Alan's Angle
Steve Case & Ted Leonsis are two of the smartest billionaires to ever walk the planet - and two people I had the privilege of hearing speak IRL. Thank you UMD!
Their VC fund is stupid good too. Their list of successful investments is filled with household names including: Draft Kings, StockX, BigCommerce, Clear, Cava, Custom Ink, Clear, and many more. Not bad.
Revolution is well aware of the concerns in this space and then some. So what could be their thought process?
Three theories:
1. Health
Believe it or not, Beyond Meat patties actually are not that much better for you than meat patties and in some ways are actually worse. Beyond Meat patties have 5x the amount of sodium as meat patties and a lot of chemicals too to mimic the meaty taste.
All of Meati's PR emphasizes the health benefits to being a natural, 95% mushroom root based product high in protein and fiber. Revolution likely loves this.
2. Chipotle Ventures
Yup. You read that right. The greatest venture job in the world has officially been created with the launch of a Chipotle VC fund & Meati is one of their first investments. If Meati can execute and deliver a great product, we can all expect to see Meati in Chipotles everywhere, which would mean a ton of money and quick for investors.
3. Second Mover Advantage
Some of the greatest companies ever were actually not the first movers in a certain industry, but rather, the second movers. Second movers are able to learn from the journeys and mistakes of their predecessors and create a much more sound business on a whole lot less money.
Fun Fact: Amazon & Facebook are second movers in their own right.
Although I probably would have been to chicken to make this investment, I definitely can see the case of why someone would. I will make sure to keep you all posted on Meati's trajectory as the company continues to scale.
P.S – I had real chicken for dinner last night, and now I feel guilty. Have a great day!