Evogene and The Kitchen FoodTech Hub by Strauss Group Established Finally Foods Ltd. – Revolutionizing Protein Production in Plants for the Food Industry

Finally Foods is financed by the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA) and The Kitchen Hub, and will be granted a license to utilize Evogene’s AI technology

03 April 2024, Israel: Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN, TASE: EVGN), a leading computational biology company targeting to revolutionize life-science-based product discovery and development utilizing cutting edge computational biology technologies, across multiple market segments and The Kitchen FoodTech Hub (TKH), the foodtech incubator and investment arm of Israeli food giant Strauss Group, have jointly announced the establishment of Finally Foods Ltd.

‘Finally Foods’ is an AI-driven company specializing in molecular farming for the food sector, committed to providing sustainable alternative sources to animal-based proteins. The company’s mission is to modify plants as “bioreactors” to produce these proteins efficiently and environmentally responsibly. Leveraging Evogene’s GeneRator AI technology, the company aims for short R&D cycles and rapid time-to-market.

According to average market reports, the global alternative proteins market was valued at around USD 17.6 billion in 2022, with an anticipated average CAGR of 12%, expected to reach USD 55 billion by 2032[1]. ‘Finally Foods’ is poised to capture a share in this growing sector, leveraging the revolutionary potential of molecular farming – an efficient and environmentally friendly method for producing valuable proteins.

‘Finally Foods’ has secured pre-seed funding from TKH and the Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA). Evogene holds approximately 40% stake in the company, with the remaining ownership divided among TKH and the founding team – CEO Dafna Gabbay, a seasoned entrepreneur, and CTO Dr. Basia J. Vinocur, an expert in agricultural biotechnology.

Ofer Haviv, President & CEO of Evogene, expressed his enthusiasm for this new venture, stating, “We are thrilled to embark on this new segment, marking a milestone for Evogene as we continue to drive innovation and growth in the Life Science industry. By harnessing the power of our GeneRator AI tech-engine, molecular farming has the potential to revolutionize the food industry and promote healthier diets worldwide.”

“‘Finally Foods’ is one of the rare cases where we see an extremely strong founding team, in Dafna and Basia, coupled with a proven technology platform based on the leading AI engine of Evogene” said Amir Zaidman, Chief Business Officer of The Kitchen Hub. “Establishing the company under the framework of The Kitchen and investing the pre-seed round was an easy decision in this case.”

Dafna Gabbay, Co-Founder & CEO of Finally Foods, expressed her confidence, stating, “I believe that with Evogene’s cutting edge technology, TKH’s leading position in the FoodTech industry and with Dr. Vinocur’s vast experience – ‘Finally Foods’ has full potential to emerge as a promising company in the alternative proteins sector. Molecular farming represents a catalyst towards global food security and a more sustainable future, and I am proud to lead ‘Finally Foods’ to take an important part towards supporting this crucial vision for the world.”

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