Nick Cooney founded and is currently the
Managing Parter at Lever VC ( http://www.levervc.com), a U.S.-Hong Kong venture
capital fund that makes early stage investments in alternative protein food
companies. (These include plant-based meat, dairy and egg products, as well as
“clean” or cell-based meat, dairy and egg products, and related service and
technology companies.) Lever VC operates
globally with staff and offices in Hong Kong S.A.R., the United States, Israel,
and Europe.
Nick has worked in the plant-based and
alternative protein foods industry for nearly twenty years. He has made
investments in over two dozen companies around the world, including Beyond
Meat, Memphis Meats, Alpha Foods, Aleph Farms, Geltor, Miyoko’s Creamery, Good
Dot, Avant Meats, Marvelous Foods, Kite Hill, The Purple Carrot, Next Foods,
Good Catch Foods, and others. These portfolio companies represent combined
value of nearly $2 billion USD. Nick servies on the board or as board observer
of several portfolio companies.
For entrepreneurs and companies that are
interested in submitting a pitch deck or other proposal to Lever VC, or for
other investors interested in connecting to discuss the alternative protein
space, please submit an email through the Lever VC website: http://www.levervc.com .
Prior to founding Lever VC, Nick was the
co-founder and managing trustee of New Crop Capital, a private venture capital
trust making investments in the alternative protein space. Nick is also
co-founder of several non-profits working in the alternative protein sector,
including the Good Food Institute, the largest NGO operating in the sector,
with over sixty staff in key markets globally.
In addition to his investment experience,
Nick Cooney has spent nearly twenty years conducing policy and consulting work
in the food industry. He has overseen $4 million yearly budgets and a team of
45 working to market alernative protein products in both established and
emerging markets in North America, South America and Europe, as well as to
promote similar food policy improvements. Nick has worked with hundreds of
leading food companies across several continents, including Nestle, Costco,
CarreFour, Kroger, and others. Nick began his career conducting
entrepreneurship programs for the University of Pennsylvania (through a Wharton
School-affiliated program) and launching a healthy food startup.
Nick’s work in the food and food policy
space has been covered by hundreds of media outlets worldwide, including Time,
Reuters, USA Today, and numerous others. He has lectured on the space
extensively, including throughout Europe and in the United States at places
such as Harvard, Yale, Google, and Craigslist.
He is also the author of a textbook on
alternative protein consumers, Veganomics (2013), which provides a
comprehensive look at data around why consumers choose these products, what
distinguishes these products (including heavy consumers) from others, what
barriers they face in choosing these products, etc. Nick has also written several
other books: How To Be Great At Doing
Good and Change Of Heart. More on his books is available on his Amazon auhtor
page at:
https://www.amazon.com/Nick-Cooney/e/B004CTYG1Y .
Nick grew up in Philadelphia and
graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hofstra University. He currently splits his time
between the greater New York City area and China/Hong Kong S.A.R.
More on Nick Cooney is available online
on his website at: http://nickcooney.com
. His personal email is: nick@levervc.com .
Additional information on Nick:
Nick Cooney on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-cooney-29822331
Nick Cooney on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickCooney2
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