Clean Label

The Rise of Clean Labels: What’s in Your Protein Shake?

Consumer interest in health and wellness has surged in recent years, driven by unprecedented access to personal health data and its growing prominence in mainstream culture. From wearable devices and health-tracking apps to smart scales, people now have powerful tools to understand their bodies. This health consciousness permeates popular culture, with TikTok 'Fitfluencers' showcasing their fitness journeys, The Huberman Podcast providing accessible biohacking insights, and figures like Bryan Johnson trying not to die.

This heightened health awareness has fundamentally changed how consumers approach food choices. The British Medical Journal reveals a startling statistic: over 60% of US calories and 57% of UK calories come from ultra-processed sources. Consumers are increasingly gravitating toward clean label products – those with transparent, natural, and easy-to-understand ingredients, with 76% of U.S. consumers now more likely to purchase products featuring recognizable ingredients.

Governments worldwide are taking notice. The EU is considering stricter regulations on marketing processed foods to children, while the UK and Australia have implemented sugar taxes. In the US, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's nominee for Health Secretary, recently went on a tirade against Kellogg's Froot Loops for using different ingredients in different markets – the US version contains synthetic dyes (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1), while the Canadian product uses natural alternatives like carrots and blueberries.

Clean-label brands are capitalizing on this shift in consumer preferences. Take Brinc portfolio company Grounded, for example, with its motto, ‘Nothing Fake in Our Shake.’ Their protein shakes contain just 8 to 9 natural ingredients and are free from artificial additives, gluten, and dairy. Their commitment to transparency and quality has driven impressive growth, with products now available in over 1,600 locations, becoming the #1 protein drink in Whole Foods UK and recently expanding to 180 Whole Foods stores in the US.

The rise of clean labels represents more than just a trend – it's a fundamental shift in consumer consciousness toward health, transparency, and corporate accountability. For brands and investors, the path forward is clear: embrace authenticity, prioritize quality, and meet the growing demand for simplicity. You no longer have to engorge yourself with inulin, cellulose gel, carrageenan, sucralose and acesulfame potassium to meet your protein goals.

UpRounds are companies in our portfolio that are raising new funding rounds at higher valuations. Our goal is to simply connect interested parties to these great companies. Simple as that.

Journey Foods
Vertical: AI, Food, Supply Chain
Description: An AI-powered food product and supply chain management platform that provides data from 130,000 manufacturers helping companies stay on top of ingredients, macroeconomic impacts and regulatory changes.
Round Details: With $3.8M in lifetime revenue and 650+ brands on their platform, Journey Foods are now raising a $2M seed round to fuel their growth.
Pitch Deck

Zoth
Vertical: Web-3, DeFi
Description: Zoth is a real world assets (RWA) ecosystem that connects institutional-grade fixed income opportunities bridging the gap between traditional finance and on-chain finance.
Round Details: Zoth is raising a $7M round. Previous investors include Ripple, Blockchain Founders Fund, Borderless, Taisu, Mindfulness, SOSV and more.
Pitch Deck

Vycarb 
Vertical: Climate Tech, Carbon Removal
Description: Vycarb is developing permanent, low-cost, and fully-measured carbon capture, removal, and storage solutions using water and minerals.
Round Details: Vycarb is raising a $3.5M seed round to complete their pilot with Rio Tinto and help them get to 1,000 tons per year of CO2 removal.
Pitch Deck

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Angel Academy #2

What is an Accredited Investor?

In the world of venture capital the term "accredited investor" often comes up, but what exactly does it actually mean?

According to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), an accredited investor is someone who meets certain financial criteria or professional standards, granting them access to invest in private markets like venture capital, that aren’t available to the general public. There are three ways to qualify as an accredited investor:

1. Have an individual income of at least $200,000 ($300,000 if combined with a spouse) for the past two years with a reasonable expectation of maintaining that level.

2. Possess a net worth of over $1 million (excluding the value of your primary residence).

3. Hold specific professional certifications such as passing certain FINRA exams like the Series 7, 65, or 82.

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The accredited investor rules date back to the 1930s and were designed to protect less experienced and less financially secure individuals from risky, complex, or fraudulent investments.

By restricting access to certain investment opportunities, the SEC aimed to limit potential harm to those who might not fully understand the risks involved. The thinking was that wealthier or professionally qualified individuals were better equipped to absorb losses or make informed decisions.

The future of accreditation laws is ripe for change. There's growing interest in creating a stand-alone exam that anyone, regardless of income or net worth, could take to demonstrate their investing acumen.

This would democratize access to private investments and allow more individuals to participate in early-stage opportunities based on knowledge, not just on wealth. For aspiring angel investors, this could open new doors to diversify portfolios and support groundbreaking ventures.

This is more important than ever given companies tend to stay private for longer and more of the returns are captured by private market investors than public market investors, leaving many non-accredited investors on the sidelines of wealth creation.

Thanks for reading!