€3.75m · Other round · Foodtech · Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona-based Plesh has raised €3.75m in a financing round led by streamer Ibai Llanos and former footballer Gerard Piqué. The pair are joining the chocolate-snack company as partners and co-founders, while the capital will support further growth in Spain and an initial international push.
Founded in 2024, Plesh makes chocolate bars and bite-sized snacks without added sugar. Its product story centres on ZeroUp, a formulation based on plant fibres, and the range spans dark- and milk-chocolate formats sold online and through retailers. The company says it has reached more than 3,000 points of sale in Spain, including Carrefour, Alcampo, Bonpreu, Ametller Origen, Cal Fruitós and Areas. That gives the business a physical distribution base before it spends the new money on a broader rollout.
From endorsement to ownership
Plesh is presenting the deal as more than a celebrity campaign. CEO Jaume Betrian said the company wants Llanos and Piqué to help build the brand, while Llanos described his role as helping develop products rather than simply lending his name. Piqué was already a shareholder, according to El Periódico, which described this as Plesh's second financing round and named existing backers including Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernández, Mission and Banco Sabadell.
The ownership structure is central to Plesh's commercial thesis. The company is competing with confectionery brands whose recognition was built over decades and with advertising budgets a young startup cannot match. Giving creator-investors responsibility for product, content and community could compress that brand-building cycle by linking audience access to decisions inside the company. It also raises the bar: a campaign can be judged on reach, but an ownership strategy ultimately has to produce repeat purchases and stronger retail demand.
Plesh already has listings, so the next test is store-level velocity rather than visibility alone. The capital can fund more distribution and market entry, but retailers will care whether products keep moving after the first creator-led launch. A limited-edition ice cream developed with Olimpro in July also shows that the company has tested its brand beyond its core bars and bites, though that collaboration does not yet prove a repeatable product-extension engine.
International expansion adds another execution layer. Plesh will need suitable retail or distribution partners, reliable supply and a proposition that travels beyond the personal reach of its new co-founders. Llanos and Piqué can accelerate awareness and product storytelling; durable growth will still depend on turning that attention into products customers buy again.
Sources checked:
Europa Press · Cinco Días · Plesh · El Periódico · CanalDis · Tech.eu Funding Explorer
