alternative protein
Plant-based ‘meat’ startup Tender has already nabbed a fast-food chain contract, and another $11M
Its technology involves spinning plant protein fibers, including soy proteins, similar to the way cotton candy is made, to create structured cuts of meat.
Animal-free egg protein startup Onego Bio is one step closer to cracking the traditional egg market
Onego Bio claims Bioalbumen is “bioidentical” to ovalbumin, which is the major protein in chicken egg white.
Ingrediome believes it can solve the lab-grown protein taste problem
The co-founders of Israeli food tech startup Ingrediome say they are inventing better-tasting lab-grown protein that’s up to 10 times less expensive to produce.
Meati Foods puts CFO Phil Graves at the helm as it cuts 13% of its workforce
Meati is another example of a tech company making layoffs that didn’t appear to be in trouble.
Pacifico Biolabs emerges from stealth with fermentation process for alternative seafood
The company’s fermentation process involves the cultivation of multiple microorganisms, including mycelium, to provide nutrition, flavor and texture.
Chunk Foods secures funding, Latin America deal for plant-based whole cuts
The partnership with meat and dairy producer Sigma Alimentos brings Chunk’s plant-based products to Latin America for the first time.
Bon Vivant toasts taking $15.9M to brew up versatile animal-free dairy proteins
Lyon, France-based precision fermentation startup Bon Vivant, which is using biotech techniques to reprogram yeast microorganisms to produce animal-free milk proteins with a substantially lower environmental footprint than traditional dairy,…
Would you eat lab-grown meat? Would you give the same answer if someone asked you to use a beauty product that had lab-grown collagen as an ingredient? Cellular agriculture —…
Brevel sprouts $18.5M to develop microalgae-based alternative proteins
Brevel developed a proprietary technology that combines fermentation and light to make a protein from microalgae that is sold to food companies as a powder for use in plant-based products.
With its planet-friendly protein, Farmless wants to dramatically outperform animal agriculture
Dutch startup Farmless has today announced that it has raised a €1.2 million pre-seed equity round at an undisclosed valuation to bring to our tables proteins created without the need…
Featured Article
Higher egg prices yield demand for alternatives
The avian flu, a shortage of cage-free eggs and a subsequent rise in prices in late 2022 seems to have provided an “in” for alternative egg companies to show they can compete.
Mushroom protein company Meati Foods opens ‘mega’ facility; closes $22M in new funding
Mega Ranch enables Meati Foods to grow, harvest and process its mycelium and then produce its products under one roof.
Good Meat approved to sell serum-free cultivated meat in Singapore
Good Meat announced today it has received regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency to use serum-free media for the production of its cultivated meat. The brand, which is the…
Heura tucks into $20M funding chunk for its plant-based proteins ahead of beefier B round next year
What’s going on with demand for plant-based meat? If you take a look at Barcelona-based Heura the picture seems rosy — with the alt-protein startup claiming “non-stop” momentum and a…
Planted gets $72M to put whole cuts of vegan chicken on Europe’s menu
Planted, a Swiss startup that’s cooking up alternative proteins using biostructuring and fermentation to serve “clean” cuts of vegan meat — such as the plant-based chicken breast plated up above…
Singapore-based Good Startup raises $34M fund to invest in alternative protein companies
Good Startup, a Singapore-based venture capital firm focused on alternative protein, has closed its latest fund. Consisting of $34 million, the new fund, called Good Protein Fund I, included participation…
Unicorn Bio is building the hardware to scale cultivated meat from lab to table
Cultivated meat, grown in a bioreactor rather than out on the range, might be one of the big food trends of the decade. But it’s relying on tech built around…
CellMEAT, a South Korean lab-grown shrimp producer, bags $8.1M Series A funding
As consumers’ interest in the environment and nutrition rises, food-tech companies join the race to invent meat alternatives. In 2021, alternative seafood companies received $175 million in investment globally, increasing…
Here’s Y Combinator’s answer to cultivated meat’s scaling problem
The positive impact alternative meat products — like plant-based meat or cultivated meat — can have on the environment is striking. In optimistic scenarios where we transition to from meat-laden…
Convincing meat eaters to adopt a climate-friendly diet might get a little easier thanks to Slovenian startup Juicy Marbles, which has come up with a way to create plant-based whole…
Brazil’s Future Farm rakes in $58M to sell more plant-based meat and dairy
Another big raise in the alternative protein space: Future Farm, a Brazilian-based food tech startup that touts plant-based meat substitutes with a “true” meat-like texture, has closed a $58 million…
Animal Alternative makes a platform play in the growing market of cultured meat
Traditional meat production is about as far from a sustainable process as we’ve got, but our chances of getting everyone to give up “real” meat are lean. Animal Alternative is…
Australia’s v2Food aims to expand its plant-based meats to Europe and Asia with €45M raise
V2Food is one of many new contenders in the alternative protein space, founded in Australia but now setting its sights on Europe, Asia and beyond. It has a few key…
Planted raises another $21M to expand its growing plant-based meat empire (and add schnitzel)
Swiss alternative protein company Planted has raised its second round of the year, a CHF 19 million (about $21 million at present) “pre-B” fundraise that will help it continue its…
Cutting out carbon emitters with bioengineering at XTC Global Finals on July 22
Bioengineering may soon provide compelling, low-carbon alternatives in industries where even the best methods produce significant emissions. Utilizing natural and engineered biological process has led to low-carbon textiles from AlgiKnit,…
Chinese startups rush to bring alternative protein to people’s plates
In many ways, China is the ideal testbed for alternative protein. The country has a long history of imitation meat rooted in Buddhist vegetarianism and a growing, health-conscious middle class.
Swiss maker of meat alternatives Planted will expand and diversify with $18M Series A
Planted, a startup pursuing a unique method of creating a vegetarian chicken alternative, has raised an $18 million (CHF 17 million) Series A to expand its product offerings and international…
Heura, a vegan-friendly alternative to chicken that’s been cooked up by a Barcelona-based startup, has launched its first products in the U.K. It’s working with local distributors The Vegan Kind…
Can protein startups and their investors take on Big Cow?
For many of us, our first experience with fake meat involves rubbery tofu that tastes more like sneaker sole than seared filet. As we forage on, next come the veggie…
