Cultivated Biosciences: Pioneering Dairy Alternatives with a Boost from Joyful Ventures

How Cultivated Biosciences is Redefining Creaminess Without the Cow

By Milo Runkle

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Cultivated Biosciences, a Swiss biotech startup at the forefront of sustainable food innovation, announced today a key milestone in its journey to redefine dairy alternatives. Thanks to a $5 million seed funding round, with significant participation from Joyful Ventures, the company is well on its way to bringing its revolutionary yeast-based, dairy-free cream to the market by 2025. This funding marks a pivotal step towards achieving the company's vision of creating healthier, more sustainable dairy alternatives that don't compromise on taste or texture.

Joyful Ventures Spearheads Investment in Sustainable Food Innovation

Joyful Ventures joined Navus Ventures, Founderful, HackCapital, Lukas Böni, Mandi Ventures, and Zürcher Kantonalbank in the round, showcasing broad investor confidence in Cultivated Biosciences' vision.

Milo Runkle, General Partner at Joyful Ventures, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, "Cultivated Biosciences is at the cutting edge of food technology, offering a viable solution to one of the industry's most pressing challenges: creating a sustainable, plant-based dairy alternative that meets consumer expectations for taste and texture. We are thrilled to support their journey and help bring their innovative yeast cream to consumers worldwide."

Reflecting on the successful funding round, Cultivated Biosciences' CEO Tomas Turner shared his gratitude and optimism for the future. He stated, "This funding validates our innovative approach and enables us to introduce our revolutionary yeast cream to the market. We aim to make alternative dairy products appealing to traditional dairy consumers, not just to reduce CO2 emissions from dairy production but also to tap into a multi-billion dollar market opportunity."

Revolutionizing Dairy Alternatives with Yeast Cream

Cultivated Biosciences' yeast cream is a testament to the company's ingenuity and commitment to sustainability. This product is rich in fats, proteins, and fibers, all derived from yeast, and features a microstructure of yeast lipid droplets that closely resemble those found in milk fat. This similarity ensures that the yeast cream can replicate the creaminess and functionality of traditional dairy cream without the environmental toll.

Cultivated Biosciences aims to transform the dairy-free sector with its yeast-derived cream, a sustainable and healthy solution designed to mimic the creaminess, functionality, and color of traditional dairy cream without compromising taste.

This innovation stems from a proprietary process of yeast biomass fermentation, distinguishing itself from other methods by being non-GMO, more cost-effective, and easily scalable. The result is a versatile ingredient that achieves functional and sensory parity with dairy cream, offering a promising alternative for the food industry and gastronomy sectors.

Accelerating Development and Market Launch

The seed funding round will accelerate both the development of the yeast cream and preparations for its market launch. Cultivated Biosciences is already collaborating with the food industry to refine its product and ensure its integration into consumer products like coffee creamers, milk, and ice cream meets the highest standards.

Looking Ahead: Scaling Up and Expanding Horizons

With a 15-member team dedicated to transitioning from the R&D phase to market entry, Cultivated Biosciences is focused on scaling up production. Collaborations with the food industry and gastronomy are underway to introduce this game-changing ingredient to consumer markets by 2025. The company's vision extends beyond the U.S. market, with plans to venture into the European market by 2026, pending regulatory approvals.

The global dairy alternatives market, valued at $12 billion in 2023, is poised for significant growth, projected to reach $34 billion by 2033. As consumer demand for health- and environmentally-conscious products continues to rise, Cultivated Biosciences' yeast cream is set to play a crucial role in meeting these needs. By offering a product that overcomes the common hurdles of texture and clean labeling, Cultivated Biosciences is not just creating a dairy alternative; it's setting a new standard for the industry.