Big Idea Ventures (“BIV”), one of the global leaders in early-stage alternative protein and food technology investing, has launched its third portfolio company through the Generation Food Rural Partners Fund (“GFRP”).
Nexture Bio, Inc. (“Nexture” or the “Company”) develops novel technologies to support the advancement of alternative meat products. The Company specializes in biomaterial technologies including scaffolding that enable the creation of three-dimensional alternative meat products that more closely resemble whole cuts of meat.
“Additional protein sources are needed to feed the growing human population. I am excited about Nexture Bio because the groundbreaking technology can create structuring technologies that are either edible or will not exist in the final product.” states Frank Klemens, Managing Director of the GFRP Fund. “Our fund’s mandate is to create companies that provide solutions to the most challenging areas in Food and Agriculture. Nexture Bio plans to address the challenges in the cultivated meats industry using innovative technologies and a dedicated team that prioritizes both technology and the consumer.
Sustainably feeding our growing population requires that we explore additional methods beyond the traditional means of supplying protein to the world. Nexture is focused on providing enabling technologies to the market that will enable a richer protein experience while expanding protein offerings to feed the world. Producing cultivated meat requires a platform that connects cells, allowing them to organize, grow, and differentiate. Nexture’s platform does all of the above, thereby allowing cultivated meat suppliers to address the specific needs of their markets and products.
The board of directors of Nexture Bio has appointed Teryn Wolfe as Chief Executive Officer. Before joining Nexture Bio, Teryn was the CEO at Matrix Food Technologies, an enabling technology company specializing in extracellular matrices for the alternative protein industry. She has 15 + years of meaningful experiences at the nexus of business, social impact, environmental protection, and academia. “The cultivated meat industry has made incredible progress over the past few years regardless of a plethora of obstacles, technical challenges, and frankly – undeserved pessimism. I firmly believe that to maintain progress and reach our collective industry-wide goals, we need to focus on enabling technologies like extracellular matrices – or, scaffolds,” states Teryn Wolfe. “I am delighted to be joining Nexture Bio and working alongside an experienced, world-class team to develop technologies that will support the industry’s ability to scale, diversify, and provide the world with more sustainable animal protein sources.”
The Company has engaged Eric Schulze and his firm GoodHumans Strategy & Design to provide consultative services. “Cultivated meat is a necessary addition to the modern food supply chain,” states Eric Schulze. “We simply have too large of a demand for high-quality meat to feed a growing global population. I’m thrilled to be able to help Nexture Bio develop and produce cultivated meat scaffolds and the next generation of cultivated meat products.”
The GFRP Fund evaluates intellectual property focused on innovations in the agriculture, food, and protein sectors. The GFRP Fund invests to create new companies formed around research with the greatest chance for broad commercialization. These new companies will be headquartered in rural communities, creating living wage jobs to drive economic growth and development.
