Pow.Bio Joins WEF Technology Pioneers Cohort for AI-Enabled Fermentation Work
Alameda, California-based biomanufacturing company Pow.Bio has been named a 2026 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum, joining a cohort of 100 companies from 23 countries selected for their work in areas including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, and the bioeconomy. The Technology Pioneers program, launched in 2000, brings together early-stage companies judged to have potential for broad industry impact. This year’s cohort spans sectors from health and energy to space …
Why Microbial Protein Keeps Failing at Scale, and What Researchers Say Has to Change
A paper published this week in Nature Communications by researchers at Imperial College London makes the case that the microbial protein sector’s repeated commercial failures are not primarily a technology problem, and that resolving them will require coordinated action on consumer psychology, regulation, and market infrastructure simultaneously. The paper, co-authored by Rima Gnaim, Hakimi Kassim, Lisa Neidhardt, Thomas Gassler, and Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaro, traces a pattern stretching back decades: technically viable …
Investment Climate Podcast: Jennifer Côté of Opalia Shares How to Get Funded in 2026
In this podcast series, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2026 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. This podcast is syndicated through …
Coefficient Giving Opens $10M Funding Call for Alternative Protein Taste Research
San Francisco-based philanthropic funder Coefficient Giving has launched a Request for Proposals (RFP) through its Farm Animal Welfare Fund, offering up to $10 million for research and development projects targeting the sensory shortcomings of alternative proteins. Applications are open until August 10, 2026, with awards to be announced on a rolling basis and no later than November 30. The fund has identified taste as the central barrier to mainstream adoption …
Cell Farmers Symposium Draws Cross-Sector Crowd in The Hague
The inaugural Cell Farmers Symposium took place on June 4 in The Hague, bringing together farmers, policymakers, scientists, and industry representatives to examine how cellular agriculture could integrate into existing agricultural systems. Organized by RespectFarms and the Province of Zuid-Holland, the event was held at the Provinciehuis Zuid-Holland. RespectFarms had designed the symposium specifically to position farmers as active participants in cellular cultivation, rather than bystanders to it. Speakers and …
Investment Climate Podcast: Lauren Abda of Branch Venture Group Shares How to Get Funded in 2026
In this podcast series, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2026 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. This podcast is syndicated through …
Ayana Bio and Brevel Win BIRD Grant to Test Light-Enhanced Plant Cell Culture
US biotech Ayana Bio and Israeli fermentation company Brevel have received a $1.25 million grant from Israel’s BIRD Foundation to investigate whether Brevel’s light-integrated fermentation technology can improve output in plant cell culture systems. Ayana Bio, a Boston-based spinoff from Ginkgo Bioworks, grows plant cell lines in bioreactors to produce high-value botanical ingredients, with current development focused on sage for rosmarinic acid, saffron for crocins, and marigold for zeaxanthin and …
Cellulose Scaffolds Cut Growth Factor Costs Tenfold in Cultivated Whole-Cut Research
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a cellulose-based scaffold that reduces the quantity of growth factors needed to produce cultivated meat tissue by up to tenfold, according to a study published in Current Research in Food Science. Growth factors, the proteins that direct stem cells to proliferate and differentiate into muscle tissue, account for more than 95% of media costs in cultivated meat production and remain one …
Netherlands New Open-Access Precision Fermentation Facility is Now Fully Operational
The Biotechnology Fermentation Factory (BFF) in Ede, the Netherlands, has confirmed that its pre-pilot lab is now operational, nearly a year after the facility held its public kick-off event in June 2025. BFF marked the milestone on June 1 with an internal team celebration, announcing that companies can now begin bringing fermentation projects to the facility. The pre-pilot lab operates at 10–30 litre scale and provides an initial entry point …
Construction Begins on Meatly’s London Facility, Set to Be Europe’s Largest Cultivated Meat Site
UK cultivated meat company Meatly has begun fit-out work on a new pilot facility in London, less than two weeks after closing its £10.4 million Series A round. Once complete, the site is expected to house 20,000 litres of bioreactor capacity, which the company says would make it the largest cultivated meat facility in Europe. CEO Owen Ensor confirmed the start of construction via LinkedIn, writing: “Just two weeks after …