Grimmen, Germany — Prolupin, the innovative plant protein company based in Grimmen, Germany, announces a double-digit million growth financing round. Since the Made with Luve brand entered the market, the company has doubled its sales every year. With this funding, Prolupin will be able to address the mass market to grow further. The lead investor in this round is 7Life GmbH, a subsidiary of the ProSiebenSat.1 Group, one of the most successful independent media groups in Europe. Other investors in this round include PESCH, the investment vehicle of a German single family office with origins in the fast moving consumer good sector, as well as the already participating investors eCAPITAL, Munich Venture Partners and Tate & Lyle Ventures. The equity portion of this first closing will be supplemented by debt capital and subsidies to expand production capacity.
The 7Life investment brings a broad mix of media resources to Prolupin, which will be used to promote the Made with Luve brand of pure plant-based, dairy-free yogurt, milk, ice cream and cream cheese products to the European market.
Malte Stampe, CEO of Prolupin, commented, “The addition of 7Life and PESCH to our team will allow us to accelerate the growth of the Made with Luve brand. The TV support we will be able to leverage over the next few years will put the Made with Luve brand at the center of attention for consumers seeking a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.”
Reiner Küster, Chairman of the Advisory Board said, “We are pleased to welcome 7Life and PESCH and the expertise they bring. This investment from industry experts confirms Prolupin’s potential to become a major player in the plant-based food sector.”
Bernd Arkenau, Partner at eCAPITAL AG, notes, “This financing round is the next important step for the further development of Prolupin. In addition to the possibilities to further intensify marketing, production, supply chain and R&D can also be greatly expanded.”
Juergen Reichle, CEO of 7Life GmbH added, “We are excited about the potential of the Made with Luve brand to become a pioneer in the field of healthy, plant-based foods and believe our media resources will help position the family of brands in the minds of consumers.”
About Prolupin
Prolupin GmbH is a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV) in Munich with in-depth, scientific expertise and a patent-protected process to produce protein isolates from lupins. The company produces and distributes a range of pure plant-based, dairy-free alternatives to yogurts, milk, ice cream and cheese to meet the growing demand for tasty, plant-based foods for health-conscious and sustainable consumers. For more information, please contact Malte Stampe, CEO at ms@prolupin.de
About 7Life
7Life GmbH is a subsidiary of ProSiebenSat. 1 Group, which has its focus on cooperation with consumer businesses. The ProSiebenSat. 1 Group is one of the most successful free media companies in Europe, with a strong lead in the TV and digital markets. In 2017, the German media group increased its sales to over four billion euros. For more information, visit https://www.prosiebensat1.de/en/
About PESCH
PESCH is an investment vehicle of a single German family office. The origin goes back to a market-leading, German consumer brand in the FMCG sector, which is still operated by the family.
About Munich Venture Partners
Munich Venture Partners (MVP) is one of the largest German high-tech venture capital specialists based in Munich. As an independent venture fund, MVP focuses on investments in cutting-edge startup companies with transformative technologies that will fundamentally change existing value chains. The investment focus is in Europe and on a selective basis beyond. Relevant sectors included: IoT, mobility, energy, advanced materials, AI and robotics. MVP was founded in 2005 and is partly funded by the European Union and its Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP). Learn more: www.munichvp.com
About Tate & Lyle Ventures
Tate & Lyle Ventures is a venture capital fund focused on the food technology sector. This is independent of Tate & Lyle, the food ingredients company. The fund focuses investments in high-growth food science and food technology companies to help consumers stay healthy. For more information, please contact Simon Barnes, managing partner, at.
simon.barnes@tateandlyleventures.com
About eCAPITAL
eCAPITAL AG, based in Münster, is a capital management company for alternative investment funds (AIF) according to the EuVECA regulation. The company is one of the leading venture capital investors in Germany and has been actively supporting innovative entrepreneurs in promising industries since 1999. The focus is on fast-growing companies in the Software / IT, Industry 4.0, Cleantech and New Materials segments. eCAPITAL currently manages six funds with a subscription capital of over 220 million euros. Further information www.ecapital.de