Big Idea Ventures

Founded in 2019, Big Idea Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments in alternative protein companies. It focuses on plant-based food products and ingredients, as well as cell-based meats. The firm invests primarily in Asia and North America.

Bill Arnold

Director - GFRP Fund

Christian Cadeo

Managing Partner

Henrietta Hearth

Vice President Global Acceleration

Andrew D Ive

General Partner

Frank Klemens Ph.D

Managing Director

Past deals in Biotechnology

Nanoingreen

Pre Seed Round in 2024
Nanoingreen specializes in transforming plant-based products into functional foods. Utilizing precision fermentation processes, they offer formulations that enhance the nutritional value of these products, preventing future health issues.

Future Biome

Pre Seed Round in 2024
Future Biome is a biotechnology company focused on enhancing health through innovative microbiome solutions. The company specializes in developing precision fungi-based prebiotics aimed at improving gut health. Utilizing a predictive bioinformatics platform, Future Biome customizes prebiotic formulations to suit individual microbiota profiles or specific market segments, aiming for increased efficacy and predictable outcomes. Their initial product, a fungal prebiotic, has demonstrated significant improvements in microbiota function in laboratory studies, showing up to 500% enhancement with complete efficacy compared to existing market benchmarks. Future Biome plans to initiate clinical trials for this groundbreaking prebiotic in April 2024, marking a significant step towards personalized gut health interventions.

MEATOSYS

Pre Seed Round in 2024
MeatOSys equips farmers with technology and supplies to cultivate meat on their farms, using cells harvested from their own animals, ensuring full traceability. This process increases meat production while reducing animal usage. The company also supplies the food industry with the resulting cultivated meat.

Renew Food

Pre Seed Round in 2024
Renew Food is investigating the use of novel protein-based flavor ingredients. The taste and nutritional quality of alternative foods are top priorities for consumers seeking new, great-tasting, healthy food products that are good for our planet.

Nalca Biotech

Pre Seed Round in 2024
Accelerating bioproduct development using continuous fermentation technology

BiomeMega

Pre Seed Round in 2024
BiomeMega is a biotechnology company dedicated to improving human health through microbiome-derived innovations. It specializes in research and development of omega fatty acids (three, six, seven, and nine) for the nutraceutical, food, and pharmaceutical industries. The company's proprietary probiotic formulations, developed in collaboration with leading universities, enable clients to offer non-GMO products with potential health benefits, aiming to transform the probiotic industry and enhance overall well-being.

Cultimate Foods

Seed Round in 2024
Cultimate Foods is a cellular agriculture company focused on cultivated fat for hybrid alternative-meat products. It develops cell-cultured fat that mimics the structure of animal fat tissue, using a three-dimensional cultivation approach to create structured fat ingredients and lower production costs. The company also pursues cell-engineered adipose tissue to enable meat alternatives that combine cultivated fat biomass with other ingredients, delivering the flavor and texture of meat while supporting sustainability.

Perfat Technologies

Seed Round in 2024
Perfat Technologies is a health-focused technology company that develops innovative applications for managing fat content in foods using advanced techniques like ultrasound and oleogel technologies. Their mission is to provide consumers with healthier vegetable oil options, such as rapeseed or sunflower oil, by optimizing bioprocesses to enhance sustainability and reduce production costs.

Nexture Bio

Venture Round in 2023
Nexture Bio specializes in developing technologies for alternative meat production, focusing on creating meat-like texture, mouthfeel, dimension, and taste. The company provides structural solutions for cultivated whole-cut meats.

MarineXcell

Venture Round in 2023
The present global demand for shrimps and crustaceans has reached unprecedented levels, and this demand is expected to double in the coming decade. However, traditional sources of seafood production, such as fishing and aquaculture, cannot keep pace with this exponential growth. These methods pose significant environmental and sustainability challenges. The world needs a new solution, one that is both innovative and eco-conscious, to meet the surging demand for these unique seafood delicacies. This is where Marinexcell comes in, offering a timely and revolutionary approach to address the challenges of supplying genuine shrimp, lobster, and crab meat to a hungry world. Marinexcell exists to revolutionize the seafood industry, offering a groundbreaking, sustainable, and environmentally responsible alternative to traditional shrimp, lobster, and crab meat production. We aim to meet the increasing global demand for these delicacies while preserving our planet's fragile ecosystems. We are committed to providing consumers with genuine, high-quality seafood that is not only delicious but also ethical and sustainable. Our mission is to make a positive impact on the environment, animal welfare, and food security by providing a solution that aligns with the values of conscious consumers. At Marinexcell, we offer a solution beyond meeting the growing demand for shrimp, lobster, and crab meat. We empower consumers, businesses, and the industry as a whole to enjoy these delicacies without compromising on ethics or sustainability. With our proprietary and novel process, we will deliver: • High-quality, genuine shrimp, lobster, and crab meat that can be used in various culinary creations. • An environmentally friendly and sustainable source of seafood, eliminating the negative impacts of overfishing and traditional aquaculture. • Products that are 100% contaminant-free, ensuring safety and health for consumers. • Flexibility in nutritional components,

Alcheme Bio

Venture Round in 2023
Alcheme Bio is a biotechnology company specializing in enhancing the flavor and sensory experience of alternative proteins. It uses data-driven formulation tools and proprietary molecular insights to bioengineer media supplements that enable cells to express their own natural flavors, making cultivated foods more appealing to consumers.

Innocent Meat

Venture Round in 2023
Innocent Meat is a company that provides an automated, end-to-end clean meat production system aimed at helping food processors transition away from traditional animal agriculture. The business offers a comprehensive plug-and-play solution that includes growth media, cell lines, and scaffolding, as well as essential manufacturing hardware such as bioreactors and filtration systems. This integrated approach enables meat producers to efficiently manage the production of cell-based meat, ensuring safety and effectiveness in the process. Through its innovative technologies, Innocent Meat supports the shift towards sustainable food production by facilitating the adoption of clean meat alternatives.

Perfat Technologies

Pre Seed Round in 2023
Perfat Technologies is a health-focused technology company that develops innovative applications for managing fat content in foods using advanced techniques like ultrasound and oleogel technologies. Their mission is to provide consumers with healthier vegetable oil options, such as rapeseed or sunflower oil, by optimizing bioprocesses to enhance sustainability and reduce production costs.

SoundEats

Funding Round in 2023
SoundEats is a pioneering company developing cultivated seafood using advanced CRISPR-enabled technology. They create engineered cells that thrive in bioreactors, reducing production costs and time to market for lean fish. Their species-agnostic platform aims to transform the global seafood industry sustainably.

Harvest Moon Foods

Venture Round in 2023
Harvest Moon is Canada's first microbial fermentation company working to produce next generation dairy.

Naturannova

Venture Round in 2023
Naturannova is a company focused on advancing food technology through the discovery and development of plant-based protein flavors and ingredients. By integrating computational biology with biomanufacturing processes, Naturannova aims to create innovative and sustainable food solutions. Its computational platform is designed to identify proteins from plant sources, enabling food and beverage manufacturers to streamline their development processes. This approach not only reduces time and costs but also supports healthier consumer choices by providing access to next-generation ingredients that promote well-being.

PFx Biotech

Venture Round in 2023
PFx Biotech is a pioneering company that specializes in the development of alternative proteins using precision fermentation. They focus on producing human milk proteins, which are nourishing and contain beneficial bioactivities such as immune-boosting, anti-microbial, and anti-viral properties. By leveraging their fermentation platform, they aim to provide sustainable protein alternatives that can help reduce water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, thereby promoting a more environmentally friendly and animal-free protein landscape.

Yeastime

Venture Round in 2023
Yeastime specializes in accelerating fermentation processes using innovative ultrasound technology. Its proprietary method enhances efficiency by up to 30%, setting it apart as a pioneer in food technology.

Pioneer Biolabs

Venture Round in 2023
Pioneer Biolabs, established in 2018 and based in Provo, UT, is a B2B biomanufacturing company. It offers CRISPR Cas9 sgRNA library reagents, services, and tools to life science industries. The company's core strength lies in its proprietary genomic screening platform, which enables simultaneous testing of thousands of genomic modifications. This platform optimizes microbial cells for enhanced protein production, reducing bioprocess development times and improving overall efficiency.

Future Cow

Pre Seed Round in 2023
Future Cow is a Brazilian startup specializing in cellular agriculture, focusing on the development of innovative technology to produce dairy milk without the use of cows. By employing precision fermentation techniques, Future Cow replicates the molecular proteins found in traditional dairy, using only a digitized version of cow genes and no animal cells. This process results in animal-free milk that is molecularly identical to conventional dairy while significantly reducing environmental impacts. The company aims to address concerns related to animal welfare and greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional dairy farming. Future Cow's approach represents a significant advancement in food technology, offering consumers a more sustainable and ethical alternative to conventional dairy products.

Multus

Series A in 2023
Multus is a London-based company established in 2019 that specializes in providing tailored growth media solutions for the cultivated meat industry. By utilizing a machine learning-based approach, Multus develops completely animal-free growth media designed specifically for the efficient growth of animal cells. This innovative technology enables cultivated meat companies to scale their production affordably and sustainably, allowing them to focus on creating delicious and environmentally friendly meat alternatives. Additionally, Multus optimizes a variety of growth factor proteins produced by genetically engineered microorganisms, thereby eliminating the reliance on traditional animal serum-based media. Through its efforts, Multus aims to address the diverse needs of various animal cell types and tissues, facilitating the growth of the cultivated meat sector while significantly reducing the environmental and economic impacts associated with conventional meat production.

Meat.The End

Seed Round in 2022
Meat.The End specializes in developing protein texturizing technologies for plant-based meat alternatives. By innovating extrusion processing methods, they aim to replicate the texture, flavor, and appearance of animal proteins, enhancing the eating experience of plant-based products.

Cultimate Foods

Seed Round in 2022
Cultimate Foods is a cellular agriculture company focused on cultivated fat for hybrid alternative-meat products. It develops cell-cultured fat that mimics the structure of animal fat tissue, using a three-dimensional cultivation approach to create structured fat ingredients and lower production costs. The company also pursues cell-engineered adipose tissue to enable meat alternatives that combine cultivated fat biomass with other ingredients, delivering the flavor and texture of meat while supporting sustainability.

NouBio

Pre Seed Round in 2022
NouBio is a biotechnology company focused on bio‑intelligent manufacturing and animal‑free serum replacements to reduce the cost and scale of cell‑based biomanufacturing for applications in human longevity and related industries. Its flagship NouSerum is a fetal bovine serum replacement designed to match FBS performance while lowering production costs, and it features a powder form, antimicrobial properties, room-temperature storage, GMO‑free status, broad serum protein content, FDA GRAS designation, and GMP compliance. The company also develops AI‑driven bioprocessing technologies, including a robotic cellular biocomputer to replace traditional bioreactors and scalable production solutions, as well as AI‑driven formulas and ingredients for enhanced cell‑based products and XenoFree options. In addition, NouBio pursues sustainable, animal‑free platforms for cultured meat, cell therapies, vaccines, tissue creation, cell‑based blood, regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and related fields, emphasizing scalable, cost‑effective production through biodegradable microcarriers and other immersive materials.

Niskus Biotec

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Niskus Biotec specializes in producing food ingredients that enhance the sustainability, supply chain security, and functionality of various products. The company focuses on developing functional, protein-rich ingredients suitable for a wide range of food and beverage applications, aimed at improving nutrition, taste, and texture. Niskus Biotec collaborates with agri-food companies to facilitate the development and implementation of scaled-up manufacturing processes, utilizing specially designed solid-state fermenters. This flexible, staged approach allows businesses to effectively integrate these innovative ingredients into their offerings.

Shocken Foods

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Shocken Foods is a plant-based deli meat manufacturer that creates deli slices and pizza toppings through an innovative alt-protein formulation. It produces a range of plant-based deli meats designed to mimic traditional options such as prosciutto, salami, pepperoni, pancetta, ham, and bacon, offering high-protein vegan alternatives. Its products aim to deliver the taste and texture of conventional deli meats while aligned with plant-based eating. The focus is on developing products that appeal to consumers seeking sustainable, flavorful options for sandwiches and pizzas, without animal-derived ingredients.

Genuine Taste

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Genuine Taste specializes in producing real animal fat through cell-based technology, aiming to enhance the taste and mouthfeel of alternative meat products. The company's mission is to facilitate a transition towards ethical, sustainable, and delicious plant-based alternatives.

Mogale Meat Company

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Mogale Meat Co. is a privately incorporated limited liability company developing real meat products from southern Africa’s prized wild antelope, poultry and free-roaming livestock, using advanced cellular agriculture technologies. The company is focused on developing a vertically integrated pro-diversity food technology platform to make healthy and nutritious cell-cultivated meat accessible to Africa's rapidly growing population and export to global markets. Mogale is Managing Partner of MeatOurFuture – an XPRIZE "Feed the Next Billion" semi-finalist.

Nutropy

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Nutropy produces real milk ingredients identical to those produced by cows, using microbes and fermentation. They develop premium cheese alternatives that offer the same taste as cow's cheese but are more sustainable, healthier, and better for animals.

Cultivated Biosciences

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Cultivated Biosciences is a food production company that develops specialized fat ingredients from oleaginous yeast. These ingredients enhance the creaminess and mouthfeel of plant-based dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt alternatives.

Extracellular

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Extracellular specializes in bioprocessing technologies designed to optimize cell-culture efficiency for a sustainable bio-economy. The company offers expertise in bioprocess development, scale-up, media development, and cell-line development, enabling clients in cultivated meat, plant-cell culture food, bio-cosmetics, and bio-supplements to create sustainable alternatives.

Esencia Foods

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Esencia Foods develops a unique mycelium-based fermentation platform to produce plant-based meat alternatives. Their products offer distinctive textures, clean labels, and competitive pricing.

Novel Farms

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Novel Farms, Inc. is a Berkeley, California-based company founded in 2020 that specializes in the production of cell-based meat delicacies. It focuses on developing cruelty-free, low-cost, and tunable bioscaffolds through microbial fermentation and proprietary tissue engineering technology. The company's mission is to create gourmet meat alternatives that replicate the taste and texture of conventional meats, appealing to a new generation of conscious consumers. By producing whole-muscle cuts of cultivated meat, Novel Farms aims to make synthetic meat-based delicacies accessible and desirable, transforming the consumption of cell-based meat into a sought-after culinary experience.

Mycosortia

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Mycosortia transforms inedible food waste into edible alternative protein products using its proprietary microbial biotransformation technology. It supplies FibProt™, a functional protein powder, to B2B partners and formulates alternative protein foods like cookies, bars, and shakes derived from FibProt™ for B2B2C sales.

Dynacyte Biosciences

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Dynacyte Biosciences is a biotechnology and bioscience informatics company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Singapore. The company specializes in the development of modular bioreactors designed to enhance the capabilities of the biotechnology sector. These innovative bioreactors integrate artificial intelligence, advanced microelectronics, and wetware, enabling users to effectively learn, discover, and execute various bioprocesses. By providing both physical and virtual foundations, Dynacyte aims to facilitate groundbreaking advancements in bioprocessing that mirror the complexity of natural processes.

Smart MCs PTY

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Smart MCs PTY LTD specializes in developing innovative microcarrier technologies aimed at enhancing the large-scale production of cultivated meat. Recognizing the growing demand for sustainable protein sources in light of environmental challenges, the company focuses on creating advanced materials that facilitate the efficient cultivation of adherent cells. By improving harvesting performance and reducing production costs, Smart MCs enables cultivated meat companies to scale their operations while minimizing cell loss. This approach addresses critical issues within the meat industry, contributing to more sustainable food production practices that align with global efforts to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and resource use.

Sono Biosciences

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Sono Biosciences is a life science company developing advanced fish cell culture media and fish cell lines for cultured fish. Its serum-free culture media aims to eliminate animal-sourced components, ensuring compatibility with large-scale food-grade applications.

Algrow Biosciences

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Algrow Biosciences develops microalgae-derived ingredients to support a more sustainable and nutritious food system. The company cultivates microalgae to produce high-value pigments and proteins for use in food and cosmetics, leveraging a fast-growing biomass that requires less land, water, and energy than traditional sources. By supplying versatile, sustainable ingredients derived from microalgae, Algrow Biosciences aims to enable diverse industries to reduce environmental impact while expanding options for nutritious and functional components.

ImpacFat

Pre Seed Round in 2022
ImpacFat is a food production company that develops fish meat alternatives through cell cultivation. It specializes in producing cultivated cell-based fish fat to enhance the flavor, texture, aroma, and nutrition of alternative protein products, enabling consumers to obtain healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids that support heart health.

FoodSquared

Pre Seed Round in 2022
FoodSquared is a B2B food tech company that enables the next generation of plant-based shellfish starting with shrimp.

The Good Pulse Company

Pre Seed Round in 2022
The Good Pulse Company develops functional proteins and ingredients derived from pulses for use in plant-based foods and supplements, including plant-based cheeses and meats. It concentrates on maximizing the functionality and nutritional value of components extracted from pulse seeds such as peas and soy, and pursues the production of functional meat proteins through precision fermentation to offer sustainable, ethical food options without compromising taste or experience.

CaroMeats

Seed Round in 2022
CaroMeats grows healthy, delicious meat directly from animal cells. No environmental damage is caused. No animals are harmed.

Mewery

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Mewery specializes in cultivating pork meat using proprietary bioreactors that grow pork cells on microalgae-based media. This process takes around six to seven weeks and significantly reduces land use, water consumption, and carbon emissions compared to traditional farming methods.

The Mushroom Meat

Pre Seed Round in 2022
The Mushroom Meat Co. is a B2B food technology company that develops animal-free, mushroom-based meat alternatives and clean-label ingredients for meat-style applications. Through a proprietary and tunable platform, it produces a range of products such as beefless patties, porkless shreds and beefless shreds, often integrated with gourmet mushrooms and upcycled plant proteins, and it can create customized shapes and flavors. The products are gluten-free, soy-free, vegan, paleo-friendly and free of the top-12 allergens, enabling vegan, paleo and allergen-free menus with meaty textures and flavors.

HaoFood

Seed Round in 2022
HaoFood is a pioneering company in the plant-based meat sector, specifically focused on developing realistic and delicious plant-based chicken products. The company's founders identified a gap in the market, noting consumer dissatisfaction with existing offerings that often had a tofu-like texture. With a significant portion of the Chinese population seeking to reduce meat consumption, HaoFood addresses this demand by utilizing peanut protein as the primary ingredient, which allows for a strong and elastic texture that mimics traditional chicken products. This innovation not only caters to the taste preferences of flexitarians and vegetarians but also aims to provide a satisfying alternative to comfort foods like fried chicken. Led by a team of seasoned professionals with expertise in entrepreneurship and food technology, HaoFood employs proprietary extrusion technology and formulation to produce affordable and sustainable plant-based chicken options, contributing to a growing trend of healthier eating in China.

Meat.The End

Seed Round in 2022
Meat.The End specializes in developing protein texturizing technologies for plant-based meat alternatives. By innovating extrusion processing methods, they aim to replicate the texture, flavor, and appearance of animal proteins, enhancing the eating experience of plant-based products.

MeliBio

Seed Round in 2022
MeliBio, Inc. is a technology-driven company based in Oakland, California, founded in 2020 by Aaron M. Schaller, PhD, and Darko Mandich. The company specializes in producing vegan nectar products that serve as a molecularly identical alternative to traditional honey. By employing advancements in plant biology, precision fermentation, and synthetic biology, MeliBio creates honey without the involvement of bees, aiming to mitigate the negative impact of commercial bee farming on biodiversity. In 2023, MeliBio launched its consumer-facing brand, Mellody, further expanding its market presence. Recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2021, MeliBio is committed to providing sustainable and innovative solutions in the food industry.

Lypid

Seed Round in 2022
Lypid develops vegan fats designed to taste and behave like animal fats. The company uses a novel formulation and microencapsulation to mimic texture, mouthfeel, flavor transfer, and cooking behavior of animal fats, enabling an animal-free alternative with minimal artificial additives, reduced hydrogenation, and fewer trans fats. Its products aim to reduce dependence on animal fats and lower the environmental footprint of food production.

Genesea

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Genesea operates a biotechnology company focused on deriving ingredients from offshore marine macroalgae for the food industry. Its unique approach offers a zero-waste, zero-emission biochemical supply chain, enabling food companies to produce sustainable ingredients at low cost while reducing deforestation and freshwater consumption.

Umami United

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Umami United is a Japanese-inspired plant-based food brand focused on enriching the alternative protein market with unique and innovative ingredients. The company specializes in creating products that deliver intense umami flavor, appealing to both vegan consumers and those seeking healthier food options. Its flagship product, UMAMI Egg, is formulated primarily from konjac powder, showcasing the brand's commitment to leveraging Japanese culinary traditions and technology to develop its offerings. By providing plant-based alternatives to traditional eggs and meat, Umami United aims to broaden choices for the growing vegan population while promoting a flavorful and nutritious diet.

Cellcraft

Seed Round in 2022
Cellcraft is a Cambridge-based B2B cultivated meat company building a scalable manufacturing platform for cultured meat. It combines AI-driven software, advanced technologies, and targeted raw materials to help food producers locally manufacture cultivated meats more sustainably. The company applies tissue engineering and biomimetic systems to harvest animal cells in controlled environments, enabling commercial-scale production of cultured meats tailored to local tastes and specifications. By enabling local production, Cellcraft addresses global food security and sustainability challenges and aims to democratize access to sustainable protein.

Optimized Foods

Pre Seed Round in 2022
Optimized Foods specializes in developing sustainable food ingredients. They focus on cell-cultured caviar production using proprietary mycelium scaffolds and cell biology techniques.

CF Foods Group

Pre Seed Round in 2022
CF Foods Group, founded in 2021, specializes in the development of alternative proteins for the agribusiness sector. The company focuses on lab-grown meat production, offering a range of cell-cultivated proteins that include beef, pork, chicken, duck, turkey, and quail. By leveraging advanced technology and scientific research, CF Foods Group aims to optimize the production of meat alternatives, enabling clients to create innovative plant-based products. The company's commitment to preserving nature while advancing food technology positions it as a forward-thinking player in the evolving food industry.

Mogale Meat Company

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Mogale Meat Co. is a privately incorporated limited liability company developing real meat products from southern Africa’s prized wild antelope, poultry and free-roaming livestock, using advanced cellular agriculture technologies. The company is focused on developing a vertically integrated pro-diversity food technology platform to make healthy and nutritious cell-cultivated meat accessible to Africa's rapidly growing population and export to global markets. Mogale is Managing Partner of MeatOurFuture – an XPRIZE "Feed the Next Billion" semi-finalist.

Phyx44

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Phyx44 Labs, founded in 2021 and based in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, specializes in developing cell-derived replacements for traditional dairy products. The company utilizes precision fermentation technology to create animal-free dairy proteins and fats, resulting in nature-identical alternatives to conventional milk. By focusing on sustainable practices, Phyx44 aims to provide consumers with planet-friendly dairy options that do not compromise on taste or quality.

Harmony Baby Nutrition

Seed Round in 2021
Harmony is a biotechnology startup that creates human breast milk protein-based infant nutrition designed to help human babies thrive. It is the world’s first dairy-free, allergen-free and environmentally friendly infant nutrition. Harmony Baby Nutrition was established in 2018 and is based in Boston, MA.

Alt Atlas

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Alt Atlas develops an AI-driven digital manufacturing platform linked to cell lines and smart tools. This enables faster, cost-effective production in the cultivated meat and biotech sectors. The company offers novel non-GMO cell lines and customized AI-based services for cultivated meat producers.

MOA

Seed Round in 2021
MOA make healthy food for a sustainable world that solves growing global food demands. They are establishing a new industry of sustainable food that solves growing global food demands without the need for arable land. They are focused on designing high-value, natural and nutritious food.

Grounded Foods

Seed Round in 2021
Grounded Foods Co. is a West Hollywood-based company that specializes in producing plant-based cheeses crafted from cauliflower and hemp seeds. Founded in 2019 by behavioral economist Veronica Fil and international award-winning chef Shaun Quade, the company employs a proprietary fermentation process that utilizes imperfect vegetables to create products that closely resemble the flavor and texture of dairy cheese. Their product lineup includes gruyere style cheese, camembert style cheese, marinated hemp seed feta, and hemp seed cream cheese, all designed to offer high nutritional value while promoting environmental sustainability. Grounded Foods sells its offerings through both retail stores and online channels, aiming to provide consumers with viable dairy-free alternatives.

Biftek

Seed Round in 2021
Biftek is a biotechnology company that develops culture medium supplements to grow muscle stem cells for cultured meat production. Its microorganism-based growth media aim to lower costs and enable real meat without animals, slaughterhouses, or antibiotics, by supporting clean meat technology that does not involve genetic modification. Based in New Castle, Delaware, the company targets affordable meat production to meet rising global demand while addressing climate change concerns.

Wild Earth

Series A in 2021
Wild Earth is a technology-driven pet food company that develops plant-based, clean-protein diets for pets. It aims to provide healthier nutrition that is more humane and environmentally sustainable than conventional pet foods. Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Berkeley, California, Wild Earth emphasizes science-based formulations to meet pets' nutritional needs while reducing environmental impact.

Maya Milk

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Maya Milk, established in 2021 with its headquarters in Izmir, Turkey, specializes in precision fermentation technology to create animal-free dairy proteins and fatty acids. The company aims to serve the food and dairy industry by producing vegan alternatives that mimic the structure and functionality of animal-derived counterparts, enabling customers to enhance their alternative dairy products.

Yofix

Series A in 2021
Yofix develops and manufactures dairy-free, soy-free fermented plant-based foods enriched with probiotics. Their products include yogurt alternatives, drinks, desserts, and frozen yogurts, all made from cereals, lentils, grains, and seeds, offering a clean label with no artificial additives or preservatives.

De Novo Foodlabs

Pre Seed Round in 2021
De Novo Foodlabs specializes in developing animal-free dairy products and proteins that offer nutritional profiles identical to cow's milk. The company employs precision fermentation technology to create innovative ingredients that are sustainable, vegan, and free from antibiotics. By integrating bioinformatics and advanced biotechnology, De Novo Foodlabs modifies the functionality of proteins and essential nutrients, ensuring that its offerings are not only healthier for consumers but also easier to produce and less harmful to the environment. This approach allows food companies to take a phased strategy in creating healthier and more sustainable products for their customers.

GOURMEY

Seed Round in 2021
Founded in Paris, France in 2019, GOURMEY specializes in developing and producing ethical foie gras using duck cell cultivation. This innovative process aims to create sustainable, high-quality meat products without force-feeding or animal slaughter.

Cellcraft

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Cellcraft is a Cambridge-based B2B cultivated meat company building a scalable manufacturing platform for cultured meat. It combines AI-driven software, advanced technologies, and targeted raw materials to help food producers locally manufacture cultivated meats more sustainably. The company applies tissue engineering and biomimetic systems to harvest animal cells in controlled environments, enabling commercial-scale production of cultured meats tailored to local tastes and specifications. By enabling local production, Cellcraft addresses global food security and sustainability challenges and aims to democratize access to sustainable protein.

The Frauxmagerie

Pre Seed Round in 2021
The Frauxmagerie specializes in crafting plant-based cheese products. Their offerings include aged and fresh cheese alternatives made from just five natural ingredients: cashews, nutritional yeast, vegan probiotics, salt, and bacterial cultures.

Farmsow

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Farmsow is a B2B ingredients company that develops alternative healthy ingredients. Its platform uses net-zero technology to upcycle agricultural sidestreams and applies industrial fermentation to create substitutes for tropical oils and animal fats for a range of applications. The company aims to close the sustainable nutrition gap by enabling cleaner and healthier lifestyles through its processes, including synthetic biology-enabled methods.

Jellatech

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Jellatech is a biotechnology company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with research and development operations in Wageningen, Netherlands. The company focuses on producing high-quality, pure, animal-free collagen and gelatin through innovative cellular agriculture techniques. By cultivating cells in bioreactors, Jellatech aims to eliminate the dependency on animals for these essential ingredients, catering to clients across various sectors including food and beverage, medical, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries. Jellatech's commitment to providing safe and sustainable alternatives positions it as a forward-thinking leader in the biotechnology field.

MeliBio

Pre Seed Round in 2021
MeliBio, Inc. is a technology-driven company based in Oakland, California, founded in 2020 by Aaron M. Schaller, PhD, and Darko Mandich. The company specializes in producing vegan nectar products that serve as a molecularly identical alternative to traditional honey. By employing advancements in plant biology, precision fermentation, and synthetic biology, MeliBio creates honey without the involvement of bees, aiming to mitigate the negative impact of commercial bee farming on biodiversity. In 2023, MeliBio launched its consumer-facing brand, Mellody, further expanding its market presence. Recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2021, MeliBio is committed to providing sustainable and innovative solutions in the food industry.

Meat.The End

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Meat.The End specializes in developing protein texturizing technologies for plant-based meat alternatives. By innovating extrusion processing methods, they aim to replicate the texture, flavor, and appearance of animal proteins, enhancing the eating experience of plant-based products.

Blue Ridge Bantam

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Blue Ridge Bantam is a pioneering cultured meat company based in the South, specializing in turkey, which is recognized as America's original source of protein. The company focuses on advancing avian cell-based technology with the aim of facilitating a shift towards meat products that are not only healthy and flavorful but also sustainable. Blue Ridge Bantam utilizes a biotechnology approach to produce cell-based poultry meat by harvesting tissue and fat cells from animals and cultivating them in a bioreactor. This process yields a product that mirrors the biological composition of traditional meat while integrating cultivated fat cells with plant proteins to create a hybrid offering, catering to the growing demand for sustainable meat alternatives.

Big Idea Ventures

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Founded in 2019, Big Idea Ventures is a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage investments in alternative protein companies. It focuses on plant-based food products and ingredients, as well as cell-based meats. The firm invests primarily in Asia and North America.

Angie's Tempeh

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Angie's Tempeh is a manufacturer of plant-based protein products. It specializes in producing tempeh through a precise fermentation process, resulting in a firm texture and mushroom-like aroma.

Innocent Meat

Pre Seed Round in 2021
Innocent Meat is a company that provides an automated, end-to-end clean meat production system aimed at helping food processors transition away from traditional animal agriculture. The business offers a comprehensive plug-and-play solution that includes growth media, cell lines, and scaffolding, as well as essential manufacturing hardware such as bioreactors and filtration systems. This integrated approach enables meat producers to efficiently manage the production of cell-based meat, ensuring safety and effectiveness in the process. Through its innovative technologies, Innocent Meat supports the shift towards sustainable food production by facilitating the adoption of clean meat alternatives.

MeliBio

Pre Seed Round in 2020
MeliBio, Inc. is a technology-driven company based in Oakland, California, founded in 2020 by Aaron M. Schaller, PhD, and Darko Mandich. The company specializes in producing vegan nectar products that serve as a molecularly identical alternative to traditional honey. By employing advancements in plant biology, precision fermentation, and synthetic biology, MeliBio creates honey without the involvement of bees, aiming to mitigate the negative impact of commercial bee farming on biodiversity. In 2023, MeliBio launched its consumer-facing brand, Mellody, further expanding its market presence. Recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2021, MeliBio is committed to providing sustainable and innovative solutions in the food industry.

Meat.The End

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Meat.The End specializes in developing protein texturizing technologies for plant-based meat alternatives. By innovating extrusion processing methods, they aim to replicate the texture, flavor, and appearance of animal proteins, enhancing the eating experience of plant-based products.

Jellatech

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Jellatech is a biotechnology company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, with research and development operations in Wageningen, Netherlands. The company focuses on producing high-quality, pure, animal-free collagen and gelatin through innovative cellular agriculture techniques. By cultivating cells in bioreactors, Jellatech aims to eliminate the dependency on animals for these essential ingredients, catering to clients across various sectors including food and beverage, medical, pharmaceutical, and personal care industries. Jellatech's commitment to providing safe and sustainable alternatives positions it as a forward-thinking leader in the biotechnology field.

Biftek

Seed Round in 2020
Biftek is a biotechnology company that develops culture medium supplements to grow muscle stem cells for cultured meat production. Its microorganism-based growth media aim to lower costs and enable real meat without animals, slaughterhouses, or antibiotics, by supporting clean meat technology that does not involve genetic modification. Based in New Castle, Delaware, the company targets affordable meat production to meet rising global demand while addressing climate change concerns.

Orbillion Bio

Seed Round in 2020
Orbillion Bio, Inc. is a food-tech company based in Fremont, California, focused on developing cultured meat products derived from heritage cattle breeds. Founded in 2019, the company utilizes small tissue samples from high-quality heritage animals to produce premium cell-based meat products. Orbillion Bio aims to harness the potential of cell-cultured meat to provide delicious and nutritious food that is sustainable and accessible. By sourcing heritage cell lines directly from farmers, the company emphasizes a commitment to quality and sustainability in its production processes.

Gaia Foods

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Gaia Foods is a pioneering Singapore-based company specializing in the production of cell-based red meat using proprietary stem cell biotechnology. As the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, Gaia Foods focuses on creating clean meat alternatives that replicate the taste and texture of traditional meat without the need for animal slaughter. Their innovative approach ensures that the meat is free from hormones, antibiotics, and toxic chemicals, offering consumers a cruelty-free and sustainable option. By leveraging advanced technology, Gaia Foods aims to address the growing demand for ethical and environmentally friendly meat products.

Peace of Meat

Seed Round in 2020
Peace of Meat is a Belgium-based company founded in 2019 that specializes in producing and supplying cultured animal fat to enhance the taste, texture, and nutritional value of cultured and plant-based food products. The company focuses on non-GMO cultured chicken and duck fat, which serves as a critical ingredient for meat alternatives like nuggets, burgers, and meatballs. Utilizing proprietary stem-cell-based bioreactor technology, Peace of Meat cultivates these fats without causing harm to animals. The firm has conducted taste tests that demonstrate how its cultured fat can significantly improve the flavor profiles of plant-based protein products, making them more appealing to consumers seeking meat alternatives.

Zhenmeat

Seed Round in 2020
ZhenMeat is a food-processing company based in Beijing, China, founded in 2017. It specializes in producing plant-based and fungus-based meat alternatives, focusing on creating healthier and more environmentally friendly food options. The company offers a variety of products, including plant-based mince meat made from pea protein in pork and beef flavors, as well as meat substitutes for mooncakes, dumplings, meat sauce, meat patties, and meatballs. ZhenMeat aims to reduce the negative impacts of commercial farming while enhancing the nutritional value of its produce.

Novel Farms

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Novel Farms, Inc. is a Berkeley, California-based company founded in 2020 that specializes in the production of cell-based meat delicacies. It focuses on developing cruelty-free, low-cost, and tunable bioscaffolds through microbial fermentation and proprietary tissue engineering technology. The company's mission is to create gourmet meat alternatives that replicate the taste and texture of conventional meats, appealing to a new generation of conscious consumers. By producing whole-muscle cuts of cultivated meat, Novel Farms aims to make synthetic meat-based delicacies accessible and desirable, transforming the consumption of cell-based meat into a sought-after culinary experience.

MeliBio

Pre Seed Round in 2020
MeliBio, Inc. is a technology-driven company based in Oakland, California, founded in 2020 by Aaron M. Schaller, PhD, and Darko Mandich. The company specializes in producing vegan nectar products that serve as a molecularly identical alternative to traditional honey. By employing advancements in plant biology, precision fermentation, and synthetic biology, MeliBio creates honey without the involvement of bees, aiming to mitigate the negative impact of commercial bee farming on biodiversity. In 2023, MeliBio launched its consumer-facing brand, Mellody, further expanding its market presence. Recognized by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2021, MeliBio is committed to providing sustainable and innovative solutions in the food industry.

Evo Foods

Pre Seed Round in 2020
Founded in 2019 and based in Mumbai, India, Evo Foods specializes in producing plant-based liquid eggs using proprietary technology and indigenous Indian ingredients like moong beans and peas. Their cholesterol-free product offers a high protein content and egg-like texture.

Grounded Foods

Pre Seed Round in 2019
Grounded Foods Co. is a West Hollywood-based company that specializes in producing plant-based cheeses crafted from cauliflower and hemp seeds. Founded in 2019 by behavioral economist Veronica Fil and international award-winning chef Shaun Quade, the company employs a proprietary fermentation process that utilizes imperfect vegetables to create products that closely resemble the flavor and texture of dairy cheese. Their product lineup includes gruyere style cheese, camembert style cheese, marinated hemp seed feta, and hemp seed cream cheese, all designed to offer high nutritional value while promoting environmental sustainability. Grounded Foods sells its offerings through both retail stores and online channels, aiming to provide consumers with viable dairy-free alternatives.

GOURMEY

Seed Round in 2019
Founded in Paris, France in 2019, GOURMEY specializes in developing and producing ethical foie gras using duck cell cultivation. This innovative process aims to create sustainable, high-quality meat products without force-feeding or animal slaughter.

New Wave Biotech

New Wave Biotech specializes in downstream process optimization software for alternative protein and synthetic biology products. Utilizing computational modeling and AI, the company conducts virtual experiments on billions of potential processes to provide data-driven recommendations, accelerating R&D and reducing production costs.

Vevolution

Vevolution is a platform facilitating investment and collaboration in the bioeconomy sector. It connects investors with innovative startups focused on AgriFoodTech, Climate Tech, Biotech, Next-Gen Materials, and Sustainable AI, providing tools for deal sourcing, engagement, and data management to accelerate sustainable technology development.
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