Cash Flow: Seed Health Lands $40m, Hydrant Secures $8.5m For ‘Wellness Water’, $200m For Misfits Market

The game-changing investment, acquisition and funding news impacting the industry and driving the business of wellness this week.

Seed Health closes $40m round

Seed Health, a microbial sciences company developing next-generation probiotic applications and live biotherapeutics, has announced the close of a $40m Series A financing round led by British impact investor The Craftory. TechBio investor ARTIS ventures, life science investor GISEV, Founders Fund and 8VC also participated.

The funding will support the company’s rapid growth and power upcoming category launches, clinical research, digital health initiatives, microbial stabilisation technologies and international expansion. 

Hydrant secures $8.5m for hydration packets

Hydrant, a New York-based startup selling hydration packets has raised $8.5m in a round led by Rx3 Growth Partners. 

Singer Lance Bass and actress Ashley Greene also participated in the round, along with National Football League players Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, Jonathan Stewart and Darren Sproles. The round brings Hydrant’s total funding to more than $17m.

The brand says it will use the funds to expand its footprint in additional distribution channels.

Hungry Planet raises £25m for plant-based meat products

Hungry Planet, a plant-based meat company based in the US, has closed an oversubscribed $25m Series A financing round. Post Holdings led the round, joined by Singaporean investment group TRIREC and other leading plant-forward investors.

The capital will be used to build capacity for Hungry Planet’s breakthrough plant-based meats, and accelerate growth across retail, foodservice and e-commerce channels, both domestically and internationally.

Fiture raises $300m for AI-powered fitness

Chinese fitness brand Fiture has raised $300m in a Series B funding round featuring Tencent and Sequoia Capital China.

Combining hardware, AI, and downloadable content, like Tempo, Tonal and Forme Life, Future’s AI-powered workout mirror aims to turn the living room into a private fitness studio. 

Scarlett Johansson makes strategic investment in HumanCo

Actress Scarlett Johansson has made an undisclosed investment in HumanCo, a mission-driven holding company creating consumer products that help people live healthier lives. As part of the deal, Johansson will also be joining Snow Days – a new brand bringing a novel, health-forward approach to frozen comfort food – as Creative Director. 

 “I am so excited to partner with HumanCo and Snow Days to help bring this evolutionary comfort food to the table. HumanCo’scommitment to wholesome deliciousness is one that I am proud to get behind and reflects my own interest in comprehensive well-being,” said Johansson.

Misfits Market scores another $200m

Misfits Market, which sells “ugly” fruits and vegetables to consumers at discount prices, has raised another $200m in Series C funding. The round raised its total funding to $301.5m.

Founder and CEO Abhi Ramesh told Techcrunch the startup has now expanded beyond produce into a variety of grocery categories. 

According to the company, its active customer base and order volume grew 5x in 2020, when it shipped 77 million pounds of food to more than 400,000 customers.

Women’s Health startup Stix secures $3.5m in seed funding

Stix, a US-based women’s health startup has secured $3.5m in seed funding from investors including Resolute Ventures, SWAT Equity Partners, Roundtable Accelerator and Bullish.

The DTC brand, which offers pregnancy and ovulation tests, plans to use the funding to propel its next stage of growth.

Athletic footwear brand Nobull partners with Exeter Capital

Nobull, a high growth athletic footwear, apparel and accessory brand has partnered with Boston-based private equity firm Exeter Capital to support its growth strategy globally.

Nobull,  founded in 2015 by Reebok veterans Marcus Wilson and Michael Schaeffer,  recently announced a multi-year partnership as the title sponsor of the CrossFit Games and as the Official Footwear and Apparel Brand of CrossFit.