Crowdcube Limited is an equity crowdfunding platform based in Exeter, United Kingdom, with an additional office in London. Founded in 2009, the company allows entrepreneurs of start-ups and growing businesses to raise funds from a diverse network of investors, including friends, family, and the general public. Through Crowdcube, individuals can invest in small companies in exchange for equity or an annual return, thereby democratizing access to investment opportunities that were once primarily available to corporate investors. Since pioneering equity crowdfunding in 2011, Crowdcube has facilitated over £300 million in investments from more than 390,000 investors, supporting over 520 successful fundraising campaigns. Notable businesses that have utilized the platform include Monzo, River Cottage, and the Eden Project, among others.

Founded in 2015, FJ Labs is a New York-based venture capital firm focusing on stage-agnostic investments in marketplaces and consumer-facing startups. Their investment range varies from $50,000 to $5,000,000, typically at seed or series A stages.

Founded in 1995, SOSV is a global venture capital firm headquartered in New Jersey. It focuses on seed-to-growth stage investments in deep tech innovations, primarily in bio-tech/life sciences and hardware/robotics sectors, with a commitment to human and planetary health.

Middleby specializes in designing, manufacturing, marketing, distributing, and servicing a wide range of foodservice equipment for commercial restaurants, institutional kitchens, food processing operations, and premium residential kitchens.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) leads initiatives in food, agriculture, natural resources, and rural development. It aims to expand markets for agricultural products globally, foster alternative markets domestically, improve rural infrastructure, enhance food safety, promote nutrition education, and manage public lands collaboratively.

Branded Hospitality is a New York-based platform that drives growth and transformation in the food service and hospitality industries through three integrated lines: venture investments, solutions, and media. With more than 25 years of industry experience, it connects emerging brands, cutting-edge technologies, and capital to accelerate success. Its venture investments back innovative technologies and scalable concepts reshaping hospitality, providing capital and strategic guidance to entrepreneurs and startups. In its solutions business, Branded Hospitality develops tailored programs with corporate partners to improve operational efficiency, broaden brand visibility, and open new markets, including influencer marketing, digital storytelling, and B2B partnerships. As a media company, it creates and distributes content through channels such as its award-winning podcast The Hospitality Hangout, reaching decision-makers and industry leaders to foster dialogue and share insights. The firm emphasizes practical support and strategic guidance to portfolio companies and partners to drive growth and industry-wide change.

Founded in 1936, Aramark specializes in providing comprehensive outsourcing solutions for diverse industries worldwide. The company offers food services, facility management, uniform provisioning, and related support services to clients such as healthcare institutions, educational facilities, sports venues, and businesses. With a focus on service excellence, Aramark delivers customizable, sustainable solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of its clients.

HV Capital is a Munich-based venture capital firm supporting founders in developing internet companies. Established in 2000, it has invested in over 200 companies including Zalando and Delivery Hero, with fund sizes ranging from €500,000 to €50 million.

LetsVenture is an online funding platform that enables startups to raise seed and angel capital by creating investment-ready profiles and connecting with accredited investors. The platform functions as a private marketplace where entrepreneurs can showcase products, receive business-plan reviews, and access mentors. It supports startups through the funding process with a commitment-to-closure package that handles closing terms, including term sheets and shareholders agreements, as well as due diligence. Founded in 2013 and based in Bengaluru, India, LetsVenture focuses on early-stage technology ventures and has built an expanding network of investors and mentors to facilitate capital raising.

Source Code Capital, established in 2014, is a prominent venture capital firm based in China, specializing in the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) sectors. With approximately $1.5 billion USD and RMB 3.5 billion under management, the company invests in both early-stage startups and growth-stage companies, focusing on three key areas: Internet+, AI+, and Global+. Their portfolio spans across various sectors, including media and entertainment, consumer services, enterprise, finance, retail, transportation, housing, education, and healthcare. Since its inception, Source Code Capital has successfully partnered with nearly 150 leading Chinese technology founders, such as Bytedance and Meituan. The firm offers a comprehensive range of post-investment services, mentorship, resources, and global perspectives to support its portfolio companies and their founders.

Advantage Capital Partners is a United States‑based venture capital firm that provides growth equity, debt, and mezzanine financing to small and mid‑market companies, with a focus on underserved communities and state and local economic development. The firm invests across sectors including manufacturing, technology, business services, life sciences, and energy, and also supports real estate development projects with equity and debt. It typically makes initial investments ranging roughly from half a million to ten million in companies with modest sales, and may participate in larger follow‑on rounds or co‑invest with other firms. It uses senior debt, mezzanine debt, subordinated loans, and government‑guaranteed lending, and often pursues equity positions through preferred shares or convertible notes. Advantage Capital operates nationwide in the United States, with roots in New Orleans and offices in multiple states, and has backed thousands of jobs and housing projects as part of its mission to expand inclusive economic growth.

Founded in London in 2014, Felix Capital is a venture capital firm focusing on the intersection of technology and creativity. It invests in digital lifestyle, authentic brands, platforms, and enabling software technologies across Europe and the United States. The firm supports entrepreneurs with innovative ideas, aiming to build category-leading companies.

Founded in 1991, Elior Group specializes in contract catering, concession catering, and support services. It offers a wide range of cleaning and hygiene services to various sectors worldwide, including hotels, industrial sites, shops, retail outlets, travelers, schools, universities, and railway stations. The company is committed to sustainable practices, having been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2004.

Sequoia Capital Israel is a venture capital firm that backs startups and growth companies across seed to late-stage rounds, with a focus on Israel. It invests across sectors including fintech, financial services, internet, mobile, technology, and healthcare, spanning banking, payments, advertising, ecommerce, data, security, software, and related enabling tech. Typical commitments range from 100,000 to 1 million in seed, 1 to 10 million in early venture, and 10 to 100 million in growth rounds. The firm is based in Tel Aviv and operates as part of Sequoia Capital's global network.

Cleveland Avenue is a venture capital firm based in Chicago, founded in 2015. The firm makes investments across seed, early, later, and growth stages, with a focus on food and beverage companies, lifestyle consumer brands, AgTech, and technology businesses. It provides capital and strategic support to startups seeking to scale product offerings, expand into new markets, and build operational capabilities. As an investment adviser, Cleveland Avenue combines financial backing with hands-on guidance to help portfolio companies achieve long-term growth.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Budapest, Hiventures is a venture capital firm focused on investing in innovative small and medium-sized enterprises with high growth potential across various sectors in Hungary and Central Eastern Europe.

Meituan is a Beijing-based Chinese technology platform that combines on-demand food delivery, local commerce, and social shopping. It retails and delivers Chinese food from local restaurants online and operates a social commerce website offering online group discounts for food, groceries, tickets, and other services, including entertainment and health/fitness sectors. Meituan is described as the largest food delivery platform in China, with a market share of roughly 60-70% in 2024 according to Morningstar estimates. In the third quarter of 2024, about 74% of revenue came from the core local commerce segment, encompassing on-demand food delivery, retail and in-store services such as visits to beauty and entertainment venues after purchasing deals, and hotel and travel booking, while the remaining 26% came from newer initiatives like Meituan Select and overseas food delivery. The company originated as Meituan Group in 2010, became Meituan-Dianping in 2015, and rebranded to Meituan in 2020.

Strong Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Los Angeles, California, pursuing seed-stage investments across the United States and South Korea. Beyond funding, it offers hands-on guidance, mentorship, and access to an extensive network to help entrepreneurs from Korean, Asian, and global backgrounds build and scale ventures capable of competing in global markets. The firm engages with a broad range of sectors, including software as a service, e-commerce, fintech, health tech, mobility, content, and other technology-enabled industries, emphasizing practical execution, strategic development, and ecosystem value.

Insight Partners is a global software investor that partners with growth-stage technology and software companies. The firm focuses on growth-stage software, internet, and data services, with emphasis on fintech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and machine learning, DevOps, and healthcare. Based in New York City with offices in London, Tel Aviv, and Palo Alto, Insight Partners has backed more than 750 companies worldwide and has more than 55 portfolio companies that have achieved an IPO. As of 2022, the firm reports over $75 billion in assets under management. It seeks to fund and work closely with visionary executives, providing practical, hands-on software expertise to support growth from initial investment through to IPO.

Chick-fil-A is a family-owned quick-service restaurant chain in the United States that operates and franchises a broad network of locations. Its menu centers on chicken-focused items, including sandwiches, breakfast options, salads, sides, beverages, and catering. Restaurants are located in airports, malls, college campuses, and neighborhoods. The company emphasizes freshly prepared food and community involvement, and provides benefits to its corporate staff. Founded in 1946 and headquartered in Atlanta, it has grown to more than 1,800 locations nationwide.

Founded in Bengaluru, India in 2017, Fireside Ventures is a venture capital firm focusing on early-stage digital startups operating within the consumer products and services sectors across India.

ProVeg Incubator is a global leader in supporting plant-based and cultured food startups. It offers bi-annual programs, accepting around 10-13 startups per cohort, fostering innovation in sustainable food systems.

GrubMarket, Inc. is an online marketplace that connects sellers with customers by offering a wide range of food and related products at wholesale prices. Founded in 2014 and based in San Francisco, California, GrubMarket specializes in organic, vegan, gluten-free items, fresh produce, snacks, beverages, pantry staples, home goods, health and beauty products, and items for pets and children. The company sources food from local farms, fisheries, commercial kitchens, and restaurants, emphasizing quality and sustainability. In addition to its marketplace, GrubMarket provides a Software-as-a-Service platform designed for food delivery services and also features a gaming application called GrubMarket FarmBox. As a significant player in the B2B eCommerce sector of the American food supply chain, GrubMarket leverages artificial intelligence to enhance its services and operations.

gBeta is a seven-week startup accelerator program, part of nationally ranked gener8tor. It offers free coaching and mentorship to early-stage companies with local roots, accepting up to five teams per program without charging fees or requiring equity.

Jubilant FoodWorks is a food service company that develops and operates quick-service restaurants under multiple brands, including Domino's Pizza, Dunkin' Donuts, Hong's Kitchen, Popeyes, and COFFY. It runs a large Domino's Pizza network in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh and operates Dunkin' Donuts and Hong's Kitchen outlets in India, with additional presence in Nepal, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. The company supports online ordering through a mobile app and serves as a major player in the fast-food sector in its markets. It is based in Noida, India.

Bridgepoint is a European private equity and asset management firm headquartered in London. It maintains bases across eight European markets and runs international operations from New York and Shanghai. The company concentrates on growth-oriented investments across private equity, infrastructure, and private credit, offering tailored strategies such as middle-market buyouts, small-cap growth capital, and private credit to support growth by companies in sectors including healthcare, technology, advanced industrials, and consumer services. In addition to equity investments, Bridgepoint provides loans and manages credit opportunities through syndicated debt offerings, reflecting a multi-asset approach to financing growth. The firm focuses on middle-market opportunities, partnering with management teams to drive value creation across Western Europe.

Founded in 1985, The Chefs' Warehouse is a leading distributor of specialty food products, serving high-end chefs and establishments across the United States and Canada. Its extensive portfolio includes over 55,000 items such as artisan cheeses, unique oils and vinegars, truffles, caviar, chocolate, pastry products, and center-of-the-plate proteins like custom cut beef and seafood.

Lipari Foods, LLC is a food product distributor based in Warren, Michigan, serving the United States market since its founding in 1963. The company specializes in a diverse range of categories, including bakery, dairy, deli, meat, seafood, confections, and specialty grocery items. Lipari Foods also manufactures various products such as fresh sandwiches, nut roasting items, trail mixes, gourmet popcorn, and peanut brittles. In addition to distribution, the company provides repacking, labeling, and custom manufacturing services. Its clientele includes supermarkets, convenience stores, and foodservice establishments, allowing Lipari Foods to offer a broad selection of on-trend and specialty products at competitive prices.

Seedrs is Europe's leading online platform for equity investment in startups and growth companies. It enables diverse investors to support businesses they believe in, while protecting their interests through a professional, streamlined process.

Alumni Ventures Group is a venture capital firm based in Manchester, New Hampshire, with offices across North America. It provides access to venture investing for individual accredited investors, particularly alumni networks, by offering diversified portfolios of venture opportunities and allowing members to invest alongside fellow alumni in ventures led by peers. The firm backs early-stage and later-stage opportunities across technology, consumer, healthcare, financial services, and other sectors, with a sector- and geography-agnostic approach. It typically invests between $10,000 and $3 million per deal and emphasizes the involvement of alumni connections and an institutional lead investor in opportunities. Alumni Ventures also offers focused funds to broaden participation, enabling accredited investors to access venture portfolios diversified by type, sector, stage, and geography. The model aims to democratize access to venture capital while maintaining rigorous selection standards through alumni networks.

Bright Event Rentals is an event management company that specializes in organizing various types of events, including parties, weddings, and corporate gatherings. They provide a comprehensive range of services, such as event planning, site planning, and tent rentals, along with essential equipment like tables, chairs, dinnerware, and catering supplies. The company aims to create a clean and inviting environment for clients to host their events while offering affordable pricing. An online inquiry form is accessible on their website, facilitating easy communication for potential customers seeking event management solutions.

Established in 2019, IAN Fund is a venture capital firm based in New Delhi, India. It focuses on seed and early-stage investments across various sectors such as healthcare, software, fintech, big data, artificial intelligence, hardware, and more. The fund aims to provide not only financial backing but also mentoring, strategic inputs, and access to extensive networks.

Established in 2022 and headquartered in Mumbai, India, Prath Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focusing on investments in digital consumer businesses at the seed to series A stage.

Samworth Brothers is a British food manufacturer known for brands like Ginsters and the largest producer of certified Melton Mowbray pork pies. They offer a wide range of products including sandwiches, wraps, salads, desserts, ready meals, sausages, sports nutrition products, and various savory pastries like pies, pasties, rolls, slices, and quiches. With a focus on quality and variety, Samworth Brothers provides a diverse range of food options for consumers in the UK and beyond.

MassChallenge is a global startup accelerator supporting early-stage entrepreneurs across various industries. Founded in 2009, it provides mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities through its programs worldwide.

NCI Gestion is a private equity firm based in Rouen, France, founded in 1999. It functions as a private investor that offers its expertise for investing in both public and private markets. The firm seeks to back companies across sectors including agriculture, construction, logistics, digital, hardware, e-commerce, food technology, information, and technology, providing capital along with strategic support to help business creation, development and transfer projects.

Recipe Unlimited is a prominent restaurant operator and franchisor based in Vaughan, Canada, with a diverse portfolio of brands including Swiss Chalet, Harvey's, Milestones, and East Side Mario's. The company operates a total of 997 restaurants, with 959 located in Canada and 38 internationally. Recipe Unlimited's business model encompasses various segments, including corporate and franchise restaurants, retail and catering, and central operations. The corporate segment focuses on company-owned establishments that generate revenue through direct food and beverage sales. In contrast, the franchised segment allows the company to earn royalties based on a percentage of sales from its franchised locations. Founded in 1883, Recipe Unlimited continues to be a key player in the Canadian restaurant industry.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development finances projects and provides advisory services to the public and private sectors. It supports new ventures and expansion in existing companies through project financing, loans, and equity or quasi-equity investments, including equity funds and guarantees, and it partners with private entities to invest across sectors such as banking, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure, information technology, and services. The bank also helps publicly owned entities privatize and restructure municipal services and engages in policy reform dialogue and advisory services, along with trade finance and loan syndication. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in London, it operates across regions including Southeastern and Central Europe, the Baltic States, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, Central Asia, and parts of the Middle East and Africa, aiming to foster market-oriented change and private sector development by mobilizing capital for sustainable investments. It has invested more than €130 billion in over 5,200 projects.

HelloFresh is a food subscription company that delivers personalized meal boxes containing pre-portioned ingredients to customers' doorsteps each week. The company focuses on providing quick and healthy meal solutions designed by nutritionists and chefs, allowing households to enjoy wholesome home-cooked meals without the need for planning or shopping. Operating in multiple international markets, including Europe, Japan, Australia, and North America, HelloFresh aims to revolutionize the way consumers shop for food and prepare meals by simplifying the cooking process. Its subscription model promotes convenience and addresses the desire for high-quality, ecological foods. By fundamentally changing the traditional food supply chain, HelloFresh is positioned at the forefront of the online food delivery trend.

Founded in 1985, Blackstone is a global investment firm that manages capital on behalf of pension funds and large institutions across alternative asset classes. It offers services to institutional investors, including pension plans and pooled investment vehicles, through its various subsidiaries such as Blackstone Alternative Asset Management.

Swiggy is a consumer-focused technology company offering an integrated app for food ordering, grocery shopping, restaurant reservations, and event bookings. It facilitates doorstep delivery of these items via its network of on-demand delivery partners.

Fortune Fish & Gourmet is a provider of high-quality seafood, meats, and gourmet products, catering primarily to fine restaurants, hotels, country clubs, and grocers. The company specializes in delivering both live and frozen seafood, as well as specialty foods, ensuring freshness and timely service through its warehouse facility and a dedicated fleet of refrigerated trucks. By focusing on quality and reliability, Fortune Fish & Gourmet meets the diverse needs of its clientele in the culinary industry.

Founded in 1852, Wells Fargo is a diversified financial services company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It provides banking, investment, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance products and services to individuals, businesses, and institutions worldwide.

Established in 2011 and headquartered in Madrid, Spain, Faraday Venture Partners is a private investment club that specializes in analyzing innovative startup projects requiring private financing. The company offers exclusive investment opportunities to its partners, along with active management and assessment of investments.

Bpifrance is a financial institution dedicated to supporting companies throughout their development stages, particularly those preparing for stock market listing and seeking credit equity. The organization provides a range of financial solutions, including financing, innovation assistance, and capital investment. By integrating various entities such as OSEO and CDC Entreprises, Bpifrance aims to deliver tailored financial support that addresses the specific needs of businesses. The institution is committed to fostering innovation and helping companies transition toward sustainable growth, ensuring they are well-equipped to face future challenges.

Grazia Equity is a venture capital firm based in Stuttgart, Germany, that backs technology-driven startups with high growth potential. Founded in 1998, the firm pursues a hands-on approach, often supporting companies from early stages toward milestones such as growth, IPO, or exit. It typically deploys its own capital rather than relying primarily on external funds. Its investment focus spans sustainable consumption, business-to-business digitalization and technology, health efficiency and medical breakthroughs, and cleantech and resource efficiency. The firm aims to help portfolio companies scale by leveraging its operational experience and network, guiding them through strategic development, commercialization, and technology adoption. By concentrating on sectors where digitalization and sustainability intersect, Grazia Equity seeks to foster innovative firms that address real market needs while delivering potential long-term value to investors.

Rubio Impact Ventures is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm that backs early and growth-stage companies delivering positive social and environmental impact in the Netherlands. It targets a broad range of sectors including healthcare, nutrition, education technology, energy, financial services, information technology, agriculture technology, artificial intelligence, clean tech, climate tech, food technology, software as a service, and human resources technology, with a focus on ventures that benefit vulnerable groups such as youth and the elderly and seek to improve education and employment opportunities. The firm typically makes equity investments in the range of roughly €0.5 million to €8 million.

Kiko Ventures is a venture capital firm.

Accel is a venture capital firm founded in 1983 and based in Palo Alto, California, with additional offices in San Francisco, London, and Bangalore. It focuses on early and growth-stage technology startups, investing across software, cloud, data analytics, mobile technology, consumer services, fintech, security, healthcare, and information technologies. Accel seeks to partner with entrepreneurs to build world-class companies that define new categories and drive growth. Its portfolio includes notable technology companies such as Atlassian, Dropbox, Slack, Spotify, Etsy, Cloudera, DJI, Braintree, and Lookout Security, among others.

Yummy Corp is a cloud kitchen management and online catering company based in Tangerang, Jawa Barat, founded in 2017 by brothers Marbio, Mario, and Marius Suntanu, along with Juan Chene. The company operates a network of delivery-only kitchens, providing fresh and creative food solutions for corporate and group needs. Yummy Corp offers a range of services, including food facility management, customizable corporate-branded outlets, and their signature MICE catering, aimed at enhancing customer experiences while managing costs. Their cloud kitchen service, Yummykitchen, launched in 2019, specializes in renting shared kitchen spaces and managing operations for partner brands. By supplying existing food and beverage brands with kitchen infrastructure and necessary staff, Yummy Corp facilitates the fulfillment of delivery and takeout orders, catering to sectors such as corporate, healthcare, and education.