Pulsar Network Capital launches €75m food fund

Dutch private equity firm Pulsar Network Capital has launched a new sustainable food fund with a capital of €75m ($94m), said to be the first in Europe to focus completely on healthy and sustainable food.

This fund will be used to invest in 15-25 sustainable food, nutrition, foodtech and agritech companies that work towards making the food and nutrition supply chain healthier, safer, more efficient and more sustainable.

The fund will work with companies that have a profitable business model and focus on the creation of social and/or sustainable innovations in the international food industry. With this investment, the fund management will aim at transforming its portfolio companies into international players and market leaders.

Fund founder and managing partner Patrick Driessen said: "In June 2013, at the end of the ‘Sustainable Food & Nutrition’ investors forum that we had organised with the Pulsar Network Capital team, various bankers and fellow investors inspired me to start a new fund specifically aimed at sustainable and healthy food."

"I reversed the cycle focused on starting a new investment fund; rather than having to go after funding first, as most fund managers do, I first started building a deal flow pipeline and a portfolio together with my team at Pulsar Network Capital."

Investment partner Frank Wolterink said: "Everyone is looking for a food investor but most general firms do not really have the time for this sector.

"It needs more dedicated, specialised investors, but as far as we know there are hardly any dedicated food investors and none looking at sustainability and healthy food specifically."

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Image: The new sustainable food fund will help growing companies in the sustainable food, nutrition, foodtech and agritech segments. Photo: courtesy of SOMMAI / freedigitalphotos.net.