Conventional meat production has an immense environmental cost, from its production of greenhouse gases, energy and land use, to its heavy reliance on antibiotics, hormones, and water. Meat consumption accounts for ~15% of global GHG emissions and is the biggest single contributor to biodiversity loss.
Though there are many sustainable plant-based meat and fish alternatives on the market, taste and nutrition remain the largest roadblocks. Lab-grown meat is also in the process of being rapidly developed, but it’s unlikely to be widely available on the market by 2030. As such, researchers and companies are searching for alternative, scalable methods of producing animal proteins.
Paleo develops new functional ingredients to improve plant-based meat and fish alternatives. Through precision fermentation, Paleo produces meat and fish proteins which are 100% bio-identical to animal proteins and 100% GMO-free. Precision fermentation is a proven, versatile and scalable technology that uses micro-organisms, such as yeasts, to produce selected target proteins. Most importantly, compared to conventional farming of animals, precision fermentation has a significantly lower environmental impact.
Paleo focuses on replicating myoglobin, a protein present in animal muscle tissue. By using myoglobin, they create a flavor profile that is closer to that of real meat, while also delivering important nutrients such as iron. Their portfolio currently includes myoglobin proteins from six animals: beef, chicken, pork, lamb, tuna, and even mammoth! Paleo plans to sell their product to businesses offering plant-based meat and fish alternatives, which can then be added to their products prior to distribution.
Tapping into a vast cost-effective climate opportunity:
Recent analysis points out that investing in the alternative protein segment has the highest CO2e savings per dollar of invested capital of any sector, including transportation or buildings. Due to the scalability of precision fermentation, Paleo anticipates being able to bring emissions down quicker than other market alternatives by producing essential ingredients cost-effectively and sustainably.
Cracking “real taste” and driving new demand:
Research predicts that if plant-based products advance in taste, texture and price they could replace 11%-22% of all meat, seafood, eggs and dairy consumption around the globe by 2035. Paleo is working to make that happen: Adding myoglobin to plant-based meat alternatives is a game changer that brings the experience to that of ‘real’ meat. You can smell it, you can taste it, and you can see it. It will make alternatives an attractive option for even the most skeptical consumers, significantly reducing meat consumption across the board.
Early mover in Europe:
The European alternative food market is growing rapidly, and Paleo is in the advantageous position of being an early mover in animal protein development. Analysts predict that technology-driven B2B companies providing innovative ingredients with elevated performance and low costs will be the ultimate winners.
Our scientific assessment shows that changing the protein source from one conventional meat protein to an alternative results in net GHG savings ranging from 21 to 296 kg CO2-eq. per kg of protein. Paleo addresses important barriers hindering the transition towards more sustainable diets and is likely to contribute and accelerate the shift from a meat-based diet to a more plant-based diet. The reduction in meat consumption will result in a substantial reduction in GHG emission, less deforestation and more sustainable agricultural systems (e.g. less nutrients oversupply, less water use, etc.).
See LCA here
Though there are many sustainable plant-based meat and fish alternatives on the market, taste and nutrition remain the largest roadblocks. Lab-grown meat is also in the process of being rapidly developed, but it’s unlikely to be widely available on the market by 2030. As such, researchers and companies are searching for alternative, scalable methods of producing animal proteins.
Paleo develops new functional ingredients to improve plant-based meat and fish alternatives. Through precision fermentation, Paleo produces meat and fish proteins which are 100% bio-identical to animal proteins and 100% GMO-free. Precision fermentation is a proven, versatile and scalable technology that uses micro-organisms, such as yeasts, to produce selected target proteins. Most importantly, compared to conventional farming of animals, precision fermentation has a significantly lower environmental impact.
Paleo focuses on replicating myoglobin, a protein present in animal muscle tissue. By using myoglobin, they create a flavor profile that is closer to that of real meat, while also delivering important nutrients such as iron. Their portfolio currently includes myoglobin proteins from six animals: beef, chicken, pork, lamb, tuna, and even mammoth! Paleo plans to sell their product to businesses offering plant-based meat and fish alternatives, which can then be added to their products prior to distribution.
Tapping into a vast cost-effective climate opportunity:
Recent analysis points out that investing in the alternative protein segment has the highest CO2e savings per dollar of invested capital of any sector, including transportation or buildings. Due to the scalability of precision fermentation, Paleo anticipates being able to bring emissions down quicker than other market alternatives by producing essential ingredients cost-effectively and sustainably.
Cracking “real taste” and driving new demand:
Research predicts that if plant-based products advance in taste, texture and price they could replace 11%-22% of all meat, seafood, eggs and dairy consumption around the globe by 2035. Paleo is working to make that happen: Adding myoglobin to plant-based meat alternatives is a game changer that brings the experience to that of ‘real’ meat. You can smell it, you can taste it, and you can see it. It will make alternatives an attractive option for even the most skeptical consumers, significantly reducing meat consumption across the board.
Early mover in Europe:
The European alternative food market is growing rapidly, and Paleo is in the advantageous position of being an early mover in animal protein development. Analysts predict that technology-driven B2B companies providing innovative ingredients with elevated performance and low costs will be the ultimate winners.
Our scientific assessment shows that changing the protein source from one conventional meat protein to an alternative results in net GHG savings ranging from 21 to 296 kg CO2-eq. per kg of protein. Paleo addresses important barriers hindering the transition towards more sustainable diets and is likely to contribute and accelerate the shift from a meat-based diet to a more plant-based diet. The reduction in meat consumption will result in a substantial reduction in GHG emission, less deforestation and more sustainable agricultural systems (e.g. less nutrients oversupply, less water use, etc.).
See LCA here
Location: Belgium, Flemish Brabant, Leuven
Total raised: $15.05M
Investors 4
Date | Name | Website |
- | Planet A V... | planet-a.c... |
14.03.2023 | DSM Ventur... | venturing.... |
- | SFPIM | sfpim.be |
23.02.2023 | GIMV | gimv.com |
Funding Rounds 2
Date | Series | Amount | Investors |
24.02.2023 | Series A | $12.79M | - |
01.12.2021 | Seed | $2.27M | - |
Mentions in press and media 25
Date | Title | Description |
31.10.2024 | The Future of Seafood: Revo Foods and Paleo's Game-Changing Partnership | In a world hungry for sustainable solutions, two innovative companies are casting a line into the future of food. Revo Foods, an Austrian pioneer in 3D-printed vegan seafood, and Paleo, a Belgian startup specializing in precision fermentati... |
31.10.2024 | Revo Foods & Paleo Unveil €2.2M EU-Backed Project for Salmon Alternatives with Animal-Free Heme | Two alternative protein startups, Austria’s Revo Foods, a manufacturer of 3D-printed vegan seafood, and Belgium’s Paleo, a precision fermentation startup developing animal-free heme, have joined forces to advance sustainable and realistic s... |
13.06.2024 | Belgium: Nurturing tech talent and entrepreneurship in the heart of Europe | Strategically located in the heart of Europe, Belgium leverages its multilingual and highly educated workforce to foster innovation and entrepreneurship. The nation's tech scene boasts a robust mix of startups, scale-ups, and established co... |
29.03.2024 | Миф о «Парке Юрского периода»: почему воскрешение динозавров остаётся недостижимой мечтой | Первый «Парк Юрского периода» вышел в 1993 году. В фильме Стивена Спилберга был показан мир, в котором ученые нашли ДНК динозавров в доисторическом янтаре и клонировали их в лаборатории. В результате древние существа оказались на Земле рядо... |
01.02.2024 | Paleo Opens New Facility in Belgium for Animal-Free Heme, Reveals Expansion Plans for 2024 | On the back of its successful €12 million funding round last year, biotech company Paleo has opened a new pilot-scale facility in Leven, Belgium, at the Bio-Incubator Leuven. The company, which specializes in developing proteins via precisi... |
01.02.2024 | Paleo Opens New Facility in Belgium for Animal-Free Heme, Reveals Expansion Plans for 2024 | - |
22.01.2024 | Bridging the Flavor Gap: 7 Solutions to Enhance the Taste of Plant-Based Meat for Maximum Consumer Satisfaction | Today, we are looking into the companies and latest research trying to bridge the flavor gap between plant-based and animal meat with different solutions, including fermented onions, yeasts, chlorella, fermented ingredients, and heme protei... |
14.12.2023 | Bleeding Burgers for Vegan Dogs? Paleo Files World’s First Patent for Animal-Free Heme for Pet Food | - |
25.07.2023 | Molecular farming: IngredientWerks grows heme protein in corn at ‘unprecedented low cost’ | Molecular farming startup IngredientWerks has genetically engineered corn crops to express high levels of bovine myoglobin in a process it claims can scale at a fraction of the cost of precision fermentation. A heme-binding protein found in... |
07.04.2023 | A company says it added mammoth DNA to plant-based burgers and that they tasted much more 'intense' and 'meatier' than the cow version | Paleo uses precise fermentation to produce myoglobin, a protein found in meat. Paleo; Andreas Arnold/picture alliance/Getty Images Redeem now A Belgian startup says it added woolly mammoth DNA to a plant-based burger. The mammoth myoglobin ... |
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