INVESTMENT

The plant-based meat industry can now count tennis pro Naomi Osaka and renowned DJ and record producer Steve Aoki among its many celebrity investors. The two, along with American football quarterback Cameron Newton, backed vegan chicken startup Daring Foods during its most recent funding round.

Founded in 2018, Los Angeles-based Daring Foods announced this week that it had raised $65 million in a Series C funding round, bringing its total funding over the past 12 months to more than $120 million. This follows a $40 million Series B round in May and an $8 million series A round last October. The company also saw 900 percent growth over the 12-month period and will use the new funding for expansion and the development of new products, which will launch in the coming months as well as next year.