Investments & Finance

Orbillion Bio Raises $5M to Develop Cell-Cultured Bison, Elk, and Wagyu Beef

To date, most cell-cultured companies have focused on the most common types of meat, such as chicken and pork. But Silicon Valley-based Orbillion Bio, fresh out of Y Combinator’s accelerator program, is targeting a different niche.

The startup is working on heritage meats such as bison, elk, lamb, and wagyu beef, attracting the attention of numerous investors. In Orbillion’s recent oversubscribed seed funding round, firms such as At One Ventures, k16 ventures, and FoundersX Ventures contributed to help raise a total of $5M.

The company says the funding will go towards pilot production of its cultured wagyu beef.

Orbillion Bio was founded by Patricia Bubner, Gabriel Levesque-Tremblay, and Samet Yildirim, who have a total of thirty years’ experience in bioprocessing and biopharmaceuticals.

Patricia Bubner. © Orbillion Bio

On March 17, Orbillion held a public tasting event where it presented its cultured wagyu beef, elk, and lamb. A few days later, CEO Patricia Bubner gave a presentation to investors at Y Combinator’s “Demo Day”, resulting in a huge surge of interest in the company.

Previously, Orbillion showcased its bioplatform for the functional testing of cell lines at The Future Food-Tech Summit last December. Like Singapore’s Singcell and Canada’s Future Fields, it is looking to address the cost and scalability issues associated with cultured meat.

“We love to see teams that are focused on the right things, and Orbillion is a great example,” said Ali Rohde, GP at Outset Capital. “They’re completely focused on the flavor and the science. We’re excited for the future they’re building.”

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