How to Find Investors for a Food and Beverage Startup: Stage Mix, States and Fund Sizes
To find investors for a food and beverage startup, start from our list of 179 food and beverage investors and narrow it by stage, place and fund size. Seed is the stage they name most (106 of the 155 with a stage on file), ahead of growth. About half are in the US, where California leads with 24. The median fund on file from SEC Form D is $50M, level with the $50M for every investor we hold with such a figure.
Among the 37 sectors we can compare, food and beverage has the highest share of investors that name growth stage: 43%, against 28% across the database. Among the 37 sectors we can compare, food and beverage has the lowest share of investors that name pre-seed: 28%, against 39% across the database. Among the 36 sectors we can compare, food and beverage has the second lowest share of US investors with a Form D filing in the last 12 months: 27%, against 38% of all US investors we hold. By type, the 179 are 134 VC firms, 10 fund managers, 9 government or university funds, 7 corporate venture arms, 6 accelerators, 6 angel networks and 6 single family offices, with 1 of other types. The tags these investors most often carry beside food and beverage are healthtech and digital health (110), consumer (84) and climate tech (82).
What do food and beverage investors look for?
A food or drink company is read as a product that must be made safely, shipped fresh and bought again. Investors ask how it is produced, how long it lasts on the shelf and how quickly it sells where it is stocked.
- Who makes it, and under which food safety standard? Production and certification decide which retailers and food service buyers can list you.
- How fast does it sell in your strongest account? Units per store per week, or covers per site for a restaurant concept, is a measure buyers often use.
- What is the margin after ingredients, packaging and freight? Ingredient prices move, so say how you would hold the margin if they rise.
Which stage do food and beverage investors back?
Among the 155 of the 179 with a stage on file (a firm can state several), seed comes first with 106 (68%), then growth (67), Series A (65), pre-seed (44) and Series B (25). Set against every investor we hold, the group leans toward growth (43% here, 28% overall) and away from pre-seed (28% here, 39% overall). Series B is the thinnest stage on the list, named by 25.
| Stage (our research) | Food and beverage investors | Share of the 155 with a stage on file | Share of all 179 on the list | Same share, all investors with a stage | Difference in points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-seed food and beverage investors | 44 | 28% | 25% | 39% | -11 |
| Seed food and beverage investors | 106 | 68% | 59% | 75% | -7 |
| Series A food and beverage investors | 65 | 42% | 36% | 34% | +8 |
| Series B food and beverage investors | 25 | 16% | 14% | 14% | +2 |
| Growth-stage food and beverage investors | 67 | 43% | 37% | 28% | +15 |
Where are food and beverage investors based?
About half of the list is American: 93 of the 179 are in the US, 19 in the UK and 67 in the rest of Europe. Among the 91 US investors with a state on file, California holds about a quarter (24), less than its 36% share of all US investors we hold. New York follows with 13, then Florida (8) and Massachusetts (7). Florida stands out: it holds 9% of this group and 6% of all US investors.
| State | Food and beverage investors | Share of the 91 with a state on file | Share of all US investors | Difference in points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 24 | 26% | 36% | -10 |
| New York | 13 | 14% | 15% | -1 |
| Florida | 8 | 9% | 6% | +3 |
| Massachusetts | 7 | 8% | 6% | +2 |
| Texas | 6 | 7% | 6% | +1 |
| Illinois | 5 | 5% | 3% | +2 |
| District of Columbia | 3 | 3% | 1% | +2 |
By city, counting the head offices of every type of investor, the largest groups are New York (10), Boston (4), Austin (3) and Washington (3).
| City | State | Food and beverage investors | Share of the 93 in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | NY | 10 | 11% |
| Boston | MA | 4 | 4% |
| Austin | TX | 3 | 3% |
| Washington | DC | 3 | 3% |
| Los Angeles | CA | 3 | 3% |
| San Francisco | CA | 3 | 3% |
The same investors as lists by region: Food and beverage venture capital firms in the US (91), Food and beverage investors in the UK (19), Food and beverage investors in Europe (67).
How big are food and beverage funds?
Across the 61 of the 179 food and beverage investors with a fund size from SEC Form D on file, the median is $50M, level with the $50M for every investor we hold with such a figure. About two fifths of these funds are under $25M and 30% are $100M or more. The figure is the fund as filed, not a check size, and a firm's main fund on our record, which is not always its newest; for 21 of the 61 the offering amount is indefinite, so it is the amount sold so far.
| Fund size on file (SEC Form D) | Food and beverage investors | Share | Share, all investors with a figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $10M | 12 | 20% | 15% |
| $10M to $25M | 13 | 21% | 18% |
| $25M to $50M | 5 | 8% | 15% |
| $50M to $100M | 13 | 21% | 19% |
| $100M to $250M | 10 | 16% | 19% |
| $250M to $1B | 8 | 13% | 12% |
| $1B and over | 0 | 0% | 1% |
Which food and beverage investors can you look at first?
Separate funds that back food brands from funds that back food technology, such as ingredients, farm inputs and equipment. The two ask different questions. A brand should also look at consumer funds, and a technology company at climate and deep tech funds.
The 9 firms below are among the free rows of our list of food and beverage venture capital firms in the US (91): each names the sector in its own description, and they stand in that list's order, by our activity score, which is no measure of quality.
Savory Fund
HQ: Lehi, Utah · Type: VC firm · Latest activity: New fund, Oct 2026 (our research) · Fund size on file: $250M (SEC Form D, 2023)
Savory Fund is an operator-led investor that backs and scales restaurant brands, providing capital plus real estate, recruiting, marketing and operational support. Based in Lehi, UT.
Wave Equity Partners
HQ: Boston, Massachusetts · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Growth · Latest activity: Form D filing, Sep 2026 · Fund size on file: $250M (SEC Form D, 2023)
Boston firm taking concentrated positions in sustainable industry companies across areas such as food, energy, water and waste management.
Serra Capital
HQ: Champaign, Illinois · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed · Latest activity: Form D filing, Oct 2026 · Fund size on file: $150M (SEC Form D, 2024)
Venture firm with several funds, including dedicated ag tech and ag and food tech funds.
Barrel Ventures
HQ: Evanston, Illinois · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed · Latest activity: Form D filing, May 2026 · Fund size on file: $30M (SEC Form D, 2026)
Midwest seed fund investing in food, beverage, ingredient technology, supply chain and vertical AI companies tied to the food system. Based in Evanston, IL.
Top Shelf Ventures
HQ: Longwood, Florida · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed · Latest activity: New deal, Jun 2026 (our research) · Fund size on file: $11M (SEC Form D, 2022)
Longwood, FL investor that funds and accelerates alcohol, beverage and other vice industry brands, run by two industry operators.
Aliment Capital
HQ: Los Angeles, California · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Growth · Latest activity: Portfolio news, Mar 2026 (our research) · Private fund assets: $413M (SEC Form ADV)
Aliment Capital is a sector-focused growth equity firm investing in growth-stage companies at the intersection of food and healthcare, including nutrition, food systems and supply chains. Based in Los Angeles, CA.
Bread & Butter Ventures
HQ: Minneapolis, Minnesota · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed · Latest activity: New deal, Dec 2025 (our research) · Fund size on file: $60M (SEC Form D, 2023)
Seed-stage venture firm investing globally, with particular focus on food tech, health tech and enterprise tech. Based in Minneapolis, MN.
TitletownTech
HQ: Green Bay, Wisconsin · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed, Series A · Latest activity: New deal, Oct 2025 (our research) · Fund size on file: $80M (SEC Form D, 2022)
Innovation and investment firm anchored by the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft, backing early-stage founders in digital health, manufacturing, supply chain, food and energy. Based in Green Bay, WI.
SVG Ventures
HQ: Los Gatso, California · Type: VC firm · Stages (our research): Seed, Series A · Latest activity: New deal, Nov 2025 (our research)
Los Gatos, CA venture firm investing in deep tech startups in food, agriculture, climate, energy, water and industrial life sciences, with a THRIVE innovation platform.
Which US food and beverage investors filed with the SEC most recently?
25 of the 93 US food and beverage investors (27%) have a Form D filing dated in the 12 months to 6 Nov 2026, a first notice or the yearly amendment of an older fund, below the 38% for all US investors we hold. Our file of new fund notices for the 8 weeks to 6 Nov 2026 holds 9 from 4 of these investors, among them Branch Venture Partners, House Capital and Serra Capital.
| Investor | Location | Stages (our research) | Latest Form D filing | Amount on that filing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| House Capital | Englewood, New Jersey | Not stated | 21 Oct 2026 | Not stated |
| Serra Capital | Champaign, Illinois | Seed | 7 Oct 2026 | $25M |
| Wave Equity Partners | Boston, Massachusetts | Growth | 30 Sep 2026 | $100M |
| Greycroft | New York, New York | Series A, Series B, Growth | 30 Jun 2026 | Not stated |
| Gold House | Walnut, California | Not stated | 23 Jun 2026 | $13M |
| Humble Growth | New York, New York | Not stated | 23 Jun 2026 | Not stated |
| Springdale Ventures | Austin, Texas | Seed, Series A | 8 Jun 2026 | $75M |
| Barrel Ventures | Evanston, Illinois | Seed | 15 May 2026 | $30M |
What should a food and beverage founder have ready before the first email?
A food or drink brand is asked how it is made and how fast it sells, so answer both up front.
- Who makes the product (your own kitchen or a co-packer), the food safety certification you hold and the shelf life.
- Units sold per store per week in your best account, or covers per site for a restaurant brand.
- Gross margin after ingredients, packaging, freight and trade spend.
Words food and beverage investors use
- Shelf life
- How long the product stays safe and good to eat, which sets how far it can ship.
- Food service
- Sales to restaurants, caterers and cafeterias instead of to stores.
- Cold chain
- Refrigerated storage and transport from the plant to the shelf.
- Private label
- Products a manufacturer makes for a retailer to sell under the retailer's own name.
A common slip. Describing taste and brand at length. Samples make that case better than words, so use the email for production and sales figures.
How do you reach food and beverage investors?
91% of the list has a named decision-maker on file (163 of 179, 753 names in all), above the 84% across the whole database. About half have a firm email address (90), and 70 publish how they want to be pitched, such as a form or an application page.
Use a pitch route where a firm publishes one, and otherwise write to one named person at a time, starting from the free outreach email templates; the full list is Food and beverage investors, all 179 investors, one per row, the first 25 free to read, and the matching tool opens with food and beverage already picked.
One-time payment. No subscription. No account.
Or get the free sample file (100 investors) first.
Method and limits
- Source
- SEC Form D for filing dates and fund sizes; our own research (each firm's website, UK and EU registers) for stage, the sector tag and dated deals.
- Counts
- The 179 rows of the list this page links to, as of November 2026, set against all 4,178 investors we hold (3,019 in the US); a gap under 3 points is treated as none, and a rank compares the sectors that have a list on this site and at least 30 rows for the measure (10 for a median fund size).
- Limits
- 1,302 US firms have no sector on file, so the true number of food and beverage investors is higher; 155 of the 179 here have a stage on file and 61 a fund size from SEC Form D; what investors look for, which ones to keep, the words they use and what to have ready are our advice for this sector, not data about any one investor.
Questions
How do I find investors for a food and beverage startup?
Start from the list of 179 food and beverage investors, then filter by stage (106 of the 155 with a stage on file name seed), by place (26% of the US ones with a state on file are in California) and by fund size (the median fund on file is $50M).
What do food and beverage investors ask founders?
Who makes it, and under which food safety standard? How fast does it sell in your strongest account? What is the margin after ingredients, packaging and freight?
How big are food and beverage funds?
The median fund on file is $50M across the 61 food and beverage investors with a figure from SEC Form D, level with the $50M for every investor we hold with such a figure.
Can I contact food and beverage investors directly?
163 of the 179 have a named decision-maker on file and 90 a firm email address; 70 publish a pitch route, and where one exists it is the way in they ask for.
Guides for other sectors
How to find consumer products and CPG investorsHow to find consumer investorsHow to find ecommerce investorsHow to find edtech investorsHow to find proptech and real estate tech investorsHow to find climate tech investorsHow to find deep tech investorsHow to find hardware investorsHow to find impact investorsHow to find SaaS and B2B software investorsHow to find fintech investorsHow to find AI investorsHow to find healthtech and digital health investorsHow to find cybersecurity investorsHow to find gaming investors
Related
Food and beverage investors (179)Food and beverage venture capital firms in the US (91)Food and beverage investors in the UK (19)Food and beverage investors in Europe (67)Seed food and beverage investors (106)Growth-stage food and beverage investors (67)Food and beverage investors in California (24)Match food and beverage investors to your roundHow to build an investor listInvestor outreach email templatesHow many investors to pitchInvestor databases comparedWhat is in the investor database
Cite this page
Muhammad Tayyab Shabbir, "How to Find Investors for a Food and Beverage Startup: Stage Mix, States and Fund Sizes", The Investor Database, 10 Nov 2026. https://theinvestordatabase.com/guides/how-to-find-investors-for-a-food-and-beverage-startup/