Karana turns organic jackfruit into meat substitutes using a proprietary mechanical technique the company says does not use any chemical processing. Its initial product is a pork substitute engineered to replicate minced and shredded pork textures for dishes like dumplings, char siu bao and bahn mi. The jackfruit is sourced from Sri Lanka, and the company notes about 60% of harvested jackfruit currently goes to waste, offering commercialization opportunities for farmers. Founded in 2018 by Dan Riegler and Blair Crichton and headquartered in Singapore, Karana raised $1.7 million in seed funding. The seed proceeds will be used for research and development and to launch new products. The pork substitute will be available in restaurants this year and in retail stores at the beginning of next year, and the company is engaging strategic partners in other Asian markets. Future products will use other regionally grown crops to expand beyond pork, positioning Karana as a whole-plant meat company focused on biodiverse ingredients.

Total raised

$2M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Jul 2020