INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
French startup Feed is raising a $17.4 million funding round (€15 million) from Alven and Otium Brands
Feed has been selling meal replacement products in Europe and now plans to expand to other countries.There are multiple variations of Feed
The company started with a powder-based product that represents the equivalent of one meal
You add some water, shake it a bit and drink it
You can now also buy the equivalent of a cereal bar with everything you need to stay alive.It sounds a bit like Soylent, which itself sounds
a bit like SlimFast and all those products from the 1980s and 1990s
It’s worth noting that Soylent only sells in the U.S
Feed products are vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, GMO-free and made in France.A few months ago, I bought a bottle of Feed powder to give
it a try — I wasn’t particularly convinced
But it sounds like many people like it — the company has sold 1 million kilograms of powder, which represents over 6.5 million bottles in
In 2018, Feed plans to generate $11.6 million in revenue.Feed doesn’t think you should replace all your meals with a Feed product
But if you’re in a rush or you want to lose some weight, you could swap your lunch for a Feed product every now and then
Feed competes with Huel, Jimmy Joy and another French startup selling meal replacement products, So Shape (only tangentially as So Shape is
focused on losing weight).Beyond the product itself, Feed is the perfect example of a strong online brand
The company has built an online community with hundreds of thousands of followers
There are dozens of videos of people testing Feed on YouTube
And the company knows how to target online customers using the right channel.While you can find Feed products in many French supermarkets,
the company also sells its products on its website and delivers in 30 countries
By building a strong brand and attracting online customers, the company can generate bigger margins than in selling through your local
supermarket.And the brand is the reason why Feed is valuable and can attract funding
Now, Feed can launch its product in new countries and could sign new partnerships with supermarkets across Europe.Update: I added more
competitors and more details about So Shape.
