Wildtype grows sushi-grade salmon from Pacific (Coho) cells in stainless-steel tanks and uses plant-derived scaffolds to shape edible cuts rather than whole fish. The company has a tasting room to introduce chefs to its product and has distribution agreements with Snowfox and Pokéworks that await manufacturing scale. Wildtype’s production currently takes four to six weeks and the firm is investing in automated production and in cheaper, customized cell nutrients. The company employs about 35 people and is focused on scaling manufacturing to reach restaurants and grocery stores. Wildtype is still in FDA consultation (initiated in 2019) and cannot sell commercially to partner restaurants until regulatory clearance is achieved. Management emphasizes traceability, reduced contaminants, and lower waste since it grows only edible parts of the fish. Wild Type is developing a platform to culture animal meat in the lab by multiplying basic animal cells and applying those methods across species. The founders, Justin Kolbeck and Arye Elfenbein, moved tissue-engineering, stem-cell biology and cell-development techniques toward food production and are keeping their core technology stealth while it is in development. Its initial product focus is salmon: first a minced salmon product for uses like spicy sushi rolls, then lox and ultimately salmon filets. The company tests prototypes with chefs to optimize taste, texture and kitchen usability. Wild Type has a small team of five and plans to prioritize scaling cellular growth infrastructure and lowering manufacturing cost. The company raised a $3.5 million seed round to fund those efforts.

Total raised

$104M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Feb 2022