Cleveland Avenue

Cleveland Avenue is a venture capital investment firm established in 2015 and based in Chicago, Illinois. The firm specializes in investing in a range of sectors, including food and beverage companies, lifestyle consumer brands, agricultural technology, and technology firms. As a registered investment adviser, Cleveland Avenue focuses on seed-stage, early-stage, later-stage, and growth-stage opportunities, aiming to support innovative companies that align with its strategic interests.

Matthew Wellington Burns

Senior Associate, Investments

Fernando Carranza

Venture Investor

Harry Coaxum

Managing Partner, Operations

Walker Cullinan

Analyst

Ellen Federbush

Project Manager, Office of the CEO

Keith Kravcik

Chief Investment Officer

Mingu Lee

Managing Partner

Randall Lewis

Managing Partner

Jason Mercer

Principal

Fabian Gosselin Paliza

Investor

Veronica Pierce

Director of Strategic Partnerships

Ryan Tlusty

CFO

Robert Wietecki

Senior Associate, Investments

Taylor Williams

Venture Investor

Andrea Zopp

Managing Partner

Don Thompson

CEO and Founder

Past deals in Food

Hero Bread

Series B in 2024
Hero Bread is a food product company that specializes in providing nutritious foods. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, USA.

Better Foods

Seed Round in 2023
Better Foods is a food company focused on promoting alternative food products. It specializes in offering plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy, including items such as plant-based milk, cheese, and sauces. The company aims to provide consumers with authentic flavors and textures reminiscent of traditional meat and dairy, while addressing concerns about food additives. Through its innovative products, Better Foods caters to the growing demand for healthier and more sustainable food options.

Iya Foods

Seed Round in 2023
Iya Foods is an African-inspired food business that emphasizes nourishment and exceptional flavor. The company offers a diverse range of products, including authentic African sauces, spices, savory simmer sauces, gluten-free flours, and dried hibiscus flowers and petals. Committed to health and quality, Iya Foods ensures that all its offerings are free from MSG, gluten, preservatives, and other harmful artificial ingredients. By providing nutritious foods and sustainable ingredients, Iya Foods aims to enrich the culinary experiences of its customers while staying true to its cultural roots.

PartnerSlate

Seed Round in 2023
PartnerSlate is an online platform designed to facilitate strategic partnerships between food and beverage brands and manufacturing and packaging partners across North America. The platform enables brands to discover and connect with contract manufacturers by streamlining the manufacturing process through various criteria, such as location, capabilities, and product categories. This approach helps brands identify suitable production companies that align with their needs, ultimately supporting them in bringing their products to market efficiently. PartnerSlate serves as a valuable resource for the food industry, fostering relationships that enhance collaboration and drive business growth.

Dom's Kitchen & Market

Convertible Note in 2023
Dom's Kitchen & Market is a grocery store chain based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2021. The company aims to create a unique food destination that integrates shopping, restaurant dining, and home delivery services. It focuses on providing well-crafted, locally sourced, and globally inspired food, fostering a welcoming environment for customers to explore and enjoy diverse culinary experiences. Dom's Kitchen & Market emphasizes community engagement and hospitality, encouraging consumers to share and learn about food while relaxing in a vibrant atmosphere.

Hero Bread

Series B in 2023
Hero Bread is a food product company that specializes in providing nutritious foods. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, USA.

Cooks Venture

Venture Round in 2023
Cooks Venture, Inc. is a company specializing in regenerative pasture-raised chicken and meats, including beef and pork. Founded in 2018 and based in New York, the company offers a range of sustainably sourced food products, such as grass-fed beef, pasture-raised heirloom chicken, grass-fed lamb, and wild-caught seafood. Cooks Venture is dedicated to environmentally responsible farming practices and adheres to the Better Chicken Commitment, ensuring that its chickens are raised in accordance with high welfare standards, including access to diversified pastures. The products are individually sealed for convenience and sold online, allowing consumers to receive quality meats directly to their doorsteps.

Evigence Sensors

Series B in 2023
Evigence Sensors specializes in manufacturing advanced sensors that monitor the shelf life of perishable products, primarily focusing on food and beverage sectors, as well as healthcare and cosmetics. The company offers a Freshness Management System that integrates sensors and data analytics to provide real-time tracking of food freshness from production to consumer. These sensors are applied during packaging and respond to cumulative time and temperature exposure throughout the supply chain. They can be scanned easily for immediate readings of remaining freshness, with data uploaded to the Evigence Insights Engine for visualization and analytics. This technology helps clients ensure food quality and safety, extend shelf life, reduce waste, and enhance operational efficiency. Founded in 2004 and originally focused on healthcare, the company shifted its focus to food monitoring in 2016. Evigence Sensors is headquartered in Yokne’am, Israel, with a commercial office in Hoboken, New Jersey, and holds 25 patents, including compliance with World Health Organization standards for vaccine monitoring.

AYO Foods

Seed Round in 2022
AYO Foods is a premium meal solutions brand that offers a line of authentic West-African inspired cuisine. The company specializes in traditional frozen foods, including a variety of ready-to-serve packed meals and shelf-stable sauces. AYO Foods incorporates unique flavors and ingredients, such as egusi melon seeds, cassava, and sorghum leaves, to deliver an authentic and traditional menu. Their products aim to create mealtime opportunities for consumers, making it possible to enjoy West-African cuisine conveniently and at any time.

NotCo

Series D in 2022
NotCo is a food technology company based in Macul, Chile, founded in 2015. The company specializes in producing plant-based alternatives to traditional animal products, including mayonnaise, milk, yogurt, dressings, and desserts. By leveraging artificial intelligence, NotCo recreates the taste, texture, color, and aroma of animal-based products using ingredients such as pineapple, coconut, cabbage, peas, bamboo, beets, chickpeas, and seeds. This innovative approach not only provides consumers with plant-based options but also offers manufacturers a new source of fiber, calcium, and protein derived from vegetables. NotCo distributes its products through retailers in Chile, aiming to transform food systems and promote sustainable consumption.

Partake Foods

Series B in 2022
Partake Foods, Inc. is a food company that specializes in producing and selling allergy-friendly snacks, particularly cookies. The company offers a range of products that are nut-free, gluten-free, vegan, and made without genetically modified organisms. Its cookie varieties include sprouted grain chocolate chip, double chocolate chip, sweet potato millet, carrot oat, and birthday cake mini cookies, catering to health-conscious consumers and those with dietary restrictions. Partake Foods markets its products online, making them accessible to a broader audience. Founded in 2016 and originally known as Vivis Life, LLC, the company is headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Farmer's Fridge

Series E in 2022
Farmer’s Fridge operates automated smart fridges that provide a variety of fresh meals, including salads, bowls, and snacks. Founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois, the company aims to make healthy eating accessible and convenient. Its fridges are equipped with technology that allows for real-time demand monitoring, ensuring that customers receive fresh, chef-curated meals quickly. Additionally, unsold items from the fridges are donated to local food pantries, supporting community members in need with responsibly sourced nutrition. This approach reflects the founder's commitment to addressing the lack of healthy, affordable food options for individuals on the go.

Cooks Venture

Convertible Note in 2022
Cooks Venture, Inc. is a company specializing in regenerative pasture-raised chicken and meats, including beef and pork. Founded in 2018 and based in New York, the company offers a range of sustainably sourced food products, such as grass-fed beef, pasture-raised heirloom chicken, grass-fed lamb, and wild-caught seafood. Cooks Venture is dedicated to environmentally responsible farming practices and adheres to the Better Chicken Commitment, ensuring that its chickens are raised in accordance with high welfare standards, including access to diversified pastures. The products are individually sealed for convenience and sold online, allowing consumers to receive quality meats directly to their doorsteps.

AYO Foods

Convertible Note in 2022
AYO Foods is a premium meal solutions brand that offers a line of authentic West-African inspired cuisine. The company specializes in traditional frozen foods, including a variety of ready-to-serve packed meals and shelf-stable sauces. AYO Foods incorporates unique flavors and ingredients, such as egusi melon seeds, cassava, and sorghum leaves, to deliver an authentic and traditional menu. Their products aim to create mealtime opportunities for consumers, making it possible to enjoy West-African cuisine conveniently and at any time.

Hero Bread

Series A in 2021
Hero Bread is a food product company that specializes in providing nutritious foods. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, USA.

Farmer's Fridge

Series D in 2021
Farmer’s Fridge operates automated smart fridges that provide a variety of fresh meals, including salads, bowls, and snacks. Founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois, the company aims to make healthy eating accessible and convenient. Its fridges are equipped with technology that allows for real-time demand monitoring, ensuring that customers receive fresh, chef-curated meals quickly. Additionally, unsold items from the fridges are donated to local food pantries, supporting community members in need with responsibly sourced nutrition. This approach reflects the founder's commitment to addressing the lack of healthy, affordable food options for individuals on the go.

AYO Foods

Convertible Note in 2021
AYO Foods is a premium meal solutions brand that offers a line of authentic West-African inspired cuisine. The company specializes in traditional frozen foods, including a variety of ready-to-serve packed meals and shelf-stable sauces. AYO Foods incorporates unique flavors and ingredients, such as egusi melon seeds, cassava, and sorghum leaves, to deliver an authentic and traditional menu. Their products aim to create mealtime opportunities for consumers, making it possible to enjoy West-African cuisine conveniently and at any time.

Dom's Kitchen & Market

Venture Round in 2021
Dom's Kitchen & Market is a grocery store chain based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2021. The company aims to create a unique food destination that integrates shopping, restaurant dining, and home delivery services. It focuses on providing well-crafted, locally sourced, and globally inspired food, fostering a welcoming environment for customers to explore and enjoy diverse culinary experiences. Dom's Kitchen & Market emphasizes community engagement and hospitality, encouraging consumers to share and learn about food while relaxing in a vibrant atmosphere.

AYO Foods

Convertible Note in 2020
AYO Foods is a premium meal solutions brand that offers a line of authentic West-African inspired cuisine. The company specializes in traditional frozen foods, including a variety of ready-to-serve packed meals and shelf-stable sauces. AYO Foods incorporates unique flavors and ingredients, such as egusi melon seeds, cassava, and sorghum leaves, to deliver an authentic and traditional menu. Their products aim to create mealtime opportunities for consumers, making it possible to enjoy West-African cuisine conveniently and at any time.

NotCo

Series C in 2020
NotCo is a food technology company based in Macul, Chile, founded in 2015. The company specializes in producing plant-based alternatives to traditional animal products, including mayonnaise, milk, yogurt, dressings, and desserts. By leveraging artificial intelligence, NotCo recreates the taste, texture, color, and aroma of animal-based products using ingredients such as pineapple, coconut, cabbage, peas, bamboo, beets, chickpeas, and seeds. This innovative approach not only provides consumers with plant-based options but also offers manufacturers a new source of fiber, calcium, and protein derived from vegetables. NotCo distributes its products through retailers in Chile, aiming to transform food systems and promote sustainable consumption.

Farmer's Fridge

Series D in 2020
Farmer’s Fridge operates automated smart fridges that provide a variety of fresh meals, including salads, bowls, and snacks. Founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois, the company aims to make healthy eating accessible and convenient. Its fridges are equipped with technology that allows for real-time demand monitoring, ensuring that customers receive fresh, chef-curated meals quickly. Additionally, unsold items from the fridges are donated to local food pantries, supporting community members in need with responsibly sourced nutrition. This approach reflects the founder's commitment to addressing the lack of healthy, affordable food options for individuals on the go.

Dom's Kitchen & Market

Seed Round in 2020
Dom's Kitchen & Market is a grocery store chain based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 2021. The company aims to create a unique food destination that integrates shopping, restaurant dining, and home delivery services. It focuses on providing well-crafted, locally sourced, and globally inspired food, fostering a welcoming environment for customers to explore and enjoy diverse culinary experiences. Dom's Kitchen & Market emphasizes community engagement and hospitality, encouraging consumers to share and learn about food while relaxing in a vibrant atmosphere.

Plant Grow Harvest

Convertible Note in 2020
Plant Grow Harvest is a supply chain services company focused on the specialty potato industry. It provides essential services by supplying potato seeds to farmers, utilizing a network of early and late-generation seed farms. The company offers both private and public varieties of potato seeds, aiming to support farmers in developing a stable, diversified, and cost-effective seed sourcing strategy. Through its comprehensive supply chain solutions, Plant Grow Harvest addresses the specific needs of the potato farming sector, ensuring a reliable supply of quality seeds.

Farmer's Fridge

Convertible Note in 2019
Farmer’s Fridge operates automated smart fridges that provide a variety of fresh meals, including salads, bowls, and snacks. Founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois, the company aims to make healthy eating accessible and convenient. Its fridges are equipped with technology that allows for real-time demand monitoring, ensuring that customers receive fresh, chef-curated meals quickly. Additionally, unsold items from the fridges are donated to local food pantries, supporting community members in need with responsibly sourced nutrition. This approach reflects the founder's commitment to addressing the lack of healthy, affordable food options for individuals on the go.

Farmer's Fridge

Secondary Market in 2019
Farmer’s Fridge operates automated smart fridges that provide a variety of fresh meals, including salads, bowls, and snacks. Founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois, the company aims to make healthy eating accessible and convenient. Its fridges are equipped with technology that allows for real-time demand monitoring, ensuring that customers receive fresh, chef-curated meals quickly. Additionally, unsold items from the fridges are donated to local food pantries, supporting community members in need with responsibly sourced nutrition. This approach reflects the founder's commitment to addressing the lack of healthy, affordable food options for individuals on the go.

Farmer's Fridge

Convertible Note in 2018
Farmer’s Fridge operates automated smart fridges that provide a variety of fresh meals, including salads, bowls, and snacks. Founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois, the company aims to make healthy eating accessible and convenient. Its fridges are equipped with technology that allows for real-time demand monitoring, ensuring that customers receive fresh, chef-curated meals quickly. Additionally, unsold items from the fridges are donated to local food pantries, supporting community members in need with responsibly sourced nutrition. This approach reflects the founder's commitment to addressing the lack of healthy, affordable food options for individuals on the go.

Farmer's Fridge

Series C in 2018
Farmer’s Fridge operates automated smart fridges that provide a variety of fresh meals, including salads, bowls, and snacks. Founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois, the company aims to make healthy eating accessible and convenient. Its fridges are equipped with technology that allows for real-time demand monitoring, ensuring that customers receive fresh, chef-curated meals quickly. Additionally, unsold items from the fridges are donated to local food pantries, supporting community members in need with responsibly sourced nutrition. This approach reflects the founder's commitment to addressing the lack of healthy, affordable food options for individuals on the go.

Farmwise Foods

Venture Round in 2018
Farmwise Foods is a privately held company with a mission of developing healthier alternatives to some of America's favorite foods without compromising on taste.

PizzaRev

Acquisition in 2017
PizzaRev is a fast casual franchise chain specializing in customized pizzas. The restaurant concept allows customers to create their own pizzas using homemade dough, flavorful sauces, and natural cheeses. This focus on personalization and quality ingredients positions PizzaRev to cater to a diverse range of consumer preferences in the pizza market.

PizzaRev

Funding Round in 2017
PizzaRev is a fast casual franchise chain specializing in customized pizzas. The restaurant concept allows customers to create their own pizzas using homemade dough, flavorful sauces, and natural cheeses. This focus on personalization and quality ingredients positions PizzaRev to cater to a diverse range of consumer preferences in the pizza market.

Farmer's Fridge

Series B in 2017
Farmer’s Fridge operates automated smart fridges that provide a variety of fresh meals, including salads, bowls, and snacks. Founded in 2013 and based in Chicago, Illinois, the company aims to make healthy eating accessible and convenient. Its fridges are equipped with technology that allows for real-time demand monitoring, ensuring that customers receive fresh, chef-curated meals quickly. Additionally, unsold items from the fridges are donated to local food pantries, supporting community members in need with responsibly sourced nutrition. This approach reflects the founder's commitment to addressing the lack of healthy, affordable food options for individuals on the go.
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