Startup profile · funding coverage
Soylent funding, valuation and investors
Meal-replacement drinks and powders for convenient nutrition.
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Funding, valuation & investors
Answer-first snapshotLatest funding
Series B
$50M · May 2017
Latest known valuation
Not publicly disclosed
Total disclosed equity funding
$70M
Excludes debt, grants, acquisitions, secondaries, and IPO proceeds.
Current status
private
growth · Los Angeles, California
Overview
Soylent sells ready-to-drink meal replacements and powders providing balanced macronutrients for people who want convenient, affordable nutrition without cooking. Founded in 2013 by Rob Rhinehart in Los Angeles, Soylent became a cult DTC brand among engineers and busy professionals. Andreessen Horowitz led Series A ($20M, 2015); GV led Series B ($50M, 2017) with a16z re-upping.
Why Soylent is interesting
DTC nutrition cult brand — a16z led seed and Series A before GV-led B as meal replacements went mainstream.
Product & use cases
Soylent RTD bottles and powder mixes provide ~400 calories with balanced protein, carbs, fats, vitamins — positioned as complete meal replacement not protein supplement.
- Meal replacement for busy professionals
- Affordable nutrition for budget-conscious consumers
- Engineer/hacker breakfast replacement culture
- Retail and Amazon DTC distribution
Key facts
- Series A (2015): $20M led by a16z
- Series B (2017): $50M led by GV
- Engineer-origin meal replacement cult brand
- Retail distribution beyond DTC
Funding history (newest first)
Series B
2017-05 $50M- GV (lead)
- Andreessen Horowitz (participant)
Source: Read source · fooddive.com
Series A
2015-01 $20MSource: Read source · techcrunch.com
Investors in our directory
Funds linked from Soylent's profile — open a fund page for stage focus and related deal articles.
Competitive landscape
Edge: First mainstream meal replacement brand with engineer-origin story and subscription DTC model.
Meal replacement matured from Soylent cult to retail aisle competition. Brand persists but category crowded with Huel and incumbent nutrition brands.
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Huel direct
UK-based meal replacement competitor expanding US.
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Ensure / Boost incumbent
Abbott/Nestle clinical nutrition brands.
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Magic Spoon / protein shakes adjacent
Different positioning — protein snack vs full meal.
Notable stories
- Rhinehart lived on Soylent exclusively for months as experiment — viral story drove early adoption among Silicon Valley engineers.
- a16z bet on DTC nutrition before meal kits and protein brands saturated the category.
Industries
Market / IPO context
Editorial / static context — not a live quote.
Related funding articles
Venture Capital Tracker pieces that cover Soylent's financing or category context.
FAQs about Soylent
Practical answers founders, operators, and investors typically search for.
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Editorial note: AI tools assisted with research, structure, or drafting. Venture Capital Tracker retains human editorial responsibility for factual accuracy, relevance, and source quality before publication.