Swiss deeptech startup sallea raises $2.6m to accelerate production of cultivated meat and fish

Deeptech startup sallea has announced a $2.6 million funding round to help manufacturers of cultivated foods accelerate the production of premium whole cuts like steaks and filets without the need for animal farming. The team at sallea has created innovative edible scaffolds that promise to unlock the potential of cellular agriculture.

Cultivated meat and fish products are quickly establishing themselves as a promising alternative for consumers. The category’s growing popularity is clear in the numbers; over 50% annual growth and it is expected to be worth over $370 billion by 2030. One of the key factors to realize and unlock this growth potential are technological improvements in texture and variety of meat and fish products on the market.

The pre-seed funding round was led by Founderful with participation from Kost Capital. This pre-seed round marks sallea's first equity investment, building on the $1.8 million in non-dilutive funding previously secured through research and start-up grants.

Founded in November 2023 by an all-female founding team, sallea’s technology enables the creation of precisely structured, edible, and porous 3D grids - so called scaffolds - that serve as the foundation for cultivating textured whole cuts of meat and fish. These scaffolds are added to bioreactors containing cells. These cells will then attach to sallea’s scaffolds and grow in three dimensions into whole cuts thereby improving the nutritional profile and texture of the end product. Manufacturers of cultivated foods will now not only be able to tailor the size and shape but also the nutritional profile of their scaffolds to the end product.

Simona Fehlmann, CEO and Co-founder, sallea: "Cultivated foods have been limited to sausages and minced meat. Our technology has the potential to kick-start cellular agriculture by accelerating time to market and lowering the production costs for cultivated whole cuts such as steaks and fillets. This funding round allows us to advance our mission of setting the industry standard for edible scaffolds in cellular agriculture. We can now upgrade our production capacity, enter partnerships for product co-development, and double down on our development efforts."

While cellular agriculture offers a sustainable and cruelty-free alternative to traditional livestock farming — with the potential to reduce emissions by up to 90% for e.g. beef production — the industry has thus far been limited to low-margin, unstructured products like sausages. Sallea's scaffolds address this limitation to help the industry to get to market faster.

Antonia Albert, Principal, Founderful: ''Sallea unlocks the potential of cultivated meat, paving the way for a sustainable, cruelty-free future. With the cultivated meat market expected to surpass $370 billion by 2030, we are thrilled to partner with Simona, Anna, and Nicole as they redefine the future of food.''

Sallea's technology comes at a crucial time for the cellular agriculture industry. As the sector shifts from completely integrated value chains to an ecosystem where specialized components like cell media and scaffolds are sourced externally, scaffolds in particular are increasingly recognized as a complex yet essential element. Cultivators are actively seeking partnerships with companies that can provide these specialized solutions.

Robin Matthew, CEO, Elsa-Group: "While the potential of cellular agriculture is clear, scaling it effectively demands not only capital and expertise but also innovative solutions like sallea’s, which enable the production of high-quality products that can accelerate the path to price parity and fully satisfy consumer expectations."

With this new funding, sallea plans to accelerate product development and initiate pilot projects with cultivating companies around the globe. The company aims to be the leading scaffold provider, accelerating the transition to more sustainable production of animal proteins. As sallea continues to grow, the team remains focused on its mission of setting the standard for sustainable, cruelty-free, and safe meat and fish production by providing the missing link in cellular agriculture.

www.sallea.ch

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