California startup Gilly, backed by SOSV's IndieBio programme, completed its first livestock pilot in January 2026 at Trinkler Dairy in Modesto, feeding 130 cows upgraded tomato pomace for two weeks.

A first in the industry, Superhumn has simultaneously achieved equal taste and texture and equal or cheaper pricing than conventional animal protein, milestones that have eluded most alt-protein rivals The company is raising a $30 million Series B to build owned manufacturing facilities and expand sales across four continents. Image credits: Superhumn The plant-based protein sector has spent much of the past decade spending billions on R&D and retail trade spend, and the resu

Indian precision fermentation startup StrainX Bioworks has raised $13M and self-affirmed one of its ingredients under the US FDA's Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) provision, marking a significant commercial milestone for India's emerging biotech sector. The Bhopal-based company operates a full-stack platform, controlling every stage from strain engineering through to downstream processing and manufacturing, a model designed to lower costs and accelerate scale-up toward 10

A single yeast-derived ingredient could replace multiple food additives, offering cleaner labels and simpler formulations for mainstream food and drink products. Swiss startup Cosaic has raised $6M in a seed extension round, backed by DSM-Firmenich Ventures, bringing its total funding to $12.5M. With regulatory approvals underway in the US and Europe, Cosaic is positioning its flagship ingredient, Cosaic Neo, for commercial launch.

Too long to read? Go for the highlights below. Joyn Foods has secured K-12 approval in South Carolina, allowing school districts to purchase its 50Cut blended meat—combining beef with mushrooms and mycelium—through a statewide procurement scheme. The product uses solid-state fermentation to grow mycelium in just eight days, requires 95% less land and 99% less water than conventional beef, and adds fibre, potassium, iron, and vitamin D to an otherwise nutritionally limited pro