The Green Generation Fund (GGF), launched by founders Manon Littek and Janna Ensthaler, has raised 100 million euros for investments in innovative startups in the foodtech and greentech sectors. The European Investment Fund (EIF) is contributing 25 million euros, backed by an EU budget guarantee under the new InvestEU program. KfW Capital is participating with 10 million euros. EU Economics Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni pointed out that further investment in the ecological transition is necessary:
“It is good that the new InvestEU program is supporting this investment by the EIF in startups that specialize in green technologies. This way they get the capital they need to invest in innovation, expansion, and jobs. And there will certainly be many more innovators to come.”
The GGF invests exclusively in sustainable startups that achieve significant progress in CO2 avoidance, circular economy, climate and resource protection, health promotion, and biodiversity. Additionally, the fund aims to boost the foodtech and greentech sectors in Germany, Europe, and the USA and reduce CO2 emissions in the agricultural and food sectors. For example, it supports innovative technologies for extracting plant proteins, fermentation, and cell cultivation. Other fund topics include preventing preservatives in the food industry as well as more sustainable packaging, supply chains, carbon capture solutions, and greentech software.
Solutions for the major challenges
Before founding the GGF, Manon Littek served as CEO at Katjesgreenfood for five years and is a member of the board of Upfield, the world’s largest producer of plant-based foods. Janna Ensthaler is a serial entrepreneur in the food, cosmetics, and technology sectors in Europe and the USA. In addition to the cosmetics box retailer Glossybox and the restaurant chain Kaiserwetter, she founded Event Inc.
Manon Littek, co-founder of the Green Generation Fund, says:
“The Green Generation Fund is now investing in the third wave of the plant-based food revolution. This is about clean, functional, healthy plant proteins made through fermentation, cell cultivation, and with new ingredients like mushroom roots. Many startup founders are themselves vegan, live sustainably, and are not driven by short-term profits. They appreciate funds like the Green Generation Fund that share these new ideas with them and help them change the world.”
And Janna Ensthaler, co-founder of the Green Generation Fund, adds:
“We are betting on startups that develop solutions to the major problems of our time. Increasingly, governments are recognizing their responsibility and enacting stricter regulations and massive subsidies. Generation Z and millennials reject industrial animal farming and do not want a lifestyle that pushes our blue planet to its limits. They are passionate about the plant-based food revolution and want less CO2 and more sustainability. And that is exactly what we invest in.”
