Key facts:
- Airprotein announced it has raised $32M to grow its pilot plant.
- The startup transforms captured carbon dioxide into protein through a fermentation process.
- It aims at using this protein to create consumer products, notably meat.
Why it matters – DigitalFoodLab’s opinion:
The Carbon To Protein ecosystem is structuring fast with three key players (and others, more discreet or in stealth mode) going toward three different strategies:
- As mentioned, AirProtein aims at producing products that it would eventually market itself.
- Its main competitor, Finnish startup Solar Foods raised €18.5M, notably from a CPG corporation. Its goal is to produce a protein source (a powder called Solein) that others would then use.
- Finally, British startup Deep Branch Technology raised €2.5M, also for its pilot plant. Here, the company is targeting the animal feed market.
The difference in the amounts raised is telling about what the investors value right now. However, if other alternative protein markets have learned us a thing (let’s think about insects, for example) it is that animal feed and being a source of ingredients can be easier paths.
