Cambridge-based Uncommon (formerly Higher Steaks), a cultivated meat startup, announced that it has secured $30M in a Series A round of funding led by Balderton Capital and Lowercarbon.
Other investors include Red Alpine, East Alpha, and previous investors Max and Sam Altman, Miray Zaki, and Sebastiano Castiglioni.
Uncommon says it will use the funds to bring the goods cost down, apply for regulatory approval, and scale up production at its pilot manufacturing facility at Cambridge Technopark.
Founded by Benjamina Bollag and Dr. Ruth Faram as Higher Steaks, Uncommon leverages RNA technology, and induced pluripotent stem cells to better create real meat without antibiotics, animal products, or gene editing.
The company is built on Nobel Prize-winning science: induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
iPSCs allow turning any animal cell sampled just once through a non-invasive biopsy back into its pluripotent state.
This approach enables the company to quickly reach price parity with conventional meat, scale faster, and create safer, healthier products, opening up a much wider global market than its competitors.
Uncommon claims its meat products offer a promising future in meeting humanity’s protein needs without the environmental toll associated with traditional livestock farming.
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