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§ Private Profile · Singapore
Next Gen Foods is a technology company.
Next Gen Foods has raised $130.0M across 3 funding rounds.
Key people at Next Gen Foods.
Next Gen Foods has raised $130.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Next Gen Foods develops and commercializes innovative, sustainable plant-based food products. Its primary offering is TiNDLE, a plant-based chicken alternative designed to replicate the taste and texture of traditional chicken. The company utilizes a proprietary technical approach, expanding its portfolio to include categories such as sausages, milk, and gelato.
Andre Menezes and Timo Recker co-founded Next Gen Foods in 2020. Their founding insight was the growing global demand for sustainable and appealing meat alternatives that do not compromise on flavor or culinary experience. They aimed to leverage food science to address environmental concerns and evolving consumer dietary preferences effectively.
Initially popular with chefs in the food service industry, TiNDLE products are now also available for home cooks. Next Gen Foods' mission is to accelerate the shift towards a more sustainable food system by providing delicious and accessible plant-based options. The company envisions a future where plant-based foods are a primary choice globally.
Next Gen Foods is a Singapore-headquartered food tech startup founded in 2020 that develops and commercializes innovative, sustainable plant-based food products, primarily its flagship TiNDLE brand of plant-based chicken substitutes.[1][2][3][7][8] The company builds products like TiNDLE chicken, Mwah!, Chicken Wings, Breakfast Sausage, and advanced whole-muscle meats powered by its TiNDLE TrueCut™ technology platform, which emulates animal meat's flavor, texture, mouthfeel, and cooking behavior using refined plant proteins and fibers.[1][3] It serves restaurants, supermarkets, tech campuses, schools, institutions, and fine-dining establishments worldwide, solving the problem of creating delicious, nutritious plant-based alternatives that match the sensory experience of animal products to drive sustainable eating without compromising taste.[1][4][5][9] Growth has been rapid: from a 2021 launch in select Singapore restaurants to availability in thousands of eateries and supermarkets across nine countries including the US, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Hong Kong, and Middle East; it raised $130M in funding (including plant-based protein's largest seed and a record $100M Series A), opened global R&D centers, and expanded its team and product portfolio.[2][4][7]
Next Gen Foods was co-founded in 2020 by Timo Recker (Executive Chairman) and Andre Menezes (COO/CEO), both with deep backgrounds in food production, allowing them to launch amid COVID-19 without starting from scratch.[2][4][5] The idea for TiNDLE emerged from a mission to create plant-based foods so tasty that consumers wouldn't miss animal products, targeting the technical, nutritional, and experiential gaps in alternatives; they prioritized restaurants over supermarkets to win over tough culinary critics first.[4][5] Early traction came quickly: TiNDLE debuted in March 2021 at select Singapore spots like Three Buns and Michelin-starred chef Mural Manjunath's Adda, then expanded globally despite pandemic restrictions via an asset-light, remote-contract model with agrifood partners in Europe.[1][2][4] Pivotal moments included closing plant-based protein's biggest seed round, securing $100M Series A (total $130M), and opening its first global R&D center in Singapore's FTIC in 2021, with plans to double the team.[2][3][7]
Next Gen Foods rides the plant-based food tech wave, addressing global challenges like feeding a 10-billion population by 2050 through sustainable proteins amid climate crises and supply chain vulnerabilities.[3][7] Timing is ideal post-COVID, as their resilient, asset-light model thrived when others stalled, proving food tech's scalability like software firms.[2] Market forces favoring them include rising consumer demand for authentic-tasting alternatives in meat-heavy regions (e.g., US, Germany, UK), chef adoption elevating the category, and Singapore's push as a food innovation hub via facilities like FTIC.[1][3][4] They influence the ecosystem by setting benchmarks for whole-muscle tech, expanding plant-based beyond burgers to chickens/wings/seafood, and attracting massive capital ($130M record rounds), which de-risks the sector for followers while partnering with incumbents for resilience.[2][5][7]
Next for Next Gen Foods: Launch TiNDLE TrueCut™ products soon, scale satellite R&D in US/Europe, and broaden portfolio to dairy/seafood via platform tech, targeting more supermarkets and categories beyond chicken.[1][3] Trends like precision fermentation, hybrid proteins, and regulatory tailwinds for alt-meats will accelerate growth, especially as sustainability mandates intensify. Their influence could evolve from TiNDLE pioneer to multi-brand platform, redefining food tech's speed-to-scale like top SaaS plays—cementing plant-based as everyday reality if taste execution holds.[2][5] This positions them as a sustainability leader, turning "next-gen" from tech buzzword to global staple.[1][7]
Next Gen Foods has raised $130.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $100.0M TiNDLE - Series A in February 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 2022 | $100M Series A | — | Alpha JWC Ventures, Bits X Bites, EDBI, Jenny LEE, K3 Ventures, MPL Ventures, Temasek | Announced |
| Jul 1, 2021 | $20M Seed | — | Byld Ventures, The HIT Forge, Wasabi Ventures, Eric Ries, James Hong, JIM Young, Mike Tsao, Ulrich Gall, Bits X Bites, K3 Ventures, Temasek, YEO Hiap Seng, Chris YEH, Dele Alli, Jenny LEE | Announced |
| Feb 1, 2021 | $10M Seed | — | Byld Ventures, Felix Capital, Vorwerk Ventures, Dennis Aogo, Blue Horizon, Febe Ventures, K3 Ventures, NX Food, Singapore Economic Development Board, Temasek | Announced |
Next Gen Foods has raised $130.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
Next Gen Foods's investors include Alpha JWC Ventures, Bits x Bites, EDBI, Jenny Lee, K3 Ventures, MPL Ventures, Temasek, Byld Ventures, The Hit Forge, Wasabi Ventures, Eric Ries, James Hong.
Key people at Next Gen Foods.
