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- Air Protein
Air Protein Funding, Investors & Competitors
Air Protein has raised $107M across 2 funding rounds, most recently a $75M undisclosed-stage round in May 2023.
Last Air Protein funding round
$75M
Undisclosed stage · May 2023
Cumulative funding Air Protein raised
$107M
across 2 funding rounds
Key investors in Air Protein
GV
Barclays
ADM Ventures
Plum Alley
Primera Capital
Park Bench Capital
The Ford Family Foundation
About Air Protein
Air Protein is a Berkeley, California-based developer of protein ingredients fermented from carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen using natural microbes. The company produces flour for meat analogs, cereals, and beverages sold to food brands in the United States and Europe. Established in 2017, it operates a pilot facility in Reno, Nevada, capable of yielding 12 grams of protein per liter of media. Air Protein partners with Archer Daniels Midland for scaling production.
Founded
2019
HQ
Website
Status
Privately held
Customer focus
B2B
Revenue model
Product sales
Air Protein Funding History
Air Protein has raised a total of $107M across 2 funding rounds.
Air Protein's first fundraising round was a $32M Series A in January 2021. The most recent completed round was a $75M undisclosed-stage round in May 2023.
Air Protein funding rounds
| Date | Stage | Investors | Raised | Deal Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | Undisclosed stage | GV; Barclays; ADM Ventures; Park Bench Capital; The Ford Family Foundation; Primera Capital | $75M | Air Protein develops protein-enriched food from CO2 using a fermentation process with air, water, and energy, creating a landless agriculture platform for meat alternatives and other ingredients. The company, a spinoff of Kiverdi, secured a $75 million funding round on May 18, 2023, from investors including ADM Ventures, Barclays Corporate Banking, GV, Park Bench Capital, Primera Capital, and The Ford Family Foundation, bringing total funding to $107 million. This followed earlier Series A and SAFE investments, primarily supported by ADM. Alongside the funding, Air Protein signed a strategic development agreement with ADM on May 18, 2023, to collaborate on R&D for scaling cost-effective protein ingredients that meet cost, nutrition, flavor, and texture targets for meat substitutes. The deal grants exclusive rights to jointly build and operate the world's first commercial-scale Air Protein plant. Funds supported expansion of scientists, manufacturing and food experts, and construction of the Air Farm prototype in San Leandro, California. Air Protein achieved GRAS status confirmation from the FDA around this time, enabling U.S. consumer sales. The company focused on perfecting texture, taste via consumer tests, and scaling fermentation for its protein ingredient. ADM provides expertise in fermentation, nutrition, and formulation to accelerate commercialization. |
| Jan 2021 | Series A | ADM Ventures (lead); Barclays (lead); GV (lead); Plum Alley | $32M | Air Protein, a San Francisco Bay Area-based subsidiary of Kiverdi, Inc., develops technology to produce nutrient-rich, sustainable protein analogs resembling meat using fermentation of elements from the air, such as carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, in vertical farms that can be built anywhere. The company aims to address global protein demand for a projected population of 10 billion by 2050 with a highly scalable, environmentally friendly process that produces protein in days, requiring minimal resources compared to traditional agriculture. Founded in 2019 and led by CEO Dr. Lisa Dyson, Air Protein focuses on poultry, beef, pork, and seafood alternatives. In January 2021, Air Protein closed a $32 million Series A funding round led by ADM Ventures, Barclays Corporate Banking, and GV (formerly Google Ventures), with participation from Plum Alley. The investors highlighted the company's innovative fermentation-based platform, proven yields, production efficiency, and potential in the alternative protein market, where ADM brings expertise from prior investments in similar startups like Perfect Day and Nature's Fynd. The round was completed virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic using data, reports, and videos. Proceeds will fund an innovation R&D lab, accelerate product development and commercialization, scale production, expand the product line with varied textures and tastes, recruit talent, and pursue GRAS certification for its protein ingredient to enable U.S. sales. The company had conducted successful consumer taste tests in 2020 and was refining its process for market launch. Air Protein operates in a competitive alternative protein landscape with growing investor interest. ADM Ventures' involvement provides fermentation scaling expertise to help bring the technology to market. |
Who has invested in Air Protein?
7 investors have backed Air Protein across its funding rounds, including GV, Barclays, ADM Ventures, Plum Alley, Primera Capital and Park Bench Capital.
Lead investors include ADM Ventures, Barclays and GV.
Air Protein Investors
| Investor | HQ | Rounds | Role | First check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Lead | Jan 2021 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Jan 2021 | ||
| 2 | Lead | Jan 2021 | ||
| 1 | Participant | May 2023 | ||
| 1 | Participant | May 2023 | ||
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Benchmark 350K+ Funding Rounds and Disclosed VC Valuation Multiples
Sign up to see data on 350K+ funding rounds and disclosed revenue and EBITDA valuation multiples, from seed, through growth stage, to pre-IPO.
Start Free TrialAir Protein Competitors
Air Protein competitors include listed companies like Hebei Yangyuan Zhihui, Ingredion and Nomad Foods, and private ones like Impossible Foods, NotCo and Believer Meats.
| Company | HQ | Status | Revenue | EBITDA | Valuation | Revenue Multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publicly listed | $796M | $254M | $8.1B | 8.4x | ||
| Private | $460M | - | $7B | 15.2x | ||
| Publicly listed | $7.2B | $1.2B | $6.2B | 1.0x | ||
| Publicly listed | $3.5B | $417M | $1.5B | 1.1x | ||
| Private | - | - | $1.5B | - | ||
| Private | - | - | $900M | - |
Air Protein Public Comps
Air Protein is still privately-owned, but its public comps include Hebei Yangyuan Zhihui, Ingredion, Marfrig, Nomad Foods, Applied Nutrition, Oatly, Beyond Meat, Jyong Biotech, ABVC BioPharma and Local Bounti.
| Last FY | EV/Revenue | EV/EBITDA | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | EBITDA | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | Last FY | LTM | 2027E | |
| $796M | $254M | 9.3x | 8.4x | 29.1x | 25.5x | |||
| $7.2B | $1.2B | 1.0x | 1.0x | 5.7x | 6.0x | |||
| $32B | $2.2B | 0.5x | 0.5x | 6.8x | 6.1x | |||
| $3.5B | $417M | 1.1x | 1.1x | 9.2x | 6.7x | |||
| $144M | $39M | 6.4x | 4.1x | 23.3x | 15.5x | |||
| $862M | ($39M) | 1.0x | 1.0x | (23.0x) | 52.2x | |||
| $275M | $266M | 1.6x | 1.7x | 1.7x | (3.2x) | |||
| - | ($3M) | - | - | (65.0x) | - | |||
This data is available for Pro users. Sign up to see all Air Protein competitors and their valuation data. Start Free Trial | ||||||||
Common questions about Air Protein
| When was Air Protein founded? | Air Protein was founded in 2019. |
| Where is Air Protein headquartered? | Air Protein is headquartered in San Francisco, CA, United States. |
| Is Air Protein publicly listed? | No, Air Protein is a private, VC-backed company. |
| How much funding has Air Protein raised? | Air Protein has raised $107M across 2 funding rounds. |
| What was Air Protein's last funding round? | Air Protein's last funding round was a $75M undisclosed-stage round in May 2023. |
| Who are Air Protein's investors? | Air Protein's investors include GV, Barclays, ADM Ventures, Park Bench Capital, The Ford Family Foundation, Plum Alley and Primera Capital. |
| Which companies are comparable to Air Protein? | Companies comparable to Air Protein include Hebei Yangyuan Zhihui, Impossible Foods, Ingredion, Nomad Foods, NotCo and Believer Meats. |
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