Investment Climate Podcast: Alon Chen of Tastewise, How to Get Funded in 2025

In this episode of the Investment Climate Podcast, Alex Shandrovsky interviews Alon Chen, the co-founder and CEO of Tastewise, a generative AI platform for the food and beverage industry. Chen discusses how Tastewise secured a $50M Series B funding round led by Telus, highlighting their playbook for building investor relationships, bridging rounds with strategic partners, and maintaining valuation discipline. He emphasizes the importance of multithreaded fundraising conversations and the significance of the founder community in making critical business decisions.

Chen shares insights on Tastewise's goal to digitize and automate the food industry's go-to market strategies, and how their strong focus on traditional SaaS metrics has set them apart in the AgriFoodTech sector. He advises against succumbing to the temptation of inflated valuations in early funding rounds, urging founders to prioritize long-term business sustainability over short-term gains. The podcast series delves into the strategies and best practices of successful Climate Tech CEOs and leading venture capitalists in securing funding for the future.