Shiru operates ProteinDiscovery.ai, an AI-driven ingredient discovery platform that hosts a database of 33 million natural molecules from plants and microbes and connects corporate partners to novel, high-performance ingredients. The platform is designed to shorten R&D timelines, reduce development costs, and accelerate time to market for flavor, skincare, agricultural, and advanced-materials applications. Shiru has commercial partnerships with companies such as Ajinomoto Health & Nutrition and Griffith Foods and has launched patented products including OleoPro™ and its active protein, uPro™. The company says it powers discovery across multiple molecular classes and plans to expand its ingredient portfolio and commercial offerings beyond proteins. Shiru is based in Berkeley, California, and is led by Founder and CEO Dr. Jasmin Hume. As of the announced round, the company has raised a total of $36 million. Shiru, founded in 2019 by Dr. Jasmin Hume, develops plant-based ingredients using precision fermentation to replicate the taste, texture and functionality of animal-derived proteins. The company offers a catalog of six colorless, flavorless ingredients that can be added to baked goods, sauces, burgers and yogurt. Its targets include replacing common animal proteins and functional additives such as methyl cellulose. Shiru says its ingredients achieve similar cost and versatility at scale to animal analogs and aims to have ingredients ready for customers by early next year. The company forecasts first commercial products containing its ingredients could appear on grocery shelves as early as 2023. Shiru is Emeryville-based, currently employs 22 people and plans to double headcount while moving into new Alameda headquarters and scaling manufacturing. Shiru is a computational biology company that produces novel, functional proteins for food applications leveraging molecular design. Led by Jasmin Hume and based in San Francisco, the company uses computational approaches to create ingredients aimed at reducing reliance on animal-based foods. Their core products are designed proteins intended to be sustainable and nutritious alternatives to animal-derived ingredients. Shiru raised $3.5m in seed funding to support its growth. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations. Investors in the round include Lux Capital, Y Combinator, S2G, CPT Capital and others.

Total raised

$37M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Nov 2024