Meatable

Our farming and rearing practices are broken. They wreak havoc on the environment, biodiversity, and global health. Our food system emits ⅓ of all greenhouse gas emissions – more than all emissions from transport, heating, lighting and air conditioning combined. 

Meat production is particularly damaging. It accounts for 60% of all greenhouse gases from food production, and captures 75% of global arable land, driving deforestation, pollution and wildlife declines. Intensive livestock farming also fosters antimicrobial resistance and the spread of zoonotic diseases.

Nonetheless, meat remains a staple of our current diet and one of the best ways for our bodies to get complete proteins, key vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids. As the global middle class grows, the global meat market is projected to grow at a 14% CAGR to a staggering $1.6 trillion in 2022

As the costs of scaling labs decrease and our understanding of biology increases, we could, in theory, feed everyone on Earth without any of the costs. Lab-grown meat requires 99% less land and 96% less water, does not require antibiotics, generates up to 96% less greenhouse gas emissions, and does not contribute to deforestation or require the use of fertilizers and pesticides.

The team at Meatable reached out to us before we structured our fund, as Sofia had previously invested in Ynsect and seen firsthand the opportunities and challenges of scaling an industrial company in the food sector. We were impressed by Daan and Krijn’s backgrounds, vision and progress to date.

Meatable was founded with two key technological advantages: (1) the ability to create induced pluripotent stem cells (cells with the capability of becoming any other cell type), and (2) the ability to differentiate these stem cells into both muscle and fat cells by applying a patent-protected and highly efficient cell reprogramming technology.

Initially developed at the Cambridge University Stem Cell Institute for human medicine, their technology brought stem cell differentiation yields from 40% to 100% and meant the company could - in theory at the time - produce high quality and high fidelity batches of both muscle and fat cells at a scale and consistency level unknown to the clean meat industry, giving them the potential to produce lab-grown meat at an affordable price point. 

Though this was untested at the time, the company has done incredible R&D work in the last three years. It is now on track to deliver high-quality lab-grown pork to be launched in Singapore, where regulation is favorable, in 2024.