The meat industry’s reliance on livestock farming contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and biodiversity loss. Further, it leads to air, soil, and water pollution. On the other hand, cell-based meats emit 96% less greenhouse gases, use up to 99% less land, and 96% less water than regular meats.
Although global regulations are still catching up to this concept of lab-cultured meat, it can help with the rising protein needs of the world’s growing population.
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Here are 5 innovative startups rising to the challenge, specializing in various cell-based meat-producing methods, and steadily carrying the industry forward.
1. Clear Meat focuses on harmless, safe, sustainable solutions
| Founding Year | 2018 |
| Headquarters | UP, India |
| Total Funding Amount | $316K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | $200K/Angel |
| Website | clearmeat.com |
Based in Delhi, India, Clear Meat is the country’s first lab-grown meat company focused on harmless, safe, sustainable solutions for the meat industry. The startup’s primary goal is to eliminate the need for animal slaughter by producing meat through cell-based culture.
Its technology can help address the rising global meat requirement by providing a more efficient way to produce an indistinguishable alternative.
ClearMeat has raised a total funding of $316K over three rounds.
Dr. Siddharth Manvati and Dr. Pawan Dhar founded the startup. They have pioneered developments in the cultivated or cell-cultured meat category in India.
However, the startup is facing some regional challenges. Cell-based meat is often confused with genetically modified foods, the sale of which is restricted in India. While the startup has no legal troubles, it’s worth noting that this evolving regulatory landscape may take a while to settle.
2. Clever Carnivore aims to reduce water use drastically
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Illinois, US |
| Total Funding Amount | $9.1M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed round /$7M |
| Website | clevercarnivore.com |
Clever Carnivore is an Illinois-based cell-cultured meat startup aiming to drastically reduce traditional meat production’s water use, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions.
It uses stem cell biology, recombinant protein, and bioengineering to make lab-grown meats. It claims its product isn’t an imitation but is identical to farm-raised meat.
Additionally, Clever Carnivore has optimized its growth media to support its unique cell lines, significantly reducing cell culture media costs. This cost advantage positions Clever Carnivore uniquely in the cultivated meat sector.
Clever Carnivore was founded in 2021 by Dr. Paul Burridge and Dr. Virginia Rangos. Dr. Burridge is a professor of pharmacology at Northwestern University. He specializes in chemically defined media formulations and holds patents for optimized, low-cost cell culture media.
The startup has raised $9.1M in funding over two rounds. The last one was on December 4, 2023.
Clever Carnivore is producing cultivated pork sausage, with plans to unveil more prototype products throughout 2024.
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3. Sticta uses fermentation to produce proteins
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Santiago, Chile |
| Total Funding Amount | €125K |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Pre-Seed/€125K |
| Website | sticta.com |
Sticta Biologicals develops a microbial platform that uses fermentation to produce proteins and natural biochemicals for the food and agriculture sectors. The company was founded in 2021 and is based in Santiago, Chile.
Its product, SmartSerum, is a culture media that includes proteins and ingredients for the mass production of cultivated meats. This SmartSerum replaces the animal serum used for cell culture, cutting the cost of cell-based meat culture by half.
Its founder and CEO, Eduardo Agosin, has a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Engineering from Université catholique de Louvain.
During a pre-seed round, Sticta Biologicals raised €125K in funding in April 2023. The startup is funded by ProVeg Incubator.
Read – FBS Alternatives for Cell Cultures: 3 Cruelty-Free Solutions
4. Tender Food shapes plant ingredients into muscle fibers
| Founding Year | 2020 |
| Headquarters | Massachusetts, United States |
| Total Funding Amount | $12.3M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed round/$12M |
| Website | tenderfood.com |
Tender Food was founded in 2020 by Harward Alumni Christophe Chantre, Grant Gonzalez, Kit Parker, and Luke Macqueen.
They use a process that starts with ingredients derived from plants. These plant-based ingredients are then shaped and molded into fibers that resemble the structure of muscle fibers found in real meat. This process allows them to create meat alternatives that mimic the texture and appearance of various types of meat, not just simple products like burgers or sausages.
This methodology allows them to mimic more complex structures, creating meat replacements for all varieties, not only burgers and sausages. The plant-based ingredients are engineered to form intricate fibrous structures that replicate the texture and mouthfeel of actual meat cuts.
Tender Food aims to create sustainable, cruelty-free products that even meat lovers enjoy.
In Feb 2022, the startup raised $12.3M in seed funding from Lowercarbon Capital.
5. ProFuse Technology enhances the protein content of muscle tissue
| Founding Year | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Kiryat Shmona, Israel |
| Total Funding Amount | $3.8M |
| Last Funding Round/Amount | Seed round/$2.5M |
| Website | profuse-tech.com |
ProFuse Technology is an Israeli startup founded in 2021. It operates as a muscle cultivation expert, developing products for muscle tissue growth for the cultivated meat and life science sectors.
Their innovation enhances the protein content of muscle tissue by five times that of traditional meat, resulting in a more protein-rich alternative.
Under the guidance of its CTO, Tamar, a stem cell biology muscle specialist, the startup aims to boost yield and expedite production cycles. Additionally, their processes enable the growth of mature muscle tissue and significantly reduce overall production costs for the alternate meats industry.
Its co-founder, Dr. Tamar Eigler-Hirsh, characterized the molecular signaling pathway, which is the basis of ProFuse Technology. Her research focuses on muscle development and regeneration of muscle progenitor cells.
ProFuse Technology has raised $3.8M in funding over two rounds. Siddhi Capital and OurCrowd are among its main investors.
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Authored By – Hemanth Shenoy, Market Research
