Emerald portfolio company Future Meat raises $347 million in major funding round

Emerald Ventures, a pioneer in industrial technology venture capital, announced Tuesday that it joined a $347 million series B round in food technology firm Future Meat. Its infusion into the Israeli startup solidifies Emerald’s foothold in the fast-growing market for cruelty-free, sustainable meat produced without traditional farming. It represents Emerald’s second investment into Future Meat, following a successful series A round in 2019.

Future Meat leverages a proprietary technology based on stainless steel fermenters which continuously remove waste products generated by “immortal” tissue cells. This allows the company to maintain a constant physiological environment which supports rapid and natural proliferation of animal cells. This cutting-edge process enables Future Meat’s industry-leading low costs—typically the largest hurdle in making cultivated meat competitive with traditional meat. The firm can now produce cultivated chicken breast for just $7.70 per pound, down from under $18 per pound just six months ago—a breakthrough that far surpassed the 18-month timeline projection announced in May 2021.

Its methodology is also significantly more climate-friendly than conventional animal husbandry, emitting 80% fewer greenhouse gases and reducing the amount of land and water required by 99% and 96%, respectively, while delivering the same nutritional profile.

“We are incredibly excited by the massive support of our global network of strategic and financial investors,” said Yaakov Nahmias, founder and president of Future Meat. “This financing consolidates Future Meat’s position as the leading player in the cultivated meat industry, just three years after our launch. Our singular technology has reduced production costs faster than anyone thought possible, paving the way for a massive expansion of operations.”

Emerald, who joined the funding round alongside ADM Ventures, Menora Mivtachim, S2G Ventures, Tyson Ventures, Rich Products Ventures, Manta Ray Ventures, ADM Capital (Cibus Fund) and Bits x Bites, is looking forward to the company’s further rapid growth, including a launch of a first-of-its-kind, large-scale production facility in the United States in 2022, said managing partner Gina Domanig.

“We knew right at the start that Future Meat was poised to be a major player in the market for next-generation meat,” said Domanig. “Their team has the technical savvy to fully capitalize on this latest funding infusion and it’s been an honor to be part of their ongoing growth journey.”

About Emerald Technology Ventures

Emerald is a globally recognized venture capital firm building a sustainable future at the crossroads of industry and technology. Founded in 2000, it is a pioneer in open innovation, providing multi-national corporations with rich deal flow and insight in the sectors and markets of tomorrow. Emerald has managed and advised assets of over €1 billion from its offices in Zurich, Toronto and Singapore. The firm is dedicated to tackling big challenges in climate change and sustainability via over 500 venture transactions and five third-party investment mandates, including loan guarantees to over 100 start-ups. www.emerald.vc

CONTACT FOR EMERALD:

info@emerald.vc

About Future Meat

Headquartered in Rehovot, Israel, Future Meat is the first cultivated meat company to break the commercial viability cost barrier, making cultivated meat that is delicious, non-GMO, healthy, sustainable and available for widespread consumption. Future Meat created lines of animal cells that grow forever without genetic modifications, removing the need to harvest animals. The company produces cultivated chicken, lamb, beef and pork with numerous environmental, health and ethical benefits and will radically transform the global production of meat. Cultivated meat requires less land and water to produce and doesn’t use antibiotics. www.future-meat.com.