Participated · Equity · Nov 2024

Faircraft develops lab-grown leather derived from animal skin cells using proprietary tissue-engineering and cellular agriculture techniques to replicate the structure and composition of traditional leather. The company operates development and manufacturing laboratories at its Paris headquarters and holds two international patents for its standardized, in‑house production process. Faircraft emphasizes luxury finishing, working with master tanners to adapt the material for premium leather goods. Current manufacturing costs remain higher than traditional leather, but the company says it is on a trajectory toward price parity. The $15.8 million funding will be used to expand the team—notably hiring more engineers and biologists—and to accelerate scaling of operations to meet growing demand.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2023

Bon Vivant develops animal-free milk proteins by reprogramming yeast via precision fermentation to produce both whey and casein intended as B2B ingredients for food manufacturers. The company focuses exclusively on a supplier model rather than consumer products, aiming to provide multinational food companies with proteins that deliver functionality such as gelling, foaming and texturizing. It plans to scale production and obtain regulatory clearances—targeting U.S. clearance first with potential commercialization as soon as 2025, and expecting EU approval to take two to three years. The seed funding will be used to open a new Lyon lab capable of producing 40‑litre pre‑production samples to accelerate testing, trials, product development and IP generation. An early third‑party LCA modeled at 2,160 tonnes/year suggests potential reductions of ~97% GHG emissions, ~99% drinking water consumption and ~50% energy use versus cow’s milk. Bon Vivant says it will continue to use third‑party producers for the foreseeable future while progressing toward commercial scale supply for large dairy customers.