Soylent Really Green: Meal-Replacement Startup Raising at $100 Million Valuation

Soylent, the Los Angeles-based maker of a buzzed-about nutritional supplement of the same name, is raising over $10 million in funding, Re/code has learned.

The new round of funding puts the startup company at a $100 million pre-money valuation and is being led by one of its current investors, Andreessen Horowitz. It is not clear if the round is complete, but sources said it was likely.

Soylent, for the uninitiated, is a meal-replacement shake that is said to contain around a hundred percent of the recommended daily allowance of fat, potassium, carbs and vitamins. (The recipe can be found here.)

While nutrient-rich meal-replacement formulas and shakes are often distributed to communities of hungry or malnourished people — and Soylent has been considered in this realm — Soylent was actually an invention of convenience. After creator and chief executive Rob Rhinehart gave his homemade concoction a 30-day try back in 2013, he wrote that “not worrying about food is fantastic,” and that he felt “liberated from a crushing amount of repetitive drudgery.” (Rhinehart is not a doctor or nutritionist, and does not purport to be.)

Then, after a successful crowdfunding campaign, the initial batch of Soylent hit the market in May of last year. It has been described as everything from “bland” to “homemade non-toxic Play-Doh” to a “red flag for a potential eating disorder.” There have also been many jokes about issues around, well, flatulence when imbibing the product.

Soylent previously raised $1.5 million in funding from Lerer Hippeau Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, which declined to comment. A query sent to Soylent has not yet been returned.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

We have a request

Vox's journalism is free because we believe that everyone deserves to understand the world that they live in. That kind of knowledge helps create better citizens, neighbors, friends, parents, consumers and stewards of this planet. In short, understanding benefits everyone. You can join in on this mission by making a financial gift to Vox today. Reader support helps keep our work free, for everyone. Will you join us?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$95/year

$120/year

$250/year

$350/year

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $120/year

Yes, I'll give $120/year

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via