Cargill Ventures

Making meat sustainable over the long term

Cell-cultured Meat

UPSIDE Foods (formerly known as Memphis Meats) is a food technology startup developing cell-cultured meat. In 2016, UPSIDE Foods introduced the world’s first cell-based meatball, followed by the world's first cell-based poultry in March 2017.In May 2021, UPSIDE Foods launched its first consumer product, “UPSIDE Chicken,” which received a <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/14682">“no questions” letter</a> from the FDA in November 2022, making UPSIDE the first company to achieve this milestone. In June 2023, it received <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19421">label approval</a> and <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19588">grant of inspection</a> for EPIC (Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center) from the USDA, allowing the company to begin sale of its cultivated chicken in the US.The company develops products at EPIC in Emeryville, California. This houses custom-made, patented cultivators capable of producing over 50,000 lbs of cell-cultured meat per year, with a future capacity of over 400,000 lbs per year.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21874">September 2023</a>, the company announced the build-out of Rubicon, a new 187,000 sq ft commercial-scale manufacturing plant in Glenview, Illinois. According to the company, the new facility can produce 30 million lbs of cultivated meat products annually and will house 100,000-liter cultivators.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8038">January 2022</a>, UPSIDE acquired cultivated seafood company Cultured Decadence, thereby expanding into cell-cultured seafood, including cell-cultured lobster production. Both UPSIDE Foods’ and Cultured Decadence’s product and species portfolio was to be produced at the EPIC facility.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/31126">July 2024</a>, the company laid off 26 employees as part of a restructuring to address political, regulatory and macroeconomic challenges and prioritize the delivery of delayed milestones.&nbsp;

Cocuus is a Spanish biotechnology startup specializing in developing industrial solutions for alternative meats using advanced technologies such as 2D/3D laser printing, bioprinting, and robotics.The company’s Mimethica platform utilizes proprietary ingredients (bioinks) to develop food analogs that mimic real food (mimetic food). This includes plant- and cell-based alternatives and Softmimic, a technology that converts purees into dishes resembling real food.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A new wave of meat, fish, and poultry alternatives are driving this hyper-growth industry into the mainstream

Plant-based Meat

Cocuus is a Spanish biotechnology startup specializing in developing industrial solutions for alternative meats using advanced technologies such as 2D/3D laser printing, bioprinting, and robotics.The company’s Mimethica platform utilizes proprietary ingredients (bioinks) to develop food analogs that mimic real food (mimetic food). This includes plant- and cell-based alternatives and Softmimic, a technology that converts purees into dishes resembling real food.Key customers and partnershipsIn May 2023, Cocuus partnered with Foody’s, a Spanish plant-based company, to develop and commercialize industrial-scale 3D-bioprinted plant-based products. The partnership developed a <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23277">vegan bacon </a>as its first product with plant-based prawns, salmon, octopus, foie gras, and tuna in the pipeline. The partnership also <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19897">developed a 3D-bioprinted plant-based tripe </a>using a specially formulated hydrogel. The vegan tripe was not intended for commercialization and was developed to showcase the potential of 3D-bioprinting technology.Funding and financialsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10965">June 2022 </a>, the company raised EUR 2.5 million (~USD 2.68 million) in a pre-Series A funding round led by Big Idea Ventures with participation from Cargill Ventures, Eatable Adventures, and Tech Transfer UPV. Before the funding round, Cocuus was a participant in Eatable Adventures’ accelerator program, supported by the National Center for Technology and Food Safety (CNTA) and ICEX Spain Export and Investment.

Taking commercial activities to new heights

Commercial Drone Tech

Flyability is a Swiss company specializing in the development and manufacturing of drones for indoor and confined space inspections. Their flagship product, the Elios 3, is a collision-tolerant drone equipped with a LiDAR sensor for 3D mapping and data collection inside industrial assets and confined spaces. Launched in May 2022, the Elios three is powered by Flyability's proprietary SLAM engine called FlyAware, which combines computer vision, LiDAR technology, and an NVidia graphic engine to create real-time 3D maps and enable the drone to sense its surroundings accurately.
The Elios three features a modular design that allows for customizable payloads, accommodating secondary sensors or equipment based on user requirements. It boasts groundbreaking stability, leveraging data from its three optical cameras and LiDAR sensor to compensate for unpredictable movements, making it incredibly easy to operate. Flyability's Inspector 4.0 software visualizes Points of Interest found during inspections in high-resolution 3D maps, supporting maintenance and planning efforts.
Flyability has been working on the Elios three for four years, conducting extensive research and development, including over 200 field missions to gather feedback and refine the technology. The company collaborated with top universities through Team Cerberus to participate in DARPA's Sub-T challenge for autonomous robotics in underground environments. In March 2024, Flyability introduced the Elios three UT Payload, a game-changing addition developed in collaboration with Cygnus Instruments, transforming the Elios three into a flying Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement (UTM) gauge for conducting accurate thickness measurements and high-resolution A-scans in demanding spaces.
Key customers and partnerships
Flyability has established partnerships and collaborations with various companies and organizations to enhance its technology and expand its reach. In September 2022, the company secured CHF 15 million (approximately USD 15.2 million) in a Series C funding round, led by Japan's SBI Investment and involving new investors such as Cargill and Verve Ventures, as well as existing investors like Dow, ETF Partners, Swisscom, and Future Industry Ventures. Cargill and Dow, both major customers of Flyability, have been utilizing the company's inspection technology to improve worker safety and reduce downtimes.
In March 2024, Flyability unveiled the Elios three UT Payload, developed in collaboration with Cygnus Instruments, revolutionizing indoor inspections with a cutting-edge solution for conducting ultrasonic thickness measurements and high-resolution A-scans. The company has also partnered with GeoSLAM to enable the creation of survey-grade 3D models using software for post-flight data processing.

Flyability is a Swiss company building safe drones for inaccessible places. By allowing drones to be used safely inside cities, buildings, and in contact with people, it enables new interactions and services with UAVs and solves the two most critical issues of one of the fastest growing industries: collision and injury risks. The company’s main market is in industrial inspection where it avoids sending people in dangerous and confined spaces for the inspection of Power Generation, Oil & Gas or Maritime infrastructures. It is also active in Search & Rescue and Security to assess emergency situations without putting humans at risk. Flyability is the winner of the 1M USD Drones for Good Award and over 11 other technology and business prizes. Read more on www.flyability.com.

Cocuus works to create innovative and surprising culinary solutions every day. Cocuus technology introduces engineering and architecture in kitchens, giving the possibility of creating artistic culinary creations, turning dishes into a visual experience. The company was founded in 2017 and is based in Cizur Menor, Navarra, Spain.

UPSIDE Foods (formerly known as Memphis Meats) develops meat produced directly from animal cells without the need to raise and slaughter actual animals. This approach requires significantly less water, land, and energy than conventional meat production, enabling consumers to enjoy meat that is clean, humane, and free of harmful chemicals. Co-founded and led by Dr. Uma Valeti in 2015, UPSIDE Foods is headquartered in Berkeley, California.

Virent Energy Systems, Inc. operates as an energy technology company that enables the renewable replacement of fossil fuels. Its BioForming platform technology renewably produces transportation fuels, fuel gases, and various chemicals from fossil fuels. Virent Energy Systems, Inc. has a strategic industrial collaboration with Royal Dutch Shell plc. The company was founded in 2002 and is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin.

Lockdown Networks, Inc. provides network access control solutions that ensure various users and devices on the network comply with security and information technology policies. It network access control appliances automate authentication, management, assessment, enforcement, and reporting capabilities. The company's products include Lockdown Enforcer, which protects devices from exploits and attacks without compromising network productivity; and Lockdown Commander, an appliance-based solution that provides a comprehensive view of policy compliance, device health, and enforcement. Its products also include Lockdown Sentry, an appliance-based solution, which provides access control and policy enforcement to smaller, hard to secure, remote facilities; and Lockdown Agent, a value-added software for comprehensive device health assessment. In addition, the company offers intelligent network access control architecture, which integrates network access control with external security, endpoint, networking, and infrastructure systems. Further, it provides iNAC partner program that enables third-party solution providers to collaborate on network access policy decisions, sharing information critical to network, and endpoint security. The company serves customers in multiple markets, including health; education; financial; retail; technology; manufacturing; and federal, state, and local government. It has operations in North America, Europe, and Japan. Lockdown Networks, Inc. was founded in 2001 as InteractNetworks, Inc. and changed its name to Lockdown Networks, Inc. in 2004. The company is headquartered in Seattle, Washington. As of August 2008, Lockdown Networks, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of McAfee, Inc.

GuardianEdge, the leader in endpoint data protection, enables enterprises to safeguard confidential and proprietary data, ensure regulatory compliance, and securely mobilize computing environments. The award-winning GuardianEdge Data Protection Platform combines managed encryption and device control technologies to protect data on laptops, desktops, portable storage devices, and smartphones. GuardianEdge solutions have been deployed by leading enterprises such as Lockheed Martin, Providence Health Services, and The Hertz Corporation to protect millions of users worldwide. GuardianEdge government customers include the Internal Revenue Service; the U.S. Departments of Defense, Education, Justice, State, Treasury, and Veteran Affairs; the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps; as well as numerous state and local government agencies.  The company was founded in 2002 and is based in San Mateo, California.

Intalio is a software provider introducing an advanced line of business solutions in Content and Process Services that combines cutting-edge technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, NLP, and Cognitive Services to collect, clean, and analyze unstructured data.

Compellent Technologies, Inc. develops and provides enterprise storage software and hardware solutions that automate the movement and management of data. They offers Fluid Data Storage, an enterprise storage platform, Fluid Data Architecture, a network storage solution to manage data at a granular level, and Storage Center 5.4, which allows enterprises to adapt to changing business requirements.

Microland's delivery of digital is all about making technology do more and intrude less. As we help enterprises move to nextGen technologies, we make sure this embrace of brilliance is predictable, reliable, and stable. Incorporated in 1989 and headquartered in Bengaluru, India, Microland is comprised of more than 4,500 digital specialists across offices and delivery centers in Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East and North America.

Emphasys Medical develops therapeutic devices for the treatment of patients with emphysema and other breathing disorders. It offers Zephyr Endobronchial Valve system, which is designed to block air from passing through the opening in the lung and into the chest cavity, resulting in the reduction or elimination of airflow through the leak to allow the tissue to heal.  Emphasys Medical was founded in 2000 and is based in Redwood City, California.

Aspectrics is a cleantech analyzer for biofuels. It develops and manufactures online and remotely deployable industrial monitoring instruments. The company is engaged in the development, manufacturing, and supplying of encoded photometric infrared spectroscopy analyzers which are used in various applications, including biodiesel, bioethanol, edible oils, ambient air monitoring, stack gas analysis, food and beverages, and specialty gases. It manufactures a range of infrared and near-infrared spectrometers for at-line as well as online process-related applications. Its products are based on a patented Encoded Photometric Infrared (EP-IR) and Encoded Photometric Near Infrared (EP-NIR) spectroscopy technology. The company was founded in 2000 and is based in Pleasanton, California.

MarkMonitor, the global leader in enterprise brand protection, offers comprehensive solutions and services that safeguard brands, reputation and revenue from online risks. With end-to-end solutions that address the growing threats of online fraud, brand abuse and unauthorized channels, MarkMonitor enables a secure Internet for businesses and their customers. The company's exclusive access to data combined with its patented real-time prevention, detection and response capabilities provide wide-ranging protection to the ever-changing online risks faced by brands today.

[Sirtris Pharmaceuticals](http://www.sirtrispharma.com) (NASDAQ: SIRT) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing proprietary, orally available, small molecule drugs with the potential to treat diseases associated with aging, including metabolic diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes.   via: [Sirtris](http://www.sirtrispharma.com)

Fortiva provides an on-demand email archiving solution that addresses three key challenges  email storage management, legal discovery and regulatory compliance  without the headaches of managing an archive in-house. As a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, the Fortiva Archiving Suite can be up and running in days, with minimal upfront capital costs and planning requirements.

Teranode's software and services support both executives and researchers on research and development decisions. Its goal has been to change the role computing plays in Life Sciences by providing flexible, scientist-driven technology that automates experiment workflow, manages experiment and biological data, unifies data into user specific views to improve product life cycle.

Dust Networks, the leader in standards-based intelligent wireless sensor networking (WSN), provides ultra low-power, highly reliable embedded systems to the worldâ€™s leading sensing solution providers â€“ market visionaries who recognize that â€œsmart dustâ€ embedded inside their sensors is a paradigm shift for their markets. Dust's technology uniquely enables the worldâ€™s lowest power wireless networking solutions to also be the worldâ€™s most reliable.

Informance International, Inc. provides enterprise manufacturing intelligence solutions to the manufacturers in the United States and internationally. The company offers Enterprise Solution, a strategic decision support system for corporate supply chain and manufacturing executives to discover, analyze, and act on opportunities that affect their plant network; Discrete Manufacturing Module that enables the plant staff to address improvement opportunities in their discrete manufacturing processes; Process Manufacturing Module, which targets the continuous portion of the manufacturing process; and Enterprise Synchronizer, a Web services-based platform for systems, application, and technology integration.  The company was formerly known as FactoryWare, Inc. and changed its name to Informance International, Inc. in December 2005. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. As of April 29, 2010, Informance International, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Solarsoft Business Systems Limited.

Roche NimbleGen provides products and services to the life science research market.   The company offers SeqCap EZ system, a solution-based capture system that enables enrichment of exome in a single test tube; SeqCap EZ library that covers exome designs, gene panels, and custom content designs; and SeqCap EZ reagents to maximize workflow and order different reagent needs. It also provides SeqCap Epi, an enrichment system that includes a set of target enrichment tools for DNA methylation assessment at single-base resolution, as well as offers SeqCap Epi kits and reagents.   The company provides a set of preparation and adapter kits for library construction including SignalMap, a software product for browsing of genomic tracks; and NimbleDesign, an online tool that enables users to design SeqCap EZ choice libraries. It offers DNA microarray products and services for CGH, ChIP-chip, DNA methylation, AccuSNP, CGS, instruments, sequence capture arrays, gene expression microarrays, and their associated workflows. The company also provides online technical and instruction support services.   Roche NimbleGen was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin. As of August 8, 2007, Roche NimbleGen operates as a subsidiary of Roche Holding AG.

ECOSYNTHETIX, Inc. engages in the development, manufacture, and commercialization of biobased technologies to replace petroleum-based industrial products. ECOSYNTHETIX, Inc. was formerly known as Lions Adhesives, Inc. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Lansing, Michigan.

Redpoint Bio is following a strategy focused on preserving the value of the License and Commercialization Agreement it entered into with International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. (IFF), a global  leader in the food and beverage industry.  As part of this strategy, the Company continues its efforts to reduce its liabilities and sell its remaining assets.  Given its lack of resources, the Company is not currently performing any research and development activities.

Cargill Ventures is a venture capital that invests in companies that works in different segments. Cargill Ventures is a wholly-owned venture investment group of Cargill, a privately-held company with operations in 59 countries and revenues of approximately $50 billion. It invests in early stage technology companies that enable commerce, innovation, and efficiencies and help to be a global provider of goods and services necessary for life, health, and growth. In business over 135 years, Cargill is a globally respected business leader. It takes a long-term perspective, and have the patience, and foresight to build sustainable business.

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