Singapore plant-based meat startup raises over $700k in seed round

Shandi, a Singapore-based foodtech startup, has raised more than US$700,000 in its second seed round led by packaged-food company Tolaram.

The round also saw participation from foodtech-focused accelerator SparkLabs Cultiv8 and angel investor Simmarpal Singh.

Shandi says it will use the fresh funds to set up a manufacturing facility in Singapore to commercialize and scale its plant-based chicken products.

Photo credit: Shandi

Founded in 2019, Shandi manufactures meat substitutes using natural ingredients such as pea protein, chickpeas, quinoa, flax seeds, brown rice, and coconut oil.

The company said it has a patent-pending production process that involves isolating specific amino acids from plants to emulate the kinds of amino acids found in chicken.

“With its strong logistics and supply chain, forward-looking regulatory framework, and supportive government initiatives, Singapore is well positioned to host our first commercial plant and we’re delighted to be setting up here,” Shandi CEO and founder Reena Sharma said in a statement.