Mars selects fermentation and functional protein startups for Unreasonable Food cohort

Mars and Unreasonable Group have selected 13 companies for the 2026 Unreasonable Food cohort, with protein technologies spanning microbial fermentation, microalgae and yeast-derived functional ingredients among the areas represented.

• Mars and Unreasonable Group selected 13 companies from six countries for the third Unreasonable Food cohort, which will focus on nutrition, ingredients, protein, food safety and circularity.
• Superbrewed Food, Nutrition from Water and Revyve bring microbial, microalgae and yeast-derived protein technologies, while Lasso Labs is developing a new approach to creating meat-like texture.
• The companies join an ongoing network connecting participants with Mars teams, mentors and investors, although the announcement did not disclose direct investment in the selected ventures.

Mars and Unreasonable Group have named the 13 companies joining the third Unreasonable Food cohort, with several protein technologies selected as the program expands its focus on nutrition, ingredient innovation and food-system resilience.

The 2026 group includes companies from the USA, UK, Netherlands, France, Portugal and India working across gut health, nutrition, protein, food safety, data and circularity.

For the protein sector, four names stand out: Superbrewed Food, Nutrition from Water, Revyve and Lasso Labs.

Nutrition from Water is developing complete protein from microalgae grown in fermentation tanks, with the company aiming to address what it describes as a growing gap in global dairy protein supply. According to the Unreasonable Food announcement, its process could produce protein at up to three times lower cost than dairy protein.

No supporting cost data or production scale was disclosed in the announcement.

Superbrewed Food, meanwhile, is developing ingredients based on whole microbial cells that combine protein nutrition with postbiotic functionality for human and pet applications.

The US company has developed a non-GMO anaerobic fermentation process that produces microbial biomass containing protein and other nutrients. Its inclusion places fermentation within the cohort's Fiber & Gut Health category rather than its dedicated protein section, reflecting the wider functionality being targeted by some microbial ingredients.

Dutch company Revyve has been selected under Functional Protein.

Revyve produces yeast-derived texturizing ingredients designed to provide functions conventionally associated with eggs, including emulsification, gelation and binding. Its technology uses upcycled brewer's yeast to produce ingredients for applications including meat alternatives, sauces and other formulated foods.

Rather than supplying protein primarily for nutritional fortification, Revyve is targeting the technical role protein can perform within a formulation.

Lasso Labs takes another approach. The company is developing a process that spins relatively simple ingredients into fibers, which it compares with the way a cotton candy machine spins sugar. The resulting structures are intended to create meat-like texture without relying on high temperatures or additives.

Together, the four companies illustrate how protein innovation is spreading across nutrition, fermentation, functionality and food structure rather than remaining concentrated on conventional meat and dairy replacement.

“At Mars, our ambition is to create better snacks and a better planet, and that requires innovation across the entire food system, from soil to snack,” said Amanda Davies, Chief R&D, Commercial and Sustainability Officer for Mars Snacking. “This year’s Unreasonable Food cohort brings the bold, scalable thinking we believe can help advance nutrition, ingredient innovation, food safety, circularity and supply chain resilience.”

Unreasonable Food was launched by Mars and Unreasonable Group in 2024 to support growth-stage food businesses.

Rather than operating as a protein-specific accelerator, the program covers a much wider section of the food system.

Other members of the 2026 cohort include Myota, which develops combinations of prebiotic fibers; Holobiome, which studies interactions between gut bacteria, diet and human biology; Kuli Kuli, a moringa food business; and BIOVIT, which extracts vitamins and minerals from organically grown plants and fungi.

FoodHealth, HowGood and Radicle Science represent the data, nutrition assessment and clinical research portion of the cohort, while Spore Bio is developing rapid contamination detection technology for manufacturing facilities. Without is working on recycling multi-layer plastics and mixed textiles.

The companies gathered in Windham, New York, from September 12-18 and will join participants from the previous two cohorts in an ongoing network involving Mars teams, Unreasonable Food mentors and investors.

Mars and Unreasonable Group did not disclose direct investments in the 13 selected companies as part of the announcement.

The organizations did, however, release performance figures for companies that entered the program in its first year.

According to Mars, the 2024 cohort has subsequently reported almost US$200 million in additional revenue, alongside 140,000 tons of CO2e avoided and 310 million liters of water conserved. The companies also reported selling an additional 1.14 million kilograms of food and reaching 24 million more people with safe and nutritious food.

The figures were reported by the participating ventures and were not independently detailed in the announcement.

“We’re honored to welcome these thirteen entrepreneurs into the Unreasonable Food family,” said Daniel Epstein, CEO of Unreasonable Group. “Changing how food is grown, made and moved is one of the most practical levers we have for a more resilient future, and it takes founders like these to pull it. Working alongside Mars, our job is to give them the support that helps them get there faster.”

For Mars, the latest intake also provides exposure to technologies sitting considerably further upstream than the finished consumer products for which the company is best known.

The inclusion of microbial, microalgae and yeast-based technologies in the 2026 cohort reflects that wider interest in how proteins and functional ingredients could be produced and formulated differently.

For the selected companies, the program offers access to a network built around one of the world's largest food manufacturers at a point when commercial scale, manufacturing partnerships and routes into established food businesses have become increasingly important.

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