Rapper Drake just invested in vegan chicken brand Daring Foods.
Drake (who has experienced heavy criticism for problematic behavior towards teenagers in the past) went vegetarian a few years ago, first revealing that “he doesn’t eat meat anymore” on the popular gaming platform Twitch.
Now it seems his penchant for plant-based living translates to his investments too. The 34-year-old Canadian rapper joined a $40 million Series B funding round for Daring Foods, which was led by D1 Capital Partners.
Daring Foods’ plant-based chicken has all the taste and texture of its animal-based counterpart, but it’s more ethical, environmentally-friendly, and healthier too. The vegan chicken, which comes in four varieties (Original, Original Breaded, Lemon & Herb, & Cajun) is high in protein, low in calories, and non-GMO.
Ross Mackay, Daring’s CEO, told Bloomberg: “The first wave of plant-based [meat] was really focused on tastes and texture, but then you had the sacrifice of other elements, like health.”
Vegan Meat’s Celebrity Investors
Drake is by no means the first celebrity to invest in vegan meat. California-based Impossible Foods, renowned for its bleeding beef-like burgers, counts Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Jaden Smith, Ruby Rose, and Will.i.am among its famous investors.
Recently, Robert Downey Jr.’s venture fund, Footprint Coalition Ventures, invested in plant-based bacon startup Atlast Food Co. And entrepreneur and Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban has supported a number of vegan brands, including vegan meat company Everything Legendary.
Cuban told LIVEKINDLY earlier this year: “[The vegan meat market is] going to keep on growing quickly. People realize [eating plant-based is] better for their own health, for the environment and it now tastes great!”
According to Mackay, the latest round of funding will enable Daring Foods to expand the retail distribution of its vegan chicken dramatically. At the moment, the product is available in Kroger and Costco, but now it will expand to more than 4,500 U.S. stores and grow its presence in food service (currently 400 locations) ten-fold.
