- Second fund raised by investment firm led by founders of AmRest Holdings and Restauravia Grupo Empresarial
- The fund will focus on leading growth-stage companies in key food technology verticals globally, with a focus on Europe and North America
- McWin combines strong operational experience and an unparalleled food industry network and has already closed 8 investments with best-in-class investors in the VC and PE space
Luxembourg, 7 June 2022 – McWin, a private investment firm specializing in the foodservice and food technology sectors, today announces the McWin Food Tech Fund (McWin FTF) with a target size of €250m. The McWin FTF will build on the success of the McWin Food Ecosystem Fund, which is expected to close at €300m in Q3 2022, and has already made 8 investments, including Burger King Germany (master franchisee), Gail’s (premium bakeries in the UK), Vapiano (fast casual restaurants in 30+ countries), The EVERY Company (leader in precision fermentation), Footprint (sustainable packaging solutions), Menu (cutting-edge restaurant management systems), Upside Foods (leader in cell-based protein production), and Oishii (vertical farming).
The McWin Food Tech Fund will primarily invest across North America and Europe, targeting companies with strong IP, scalable business models and solid teams, investing in series A to C. The fund will seek to build a balanced and diversified portfolio across the whole food tech spectrum, including alternative proteins, vertical farming, consumer tech, delivery, optimization of the supply chain, ag-tech, sustainable packaging, etc.
Led by Henry McGovern, founder of AmRest Holdings, one of Europe’s leading foodservice companies, and Steven K. Winegar, shareholder and senior executive of Zena Group and founder of Restauravia Grupo Empresarial, McWin is composed of an experienced team of industry and PE veterans with proven operational expertise, an unparalleled food industry network and deal origination capabilities, being the partner of choice for founders, investors, and management teams.
The McWin team identifies the most attractive investment opportunities that benefit from food tech disruption and follows a hands-on full-support approach to create sustainable value throughout the investment period. Covid had limited impact in the various food technology verticals, where funding increased as investors became more aware of the potential they offer. In addition, the recent fall in valuations of technology companies in general has resulted in opportunities to invest on more attractive terms. The McWin FTF is very well positioned to take advantage of this situation.
McWin and funds advised by McWin have a growing portfolio made up of more than 1,300 restaurants which will be vital in testing and adopting new technologies in the food industry, helping foodservice operators to differentiate and to remain relevant and competitive while improving access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for a growing global population.
Martín Dávalos, Partner at McWin, said: “Our mission at McWin is to seize unique investment opportunities in the international foodservice and food tech sector to drive the change towards a more sustainable food system while realizing exceptional returns for our investors. Following the success of our first fund, McWin Food Ecosystem Fund, we are excited to now launch a fund dedicated to food technology, which will allow us to partner with outstanding founders and companies disrupting the existing food value chain, improving the way we produce, sell, and serve food and increasing food security across the world. We have a robust pipeline of opportunities, a team with unparalleled industry experience, and strong investor backing, and we believe we are at the perfect moment to invest at attractive valuations.”
About McWin
McWin is a private investment firm founded by Henry McGovern and Steven K. Winegar partnering with exceptional founders and CEOs daring sustainable disruption, principally in the foodservice and food technology sectors.
Henry McGovern is the founder of AmRest Holdings SE, one of Europe’s leading foodservice companies, which under Henry’s leadership grew to more than 2,300 restaurants in 25 countries, with 55,000+ employees. Steven K. Winegar was shareholder and senior executive of Grupo Zena and the founder of Restauravia Grupo Empresarial, Megafood SL and former board member of Telepizza. Between them, they have built and operated 4,200+ restaurants across Europe and have extensive experience investing in food technology and broader disruptive technologies. McWin and funds advised by McWin are currently investors in Gail’s, Vapiano, CookUnity and Dean&David as well as alternative protein companies including BlueNalu, Perfect Day, The Every Company (formerly Clara Foods), Impossible Foods and UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) and leading food technology companies such as Footprint, Menu, and Oishii.
For more information:
Harmon Corporate Affairs
Anna Steudel
Flavia Trevisan
Phone: +34 669 519 398; +34 659 035 984
E-mail: asteudel@harmon.es; ftrevisan@harmon.es
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