NEEDHAM, MASS. — Purple Carrot, a vegan meal kit company, is launching an incubator to scale early-stage plant-based companies.

The Garden will serve as an investor, incubator and launch pad, providing support and expertise in strategy, branding, marketing, e-commerce, operations, fulfillment and data analytics services. Select companies will receive up to $250,000 in seed funding.

The program is sponsored by Unovis Partners, an investment firm focused on start-ups developing plant, fungi and cell-based animal protein alternatives. Its portfolio features more than 30 brands, including Beyond Meat, New Wave Foods and Zero Egg. Funding will be provided through the firm’s evergreen New Crop Capital fund. Companies may apply at purplecarrotgarden.com.

Founded in 2014, Purple Carrot has shipped more than eight million plant-based meals across the country. The company offers breakfast, lunch and dinner options every week with pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes.

“With The Garden our goal is to accelerate the positive trajectory of qualifying brands, improve their focus and enable rapid and improved distribution in the U.S. and beyond," said Andy Levitt, founder and chief executive officer at Purple Carrot. “The de-risking of brands for future follow-on investment will be a key differentiator for this service.”