Company appoints Head of Regulatory, Government and Industry Affairs, Business Development Leads
Ingredients innovation company, Motif Ingredients, has received $27.5 million in funding led by General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, with participation from CPT Capital. The company also revealed a new brand identity and name, Motif FoodWorks, and announced a number of additions to its leadership team. The capital raise, evolution of its brand and expanded team strategically position Motif FoodWorks to fulfill its aspiration to extend the realm of what’s possible with animal-free ingredients.
Motif is pioneering the discovery of better ingredients that improve human health and animal welfare while reducing the environmental impact of animal agriculture. With the new funding, Motif plans to add to and accelerate its product pipeline; expand academic collaborations across a broad set of molecular food science disciplines; scale its science and regulatory staff; and deepen its research and development efforts as the company works to unlock the secrets of food and help innovators meet consumer demand for delicious, responsibly produced foods.
Motif FoodWorks’ new brand better reflects the company’s unique value proposition, broad appeal and deep roots in the food industry. The new name also recognizes its technology partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, a leading bioengineering platform, powering Motif’s ambition to reshape the landscape of food through science and technology.
As Motif enters its next phase of growth, the expansion of the executive and business development team underscores the company’s commitment to driving unprecedented R&D and product development. Motif has added three new senior management positions to its leadership team: Janet Collins joins as Head of Regulatory, Government and Industry Affairs, Julie Post-Smith as Director of Business Development and Morgan Keim as Business Development Manager. The company also announced that Peter Lafer, a Vice President at General Atlantic focused on life sciences investments in the firm’s global Healthcare sector, will join its Board as an observer.
Collins, who has over 30 years of experience in food and biotechnology regulation, will lead Motif’s regulatory efforts as the company introduces new animal-free ingredients to the market. Collins brings a deep understanding of the U.S. meat and dairy industries, having led agricultural advocacy and regulatory affairs in prior roles as the Executive Vice President of CropLife America and President of the Institute of Food Technologists.
With over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing and product development, Post-Smith will be responsible for driving business growth and leading Motif’s go-to-market strategy. Prior to joining Motif, Post-Smith was the Senior Business Director of Food Service at Kerry, where she was responsible for building a road map around the development and launch of new products.
As a seasoned business and operations leader, Keim will work closely with Post-Smith in managing the corporate communications programs and executive customer acquisition strategies. Previously, Keim was the Founder and CEO of Sprouted Ventures, a market strategy firm focused on emerging tech-enabled, plant-based meat and dairy start-ups.
Collins, Keim and Post-Smith join Motif on the heels of several major company milestones, including the most recent addition of Michele Fite as the Chief Commercial Officer, and the company’s partnership with MISTA.