Nick Cooney

Nick Cooney (born c. 1981) is a managing partner at Lever VC, an investment fund focused on alternative protein companies.

He co-founded the Good Food Institute and was co-founder and Managing Trustee of New Crop Capital. He is the author of three books: Change of Heart (2010), Veganomics (2013), and How To Be Great At Doing Good (2015). He previously worked for the non-profit organizations Mercy for Animals and Farm Sanctuary, and was the founder of the non-profit organization The Humane League.

Early life and education Nick Cooney was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Cooney received a bachelor's degree in Non-Violence Studies from Hofstra University in 2003.

Policy and non-profit work In 2005, Nick Cooney founded The Humane League in Philadelphia, a non-profit organization that works to protect animal welfare. Cooney is one of several people who provided information used in the writing of the book Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism (2008) by Mark Hawthorne.

Since then, Nick Cooney's work promoting alternative proteins and animal protection has been featured in media outlets including CNBC, Food Navigator, The Guardian, and the Wall Street Journal. He has also delivered lectures at international conferences and on university campuses such as Harvard and Yale.

Cooney previously worked as campaign coordinator at the non-profit Farm Sanctuary, and as executive vice president at the non-profit Mercy for Animals. He is currently a director with the non-profit Lever Foundation.

Mercy for Animals Cooney worked as an executive vice president at Mercy for Animals until 2017.

In 2018, concurrent to the start of #MeToo, some Mercy for Animals staff accused Cooney of harassment and bullying. Cooney, replying to one such accusation post, apologized for the hurt caused by "a very direct way of communicating" along with a defense of himself. Mercy for Animals publicized several institutional changes issued in response to the accusations.

The Good Food Institute and New Crop Capital Nick Cooney is former board chairman and co-founder of The Good Food Institute. These two organizations collaborate to support the plant-based and cultured food companies.

Lever VC Nick Cooney is founder and currently Managing Partner at Lever VC, a U.S.-Asian venture capital fund investing in early stage alternative protein companies.

Books