Innocent Meat raises US$7M to pursue cultivated meat approval, scale-up by 2028
Funding to support demo facility and approval process
GERMANY – German cultivated protein company Innocent Meat has raised US$7M in new funding to support production scale-up, infrastructure development, and regulatory work as it prepares for a planned market entry in 2028.
The financing round included participation from existing backer Genius Venture Capital and is intended to fund the construction of the company’s first demonstration facility and to advance regulatory submissions in its initial target markets.
Founded in 2020, Innocent Meat develops cultivated meat production systems aimed primarily at conventional meat processors seeking to add cell-based proteins to their portfolios without building in-house biotechnology operations.
According to the company, its business model focuses on supplying an integrated manufacturing solution that allows traditional meat companies to incorporate cultivated protein using automated processes deployed at their own facilities.
The startup’s technology is designed to cover the entire production chain, from animal cell introduction through cell growth, differentiation, and conversion into finished meat products.
Innocent Meat says its plant engineering approach relies largely on established industrial components, with software-driven automation reducing the need for specialist staff or internal research teams at customer sites.
The company reports growing engagement with traditional meat processors, many of which view cultivated meat systems as a way to incrementally diversify production while maintaining existing operations.
Automated systems and AI-driven production
Innocent Meat uses artificial intelligence to manage and optimise its bioreactor systems, claiming that a single AI-enabled unit occupying about six square metres can produce approximately one tonne of cultivated minced pork per week.
The company describes its setup as a modular, plug-in production system that can be expanded by adding bioreactors, filtration units, and required biological inputs as demand increases.
With the new funding, Innocent Meat plans to build a demonstration plant for potential customers and further develop its scalable manufacturing infrastructure alongside regulatory approval efforts.
Parallel focus on recombinant proteins
Beyond cultivated meat, the company operates Faba.Bio, a recombinant protein platform developed in collaboration with the University of Rostock, where Innocent Meat is based.
Through this unit, Innocent Meat supplies growth factors for cultivated meat production and for regenerative medicine applications.
The funding round comes at a time when investment in cultivated meat has declined, with sector funding falling to US$139M in 2024 and dropping further to US$36M in the first nine months of the following year.
Genius Venture Capital managing director Uwe Bräuer said companies developing early-stage industrial technologies require funding structures better suited to long development timelines and capital-intensive scale-up.
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