Soylent Raises $20 Million, Plans to Take Over the World

Soylent, the nutritional sludge/food replacement powder created by LA-based software engineer Rob Rhinehart in 2013, has raised an additional and unprecedented $20 million in funding. Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is behind the bulk of the cash. In a blog post Soylent writes of the raise, "This is a huge leap forward for our company and we are humbled the the trust our investors and all of you have put in Soylent as we continue to grow."

Soylent is a curious product. Created initially because Rhinehart wanted a "simpler, more efficient food source that could provide maximum nutrition for minimal effort," it's now been billed as the future of food. Its relatively low cost does not yet offset its unpalatable taste, however. The company has said it is looking into flavoring its powders.

Soylent plans to use the new investment to expand its shipping and manufacturing capabilities. So far, the company has shipped more than three million packages to customers across the U.S. Naturally, Soylent has its eyes on expanding that number (it plans to increase production "fifty" fold) and growing internationally. Could Soylent one day appear on grocery store shelves next to oatmeal and Spirulina? Anything is possible.