Rival Foods, a Dutch scale-up and StartLife alumnus dedicated to bringing true culinary plant-based alternatives to traditional products such as meat and fish, without compromising on taste and experience, has secured €10 million in Series B growth financing.
The round was led by pension investor APG, on behalf of ABP, with participation from PYMWYMIC and ROM Utrecht Region, and follow-on investment from existing shareholder PeakBridge. The investment follows a year after the scaleup presented as one of world’s Next Heroes in Food & Agtech at our F&A Next summit, where the investors saw the pitch by Rival Food’s
Leading the Future for Beef Alternatives
Founded in 2019 as a spin-off from Wageningen University & Research, Rival Foods has developed a proprietary platform that produces whole-cut meat alternatives—products that closely mimic the structure, flavor and mouthfeel of animal-derived meat cuts, while being fully plant-based, clean label and minimally processed. Free from artificial additives, these products are designed to meet the highest culinary standards in the industry. They are developed specifically for foodservice, retail, and brands that want to push the boundaries of plant-based innovation.
Expanding Production and Optimizing Costs
The new capital will boost Rival Foods’ ambitions, doubling production capacity at its facility in Geldrop and further scale its proprietary manufacturing technology. This move will also allow them to optimize production costs, achieving competitive price with animal meat while preserving exceptional taste, texture, and nutritional value.
Dr. Birgit Dekkers, CEO and co-founder, shares, “This investment marks a major milestone in our mission to make high-quality plant-based meat mainstream. With the backing of world-class investors, we’re ready to scale fast and reshape the future of protein.”
“We’re called Rival for a reason —we’re here to be one.”
International Growth Through B2B Approach
Adopting a B2B-first strategy, Rival Foods collaborates with chefs, retailers, and food brands across Europe to deliver next-generation plant-based dishes. The Series B funding will empower team expansion, international growth, and new partnerships with major foodservice and retail players, amplifying their global reach.
“Rival Foods have built something special: a scalable process to turn standard plant proteins into exciting fibrous, meat-like structures. Rival Foods’ products offer a satisfying bite with high protein content and a clean label. With this investment, our client ABP seeks to achieve strong financial returns while simultaneously reducing the environmental footprint of food consumption. We are proud to support Birgit and her excellent team as they continue to add manufacturing capacity and expand market presence.” Lodewijk Meens, senior portfolio manager at APG.
“Rival Foods has cracked the code on clean-label, plant-based proteins that truly deliver the taste and texture of meat. With products already matching animal protein on cost, they’re set to accelerate the shift toward a more sustainable, plant-powered future.” Rogier Pieterse, Managing Director at PYMWYMIC – one of StartLife’s Investor Partners.
“Rival Foods’ production technology is a game-changer. Its products are best-in-class while production process allows price parity with animal protein. We are therefore confident for Rival Foods to provide a strong boost to the further adoption of plant-based meat globally.” Juri van Dolderen, Senior Investment Manager at ROM Utrecht Region.
“Real success in the alternative protein space demands three tough things to achieve: great taste, texture, and competitive prices. We’re proud to see Rival Foods achieving all three – and thrilled to expand on our investment and help the next crucial phase: international growth and scaling production capacity even further.” Martina Pace, Partner & COO of PeakBridge, also Investor partner of StartLife.
StartLife’s early support
We clearly remember the day Dr. Birgit Dekkers first walked into our office, carrying nothing but a bold idea and a deep passion for transforming the food system. Back then, Rival Foods was just a vision, but one with enormous potential. Birgit soon became part of our very first StartLife Accelerate cohort, marking the beginning of a journey that would shape not only her startup but also the future of plant-based innovation.
From those early brainstorming sessions and pitch practices to validating their technology and connecting with industry experts, we had the privilege of walking alongside Rival Foods during their foundational phase. Even then, it was clear that Birgit and her team were driven by a powerful mission and an unwavering commitment to quality and innovation.
Over the past seven years, we’ve watched Rival Foods evolve from an early-stage concept into a pioneering food tech company making waves in the plant-based space. It’s been a journey of growth, resilience, purpose, and we couldn’t be prouder to have been part of their story from the very beginning.
