Food-as-Medicine Startup Raises $3.6 Million To Scale GLP-1 Solution

An Israeli startup developing weight management products has emerged from stealth mode and closed an oversubscribed $3.6 million pre-seed funding round.

Lembas, which describes itself as an artificial intelligence-powered peptide discovery company, aims to offer a more accessible alternative to high-priced injectables sold under brand names like Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy with its first solution, GLP-1 Edge.

The food-grade bioactive is designed to trigger the key hormone that helps regulate appetite and metabolism and may be incorporated in bars, shakes, snacks, beverages and supplements, according to the company.

The funding round was led by FLORA Ventures, which incubated the company, with participation from Bluestein Ventures, Fresh Fund, Longevity Venture Partners, Maia Ventures, Siddhi Capital, Mandi Ventures and SDH.

Founded in 2024, Lembas is led by a team and board comprising interdisciplinary scientists and former executives from PepsiCo, Mondelez International, IFF, Shiru and Brightseed. Its founding chairman, Gil Horsky, managing partner of FLORA Ventures, previously held senior innovation and corporate venture capital roles at Mondelez.

“As a longtime food industry executive and investor in the space, I believe the discovery of GLP-1 is the biggest disruptor the food industry has faced in decades,” said Horsky in a press release. “Lembas is the first science-backed company enabling food players to seize this disruptive opportunity by setting a new bar for food-as-medicine. We’re combining deep-tech with cutting edge science to unlock a scalable, credible path to make functional food actually functional.”

Lembas will use the capital to accelerate the scale-up and commercialization of GLP-1 Edge, expand its bioactive discovery platform and strengthen partnerships with ingredient, food and supplement companies. The company noted while its initial focus is on weight management and metabolic health solutions, its computational platform was developed to identify functional ingredients across a broader range of health and wellness benefits.

“At Lembas, we’re creating a new category of science-backed nutrition, empowering consumers for the first time to effectively and conveniently manage their weight through companion food and supplements without pricy prescriptions, injections, and unpleasant side effects,” said Shay Hilel, co-founder and CEO of Lembas, in a press release. “Our early validation and the strong interest from global food and supplement companies shows there is a massive unmet need for our GLP-1 Edge solution, that works naturally with the body, not against it.”

An estimated three-fourths of U.S. adults are overweight and obese. About 3% to 5% of the general population have used GLP-1 weight loss drugs to restrict appetite over the past year, according to a Brightfield Group report. But a far greater number – about half of Americans – are actively seeking to shed pounds, leading to outsized opportunities for product developers and marketers.

Several food manufacturers have launched products specifically tailored to consumers using the drugs, and supplement chains have added in-store displays dedicated to GLP-1 related products.

Supergut, which makes prebiotic fiber-rich meal replacement shakes, snack bars and powdered supplements, says its products may be used to replace or enhance the use of weight loss injectables. The company recently debuted a range of GLP-1 Booster flavored powders that may be blended into water or smoothies after pulling in new funding and appointing a new chief executive earlier this year.