Meatable gains funding to improve single-cell-based meat technology

Startup Meatable has secured funding to develop a global cell-based meat growth process through patented single-cell technology.

The startup is backed by the University of Cambridge and Stanford University. It secured $3.5m in the seed funding round led by BlueYard Capital, with additional funds from Atlantic Food Labs, Future Positive Capital, Backed VC and several other investors such as Charles Songhurst and Jörg Mohaupt.

Meatable CEO Krijn de Nood said: “In addition to the obvious value of novel meat production methods to society, the business opportunity is enormous. The global meat market is valued at $1tn and is expected to grow significantly, especially with the rise of middle-income countries in Asia.

“For comparison, the combined active markets of Airbnb, Uber, and Spotify are smaller than the global meat market.”

With this investment, the company intends to expand its team, attract new partners, and accelerate product development.

Using their patented platform technology, Meatable takes one cell from a cow, chicken, or pig to create animal muscle and fat cells that grow into real meat.

Meatable noted that no animals are harmed during the cell harvesting process and no additional animal support is needed after the initial cells are collected.

The proprietary approach uses minimal resources to produce meat in just three weeks, which Meatable claims makes it the most sustainable and scalable for food production.

Meatable aims to be the first company to produce meats that account for 90% of total global meat consumption, namely chicken, pork, and beef.

The company also plans to introduce its first product within the next three years, which is a lab-made hamburger.