Startup snack bar brand Stars + Honey is gearing up for national expansion with a minority growth investment from VMG Partners, as it looks to carve out space in a snack bar category driven by protein, functionality and cleaner ingredients.
Launched in 2023, the Detroit-based collagen protein bar brand contains 15 grams of protein per bar, formulated with Type I and Type III grass-fed bovine collagen peptides to support hair, skin and bone health, according to the company.
“Long term, we believe collagen helps us stand apart from brands that are competing on grams alone. Our goal is not to win by being the most engineered protein bar on the shelf,” and instead aim to provide a functional, nutritional solution that aligns with consumers’ daily health goals, according to Sveta Doucet, Stars + Honey’s CMO.
Each bar is under 200 calories, sweetened with allulose and features 18 dessert-inspired flavors like Espresso Vanilla Cinnamon and Cherry Chocolate Waffle Cone. The bars are formulated without gluten, dairy, soy, sugar alcohols and seed oils.
The company is on track to reach approximately $50 million in revenue this year, with the new funding set to support national retail expansion, product development and a 60,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, according to Stars + Honey.
“The new manufacturing facility gives us greater control over the two things that matter most in this category: product experience and unite economics,” Doucet said.
For VMG’s extensive portfolio of CPG brands and services, Stars + Honey aligns with its health-focused clients. The firm’s portfolio includes functional and clean label foods like Brami protein pasta and Milton’s gourmet crackers and supplements like Ancient Nutrition’s collagen peptides powder.
What’s driving snack bar funding?
Across the snack bar category, several emerging and scaled brands have recently raised capital, highlighting continued investor appetite for differentiated snack bars, particularly those leaning into protein, clean label positioning and functional benefits.
For example, India-based protein-snack brand The Whole Truth raised roughly $51 million in a 2026 Series D round, building its platform around transparent ingredient lists and a portfolio that includes protein bars.
In the US, Mosh, a protein bar brand positioned around brain health, secured roughly $13 million in funding in May 2026, signaling growing interest in cognitive and functional nutrition within the bar segment.
In 2025, protein bar startup David raised $75 million in a 2025 Series A round to expand its high-protein, low-calorie snack bar across thousands of retail locations. In the same year, the brand acquired food-tech company Epogee – a manufacturer of EPG, a plant-based fat alternative – to secure supply of the coveted ingredient used by several other brands.
UK-based Mooski, which makes chilled oat-based snack bars, raised funding in 2025 as it builds out a refrigerated bar format that departs from traditional shelf-stable offerings.
With positioning around higher protein or improved nutritional profiles, clean label and ingredient transparency (including the removal of additives) and format innovation, emerging snack bar brands are finding ways to stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape and capture investor interest.
Correction: An earlier version stated Mosh raised $3 million in funding - the correct amount is $13 million.
