Richard Ware
About Richard Ware
Richard Ware spent 35 years at Mars, Inc. before retiring. Proxy Foods described him as a food industry veteran when it announced his role as Board Advisor in March 2024.
FoodBev reported that his areas of expertise include fermentation, plant-based and cell-based foods, bioengineering and conventional agriculture. It also reported that he co-founded two nonprofit organisations. One works on the advancement of cellular agriculture and the other on the expansion of food technology.
Crunchbase-style investor databases list him as an angel investor based in McLean, Virginia. Proxy Foods' August 2026 funding announcement refers to him as "the late Richard Ware". Founders should not expect to pitch him directly.
The only angel investment publicly attributed to him is Proxy Foods. CB Insights records it as an Angel round dated March 22, 2024, worth $2.3M in total. He is listed there alongside co-investors including Ted Leonsis, Robert Hisaoka, Anthony Nader and Fredrick Schaufeld. The individual amount he invested is not disclosed. CB Insights lists one investment for him in total.
Proxy Foods is his one known AI investment. The company builds an agentic AI platform for food and beverage research, development and commercialization. It says it serves CPG, foodservice and ingredient companies. In its 2024 announcement, Ware said he was excited to work with the team at the intersection of taste and nutrition and AI tools.
In August 2026, Proxy Foods announced a $6M seed round led by Ted Leonsis. The release lists Ware among its investors, using the phrase "the late". His disclosed investment was in the earlier 2024 round.
His public activity points to food technology and food-focused AI, at the earliest stage. The one disclosed deal was an early round for a company founded in 2022. He also served as an advisor to that company, not only as an investor. His check size, preferred stage range and geographic focus are not public, and no public statement from him describes what he looks for in a pitch.
- Proxy Foods: AI-native platform for food and beverage R&D and recipe formulation, based in Washington, D.C. He invested in its 2024 round of $2.3M and served as Board Advisor. The company announced a $6M seed round in August 2026 that lists him among its investors.
- proxyfoods.ai/press/proxy-foods-2-million-preseed-funding
- foodbev.com/news/proxy-foods-raises-2-3m-for-ai-recipe-formulation-pla
- cbinsights.com/investor/richard-ware
- cbinsights.com/company/proxy-foods
- finance.yahoo.com/technology/ai/articles/proxy-foods-ai-raises-6m-1113
- vegconomist.com/organisations-and-brands/proxy-foods
Investing activity
Richard Ware appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $6M. The most recent is Proxy Foods (Seed, $6M, Aug 2026).
Richard Ware most often invests alongside Ted Leonsis, SWaN & Legend Venture Partners, Robert G. Hisaoka and Roger Ferguson, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Richard Ware
Who is Richard Ware, the angel investor?
Richard Ware was a food industry executive who spent 35 years at Mars, Inc. He invested in and advised the AI company Proxy Foods. Databases list him as an angel investor based in McLean, Virginia.
What AI companies has Richard Ware invested in?
The only publicly documented one is Proxy Foods, an agentic AI platform for food and beverage R&D. He invested in its 2024 round, and the company's August 2026 $6M seed announcement also lists him among its investors.
What is Richard Ware's angel check size?
It is not public. The 2024 Proxy Foods round totaled $2.3M across several investors, and his own amount was not disclosed.
Can founders still pitch Richard Ware?
Probably not. Proxy Foods' August 2026 funding announcement calls him "the late Richard Ware". Founders in food and AI may look to the other investors named in that round instead.
What sectors did Richard Ware back?
His only known investment is in food and beverage technology with AI at its core. His stated expertise covers fermentation, plant-based and cell-based foods, bioengineering and conventional agriculture.
Is Richard Ware an angel investor?
Yes. Richard Ware invests personally as an angel.
What stage does Richard Ware invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Richard Ware has invested at Seed, with a median round of $6M.
Who does Richard Ware co-invest with?
Richard Ware's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Ted Leonsis (1 deal), SWaN & Legend Venture Partners (1 deal), Robert G. Hisaoka (1 deal), Roger Ferguson (1 deal) and Jeff Skoll (1 deal).
How can founders reach Richard Ware?
Founders on Lounge can see Richard Ware's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Richard Ware to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.