Startup profile · funding coverage
Soylent funding, valuation and investors
Meal-replacement drinks and powders for convenient nutrition.
Keep track of Soylent
Save this profile to your VCT watchlist for a quick return.
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: https://www.fooddive.com/news/soylent-raises-50m-series-b/
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.
-
Huel direct
UK-based meal replacement competitor expanding US.
-
Ensure / Boost incumbent
Abbott/Nestle clinical nutrition brands.
-
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
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.
Last updated:
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.