“We’re thrilled to invest with Seventure Partners, given their deep expertise and knowledge of the rapidly evolving microbiome ecosystem,” said Chuck Warta, President of Cargill’s health technologies business, in the press release. “Together, we will expand the existing suite of health solutions available to consumers and bring more relevant products to market in the functional food arena. Ultimately, our goal is to help humans and animals live more healthy days.”
Seventure Partners funds companies within the fields of digital technologies and life sciences, the press release states. The venture capital firm’s Health for Life Capital II fund supports innovation in the microbiome area, and evaluates nearly 1,000 start-ups per year.
Cargill is joining other investors in the fund, including Danone, Novartis, and Lesaffre. Cargill will serve as a limited partner, with a member appointed to the fund’s Advisory Investment Committee.
Isabelle de Cremoux, CEO and Managing Partner of Seventure, will join four other experts on an internal Cargill advisory board tasked with providing guidance and insight as Cargill grows its health technologies portfolio. The board includes Dr. Bruce German, a professor at UC Davis and co-founder of a startup focused on infant nutrition; Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, Founding President of ISAPP; and Scott Bush, who has more than 30 years of experience in the commercial probiotics industry.
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“Microbiome innovations are now impacting many industries such as food, pharma, healthcare, retail, agriculture and animal feed and health, providing great opportunities for growth. In addition to the classic financial investors, our funds also include strategic corporate investors. I am delighted to start this collaboration with Cargill. Cargill joining our fund will accelerate our mission to transform fascinating science into great products, improving people’s lives,” said Isabelle De Cremoux, CEO and Managing Partner of Seventure, in the press release.
