Foodtech startup Sallea wins CHF 150,000 investment
To meet the urgent need for sustainable food for a growing global population, Sallea is expanding the range of cultured animal protein beyond chopped or processed options. The startup was awarded CHF 150,000 by Venture Kick, winning the third phase of the program.
Producing enough food for a growing world population while reducing environmental damage is a major challenge. The cultivation of animal protein has great potential to reduce the consumption of energy, water and land. Currently, only the production of thin layers of cultured animal protein such as meat or fish is possible, which limits the supply to minced meat products or to end products consisting mainly of scaffold and only a small proportion of cell mass. To cultivate fully textured whole pieces, the development of new cell growth scaffolds is essential. sallea's 3D texturing platform produces edible scaffolds that address the limitations of current systems by supporting cell growth in 3D while improving the texture, flavor and nutritional value of the final product.
The overall cellular agriculture market is growing rapidly with an expected growth rate of 93% over the next 10 years, with the cultured meat market expected to reach $20 billion by 2030. The first potential customers of sallea received regulatory approval to sell their processed products in the US this summer.
The startup will invest the CHF 150,000 to strengthen its business development and accelerate its market exploration in the US.
Sallea's co-founders, CEO Simona Fehlmann with an MSc in ETH Materials Science, CTO Dr. Nicole Kleger with a PhD in ETH Materials Science and CCO Anna Bünter with an M.A. HSG, have made it their mission to revolutionize the foodtech industry with innovative scaffolds.
"Venture Kick was important for us as it allowed us to strongly advance the business development thanks to the great feedback from the judges and the inputs during the Kickers Camps. In addition, the funding has enabled us to participate in trade fairs and conferences to expand our network and visit potential future customers in the Netherlands and Israel, which are hotspots for cellular agriculture," said Simona Fehlmann.
Source: www.venturekick.ch
