ProVeg International’s ProVeg Incubator programme has selected 15 food-tech start-ups to join its Autumn cohort, representing 11 countries across four continents.

Over the coming weeks, the start-ups will take part in a programme designed to equip founders with the clarity and market resilience needed to navigate the alternative protein industry’s dynamic ecosystem.

They will benefit from access to deep-sector expertise, 1-on-1 mentorship, financial models and pitch decks, and corporate and investor networking opportunities. It aims to help these ventures navigate current market challenges, achieve commercial validation and scale their solutions for the mass market.

Plant-based start-ups selected for the programme include:

• Noiet (Italy) – focused on upcycling oat and rice byproducts into multifunctional, clean-label fermented protein ingredients, suitable for use in bakery, gluten-free, and meat and dairy alternative applications. Its oat ingredient contains 40% protein and 25% fibre, while its rice solution contains 68% protein

• OMN9 (India) – manufacturer of clean-label plant protein isolates from indigenous, climate-resilient crops using a proprietary green extraction process. Its flagship mung bean isolate achieves 80% purity with strong foaming and emulsification properties, suitable for beverages, bakery, and meat, dairy and egg alternatives

• The Fat Company (Israel) – producer of plant-derived fat particles designed to replicate the flavour, texture and functionality of animal fat while containing zero cholesterol or trans fats, and being more cost-effective. Its particles can be tailored across various alt-protein applications and integrated into existing production lines

• Protein Plus (Singapore) – develops patented, zero-waste and clean-label ingredients extracted from 100% mature coconut fruit, including plant-based coconut powders, virgin coconut oils and stable raw coconut creams. Designed for use across Asia-Pacific’s dairy-free beverage and culinary sectors

• Deligene (Israel) – creator of next-generation soybean varieties designed specifically for modern food applications such as alt-meat and alt-dairy, using transgene-free genome editing. Its solutions can offer functionalities such as emulsification and foaming, high gelation, improved texture and water rerention, and higher methionine content for better protein quality.

• Wauw! (Norway) – produces frozen plant-based convenience foods including falafel, bites, burgers, mince, nuggets and schnitzels, combining clean-label recipes with a focus on taste and texture. The company develops its recipes with Danish culinary expertise from the Michelin-starred restaurant scene, operating with a taste-first approach

• Meat the Next (Hong Kong) – the food-tech venture behind Tiga Milk, marketed as the ‘world’s first’ full amino acid combo-formulation plant milk crafted from tiger nuts, non-GMO soybeans and oats. The drink is driven by patented enzymatic hydrolysis technology, which naturally releases sweetness from starch without added sugar, eliminating raw bean aftertaste while delivering microfoam that will not clog commercial coffee machines

• Arummi (Indonesia) – the country’s first locally produced cashew milk brand and its third dairy alternative brand in national supermarkets, with its flagship barista milk made from local, rain-fed cashews and designed to deliver stable microfoam under steam. Its locally sourced model aims to offer a path toward price parity with dairy and reach consumers priced out of imported alternatives

• Hempisphere (Sweden) – uses a proprietary, patent-pending, solvent-free extraction process to produce neutral-tasting hemp protein and unlock 100% of the hemp seed with zero waste. Its process enables five products including protein flour, cold-pressed oil, dehulled seeds, crushed hearts and natural hemp hulls, serving food and nutrition, bakery, cosmetics and pet food applications

Several start-ups across the advanced fermentation, cell-based food and pet food industries were also selected to participate in the programme. These include yeast fermentation specialist Matria Biotechnology (Turkey), precision-fermented fats start-up Abydos Bioscience (Argentina), fermented functional ingredient producer Anomaly Bio (Singapore), AI and precision fermentation specialist Mähmi Bio (US), cell-cultured seafood start-up Finless Foods (US), and plant-based pet food producer Dylan’s Petfood (US).