Leonardo DiCaprio Invests In Food Start-Up Beyond Meat

Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio has had a long standing connect with meat – what with his byson-eating stint in The Revenant – but he sure wants to put his money where the greens are. Food start-up Beyond Meat recently announced that the actor has become one of its investors.

Beyond Meat is a popular food manufacturing company that aims to make mass market plant-based meat substitutes. The establishment already has a star-studded list of backers including Bill Gates, Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams and venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers. A former McDonald’s CEO has also invested, along with animal protection organization the Humane Society, and the meat company Tyson Foods, reports Fortune.

“Leo is serious about climate change,” Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown tells Fortune. “He’s a really good ally for us.” Brown added that “this is not a celebrity deal. He is someone who genuinely believes in what we’re doing and wants to help grow it.”

Image: Beyond Meat

Meanwhile, Leonardo said in a statement: “Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions…Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate.”

This is not DiCaprio’s debut run as an investor. The Titanic star has also invested in plant-based snack company Hippeas and sustainable seafood company LoveTheWild.

Feature Image: The Hollywood Reporter