Introducing Lasso: A New Food Tech Company Redefining Consumer Packaged Foods

Backed by $6.5M in new funding, Lasso is filling a void in the food industry with its proprietary fiber spinning technology that transforms simple ingredients into clean-label, protein-packed foods.

Lasso today announced its official launch and the introduction of its proprietary technology, Lasso SpinTech. This breakthrough system upends the outdated standards of ultra-processed foods using physics to weave together protein and fiber to make previously unattainable new consumer products. With a new $6.5M raise, Lasso is bringing its technology to the world by launching its own brands and licensing to global partners to create a new generation of healthier foods.

Guided by CEO Mike Messersmith, the Lasso team spent the past year deploying its commercial-scale technology to create innovative clean-label products including protein-packed snacks and pet food—expanding beyond its first plant-based meat application under the Tender Food brand. Lasso’s latest $6.5M in capital, led by Rhapsody Venture Partners with participation from Safar Partners, Claridge Venture Partners, and others, will enable the company to commercialize its transformative technology across new high growth food categories.

“Consumers are no longer accepting the status quo in packaged food. Evidence of that is everywhere from the MAHA movement to vocal pushbacks on ultra-processed foods, and the influence of GLP-1 therapies on consumption patterns and preferences,” said Messersmith. “The industry is desperate for new, innovative solutions, but has been handicapped by antiquated processing machines invented over 100 years ago–and wholly ill-equipped to meet the needs of consumers in 2025. At Lasso, we want to use our technology to step into that void and create progress. Our patented technology offers new ways of creating protein and fiber-rich foods with clean labels and competitive cost structures that will jumpstart major momentum in growing categories across the grocery store.”

Lasso originated at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute, where founders Kit Parker, Luke MacQueen, Christophe Chantre, and Grant Gonzalez invented and spent seven years refining a novel food-processing technology – an “advanced cotton candy machine” capable of creating delicious, nutritious foods with exceptional texture and cost efficiency from nearly any ingredient. Their work culminated in the 2020 launch of Tender Food, which applied Lasso SpinTech to create category-leading plant-based meat. Tender Food will remain a brand under Lasso’s broader portfolio, soon to be joined by several to-be-announced new brands, all built on Lasso SpinTech.

Lasso SpinTech has come a long way since then — scaling from a countertop system in a lab to a commercial-scale system producing hundreds of thousands of pounds of product annually without the need for high heat, excess sugars or artificial additives. Today, the system is compact (about the size of a washing machine) and ultra-efficient (using less energy than a toaster oven) - a fraction of the capital and operating cost of competitive technologies. With nearly limitless ingredient combinations and texture flexibility, Lasso’s technology has the potential to create an endless range of craveable food products.

Messersmith closed: “This fundraise marks a major milestone for Lasso. We are on the cusp of introducing truly innovative new foods made of simple ingredients that everyone understands - both through brands we create and in working with global partners to bring new products to market through licensing agreements. There is nothing on the market that can match what Lasso can achieve with this technology. We are thrilled for people to taste these new products and take this business to a whole new level.”

About Lasso

Lasso is transforming our food system with a breakthrough technology that converts simple ingredients into premium food products. Developed by Harvard scientists at the Wyss Institute, Lasso’s innovative technology “spins” fibers, leveraging centrifugal force to restructure simple ingredients into nutritionally advantaged, affordable food products. With 1,000+ ingredient combinations and vast parameters to control fiber thickness, composition, arrangement, density, and moisture content, Lasso gives food producers the adaptability to navigate shifting supply chains, evolving consumer preferences, and global food trends - setting a new standard for the future of food production. Learn more at www.lassolabs.com.

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