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Tender Food
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Harvard-backed direct-to-consumer plant-based meat substitutes
Tender Food
Work Here?
Harvard-backed direct-to-consumer plant-based meat substitutes
Overview
Tender Food creates plant-based meat substitutes using scientific expertise from Harvard University to offer sustainable, tasty alternatives to animal meat. Its products are made from plant-based ingredients designed to mimic the taste and texture of meat, and are sold directly to consumers online and through select retail partners, with potential future partnerships with food service providers. Unlike many competitors, Tender Food emphasizes collaborating with Harvard-backed science to deliver high-quality meat alternatives and markets directly to environmentally conscious and health-focused buyers. The company’s goal is to reshape how people eat by providing planet-friendly meat options without compromising flavor or texture.
About Tender Food
Industries
Food & Agriculture
Biotechnology
Consumer Goods
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
Early VC
Total Funding
$29.8M
Headquarters
Somerville, Massachusetts
Founded
2020
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Raised $6.5M in 2025 to expand SpinTech into fruit snacks and pet food revenue streams.
- Scaled manufacturing cuts costs 60-80% with Rhode Island partner post-Series A.
- Clover Food Lab partnership deploys products to all US locations by 2025.
What critics are saying
- Plant-based meat sales dropped 19% in 2024 from high prices and poor taste rejection.
- Aleph Farms licenses same Harvard tech for cultivated meat, outcompeting plant-only in 12 months.
- Blended meats gain 25% preference, obsoleting 100% plant products in 18 months.
What makes Tender Food unique
- Lasso SpinTech spins plant proteins into fibers mimicking real meat texture using centrifugal force.
- Harvard Wyss Institute-licensed technology outperforms Impossible Foods in taste and cost.
- Compact machines enable scalable production across meat, snacks, and pet food categories.
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Funding
Total Funding
$29.8M
Above
Industry Average
Funded Over
4 Rounds
Benefits
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
401(k) Company Match
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Parental Leave
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Company News
Tender Food has rebranded as Lasso and raised $6.5 million to expand its fiber spinning technology, Lasso SpinTech, beyond alt-meat into new categories like fruit snacks and pet food. The funding, led by Rhapsody Venture Partners, follows a $11.5 million Series A in summer 2024. Lasso's tech, developed at Harvard, uses centrifugal force to create fibrous materials and is more cost-effective than traditional methods. CEO Mike Messersmith aims to transform Lasso into a multi-category tech platform.
Rhapsody Venture Partners invests in early stage, hard-tech innovations -- things like new materials, engineering innovations, chemistries, food tech -- helping bring them from the lab to market.
National Science Foundation 2415 Eisenhower Ave. Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
Tender Food, a food technology startup based in Somerville, MA, has closed over $11 million in Series A funding. The round was led by Rhapsody Venture Partners, with participation from existing investors Lowercarbon Capital and Safar Partners, and new investors Claridge Partners and Nor'easter Ventures.
Tender Foods Inc. raised $11 million in its initial funding round, led by Rhapsody Venture Partners, Lowercarbon Capital, Cladridge Partners, Nor’easter Ventures, and Safar Partners. The funds will be used to scale up production and commercialize plant-based meat products. CEO Christophe Chantre highlighted the need for better-tasting, affordable plant-based meats. Additionally, Tender Foods announced a partnership with Clover Food Lab to bring its products to all Clover locations in the US by 2025.
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About Tender Food
Industries
Food & Agriculture
Biotechnology
Consumer Goods
Company Size
11-50
Company Stage
Early VC
Total Funding
$29.8M
Headquarters
Somerville, Massachusetts
Founded
2020
There are no jobs for Tender Food right now.
Find jobs on Simplify and start your career today