Multus Raises £7.9M for “First-of-its-Kind” Animal-Free Growth Media Facility
British biotechnology company Multus announces it has raised a £7.9 million funding round for the “first-of-its-kind” facility to produce food-safe, animal-free growth media for the cultivated meat industry. The round was led by Mandi Ventures and included Big Idea Ventures, SynBioVen, and Asahi Kasei. Additionally, Multus received an equity-free grant of £2.15 million from Innovate UK through the EIC Accelerator, which funds and invests in game-changing innovation startups through the EIC Fund. Growth media accounting for majority of cost According to Multus, animal-free growth media is necessary for the affordable scale-up of cellular agriculture. “Growth media causes the majority of costs, and tackling this challenge provides the greatest benefit for industrial-scale cultivated meat production. This next-generation growth media allows cultivated meat producers to reduce development costs and …