from high school to pursue full time activism. Now he's taken that passion and drive to co-found Heura, a 100% plant-based meat start-up, alongside fellow activist Bernat Añaños. Heura's mission is to create solutions that make the current food system obsolete and accelerate the transition to a world in which animals are out of the protein production equation. Today, Marc talks to Erik about the steep learning curve of entrepreneurship, Heura's Mediterranean culinary...

Grounded Foods Co uses a novel fermentation process to make dairy alternatives from cauliflower and hemp. Erik chats to founder, Veronica Fils, about how the business grew from a fine dining restaurant, the challenges of scaling, the role accelerator programmes played in their business growing, as well as why their TikTok content creator is a truly valued member of the team! The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by Vevolution, and supported by Heura, Moonshot Collaborative and...

Sadrah Schadel is co-founder of No Evil Foods, who make plant-based meats from simple ingredients. No Evil Foods are leaders when it comes to sustainability, having pioneered on being a plastic negative company. Erik and Sadrah chat about how she and her co-founder made the decision to start the business after homemade plant based meats were a hit with family and friends, as well as deep diving on how to put food systems at the forefront of tackling the environmental crisis.  The Plant Based...

This week Erik talks to Moayad Abushokhedim, founder of Fooditive, who are making plant-based sweeteners. Moayad takes us through his journey including one failed start up, 157 investors, as well as fundraising best practices. We speak about expanding your company globally and finding your own way. The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by Vevolution, and supported by Heura, Moonshot Collaborative and PlantBelly. Moonshot Collaborative is a consumer research firm focused exclusively...

Ofek Ron is the founder of Plantish, an Israeli start-up creating plant-based whole fish fillets in a bid to tackle the over-fishing of our oceans. Ofek is a super passionate and charismatic person, who holds community and mission-driven work close to him. He and Erik discuss the vital importance of building a great team, and how Ofek is collaborating with pioneering scientists to design a special 3D printing machine to create their product. They also cover the importance of price point in...

Unicorn Biotechnologies is developing the next generation of bio-manufacturing systems to power the cell based revolution. In this episode, we hear from the founder, Jack Reid, about why the decentralisation of plant-based manufacturing is the future, and why cell-ag meat is an important part of bringing plant based food products to mass market.  The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by Vevolution, and supported by Heura, Moonshot Collaborative and PlantBelly. Moonshot Collaborative...

Tim Samuels has spent most of his career producing documentaries for the BBC and National Geographic, including a podcast critiquing the wellness industry. He is now founder and CEO of Karmacist where, working alongside Harvard and Stanford scientists, he combines the power of nature with cutting edge science to produce botanical supplements. In today's episode, we hear Tim speak with candour about the challenges of founding a start up after years as a journalist, his cynicism about the...

Darko Mandich moved to San Francisco from Serbia to realise his vision of bee-free honey. In this mini episode, we cover why everything you think you know about the ecological crisis involving the world's greatest pollinators is wrong, as well as lots of practical takeaways on getting investment, and building a business with passion. The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by Vevolution, and supported by Heura, Moonshot Collaborative and PlantBelly. Moonshot Collaborative is a consumer...

Brad Vanstone, grew up on a regenerative English Dairy Farm. He now runs plant-based cheese company, Willicroft, from Amsterdam. In this episode, we talk through how Brad chose to pivot the business to use more sustainable ingredients, the importance of impact, and why he sells other vegan cheese brands in his store in Amsterdam. The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by Vevolution, and supported by Heura, Moonshot Collaborative and PlantBelly. Moonshot Collaborative is a consumer...

Jennifer Côté is co-founder of Opalia, a company delivering a new era of dairy by using mammary cells to make whole milk. Jennifer was a big cheese lover and wanted recreate the products she loved before she went vegan. She's now driving innovation in the cell-ag dairy space with the cutting edge tech at Opalia. Tune in to hear about her funding round, and the team she's building for the future of dairy. The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by Vevolution, and supported by Heura,...

David Benzaquen, founder of Mission:Plant, is a powerhouse in the plant based space and this week's episode reflects the variety and depth of David's experience. David has a background in activism and at the start of this episode we talk about the power of advocacy work and how to have impact,  before moving onto David's collaboration with a Certified Master Chef to create vegan tuna sushi, the subsequent growth of OceanHugger, and the future of the plant based fish market. David is also the...

This week's episode features Christie Lagally, founder of Rebellyous Foods. From a background in aerospace engineering and advocacy work, Christie saw the need for big structural change in the manufacturing of plant based meat products. She and her team at Rebellyous are now working hard on cutting edge tech to provide affordable quality at scale. There are lots of amazing take-aways in this episode, including some history of industrial animal agriculture and how to break the cost structure...

In this week's mini episode, Erik speaks to Lewis Foster, founder of vegan dating app: Grazer. Lewis was working in the film industry, when he was offered to pitch a project that didn't feel in line with his vegan ethos. This marked a turning point towards a mission-aligned career. Tune in to hear Lewis talk about his experience of finding funding through the Vevolution platform, and what it feels like to be a tech-based vegan brand on a journey to connect vegans across the world.  The Plant...

Damien talks to Dan Murray-Serter, co-founder of smart supplement, Heights. Dan was struggling with insomnia and anxiety, when a dietitian suggested a simple solution in the form of a dietary supplement. The results were life changing, prompting Dan to see the importance of taking care of our brains and create Heights. In this episode, Damien and Dan cover the importance of failure, how to work with advisors, as well as the ins and outs of the supplement market. The Plant Based Business...

This week we are joined by Elysabeth Alfano, CEO & Co-Founder of VegTech Invest. Elysabeth is long-time founder of Plant Powered Consulting and Host of The Plantbased Business Hour. Launched in 2022, VegTech Invest and advisor to the active VegTech Plant-based Innovation & Climate ETF (Ticker EATV). EATV invests in companies that are actively innovating with plants and plant-derived ingredients to create primary products that are animal-free for sustainable consumption. The Plant...

On this week's mini episode, Vevolution funding success story, we are joined by Jean Louwrens, CEO and Co-Founder of De Novo Dairy. De Novo Dairy is a South African precision fermentation startup creating the future of nutrition . De Novo Dairy produces nature identical, animal free proteins for optimum human nutrition. Jean discusses the importance of authenticity, physical health and balance, and building their unique team of co-founders. The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by...

Erik is joined by Deborah Torres, founder of Atlas Monroe, whose vegan fried chicken has won multiple awards. Deborah is a great storyteller, with a fascinating origin story to her company and some good insights from her appearance on Shark Tank. Tune in to hear Deborah talk about jumping in at the deep end, and the impressive growth of Atlas Monroe. The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by Vevolution, and supported by Heura, Moonshot Collaborative and PlantBelly. Moonshot...

In the first episode of Season 4, Erik interviews Stephanie Michelson, founder of Jellatech. Jellatech uses cells to grow, design and purify collagen and gelatin for applications in a range of markets, from medical to consumer based products. Erik talks to Stephanie Michelson about how she spotted the niche in the market, and the incredible science behind their products. The Plant Based Business Podcast is produced by Vevolution, and supported by Heura, Moonshot Collaborative and...

This week we select some highlights to round up Series 3! You'll hear Akilah Releford talking about how she is still suspended from twitter, as well as the importance of building community, Jenny Costa on the importance of fixing the food waste problem, the founders of So Vegan, Ben Pook and Roxy Pope, on how to raise capital in ways other than investment, and much more! This podcast is produced by Vevolution and edited by Bridey Addison-Child.

This week we are joined by Stephan Stegeman, one of our partners in Vevolution! He will be joining us as a co-host of the podcast doing the occasional bonus episode. This week we get to know Stephan a little better, hearing about how his passion for technology and keen eye for a niche in the market led him to found Shop Like You Give A Damn, the world's largest vegan online department store, making it easier for people to find and buy great quality ethical clothing. This podcast is produced...

This week we speak with the incredible Rebecca Mink, founder of Mink Shoes and a true vegan fashion pioneer. She was working as a celebrity fashion stylist and saw the huge gap for plant based fashion alternatives. She has dressed some of the world's biggest celebrities in her shoes. We chat about how plant based fashion is arriving in the mainstream and how Rebecca has been on an incredible 20 year journey to build her business. This podcast is produced by Vevolution and edited by Bridey...

This week I'm speaking with Rimi Thapar, co-founder of LoveRaw one of the UK's most exciting snacking companies: LoveRaw. Rimi's story is an extraordinary one rooted in a passion for creating great tasting vegan chocolate. In this episode we explore how Rimi decided to chance it all and move from Spain back to the UK to create a thriving start up which is now listed in UK retail outlets. This podcast is produced by Vevolution and edited by Bridey Addison-Child.

Today we talk to the founders of The Vurger Co, Rachel and Neil. When I think of both of these entrepreneurs, resilience is the word that comes to mind. They originally launched with a restaurant in London and they've gone on to launch several products across the UK. We cover what it was like to have a restaurant launch date in March 2020, pivoting in the pandemic, plus fundraising, working together as a couple, and the best ways to build a team. This podcast is produced by Vevolution and...

Today we speak to Mike and Sadrah, founders of No Evil Foods, the North-Carolina based start up making plant-based meats. We follow their story from Mike's music background and Sadrah's experience in activism, to taking a punt on selling some early products at a market, to now, where No Evils Foods is a force to be reckoned with. We chat teamwork, big picture thinking and what it means to have an impact. This podcast is produced by Vevolution and edited by Bridey Addison-Child.