Mewery secures €3 million to accelerate co-cultivated meat tech toward industrial testing

Czech cultivated meat pioneer, Mewery, has raised €3 million (around US$3.26 million) in new funding to advance its hybrid cell-and-microalgae platform toward industrial-scale testing. The startup was awarded €2.5 million through the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator program, funded by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic, making it one of just five Czech companies to receive such support since the program launched in 2021.

Roman Lauš, Founder & CEO, says the grant enables Mewery to begin producing cultivated biomass in kilogram-scale volumes, with pilot tests involving meat producers expected to begin in the coming months. “This will be a crucial step that will open the way for us to test our technology with meat producers,” he explains. “We are already starting to approach companies that are interested in being among the first to bring a new generation of food to the market.”

The funding comes at a pivotal moment as the company moves from early-stage research to pilot-scale readiness. The total raised over the past year includes both public funding and support from local and international investors, bringing Mewery’s total capital secured since inception to more than €4 million (US$4.35 million).

“Thanks to European grants, we were able to focus all our efforts on research and development last year – which is exactly what grant funding should be used for,” Lauš says. “It enables scientific development to reach a stage where it makes sense for commercial scaling and becomes relevant for venture capital.” He adds that the latest grant is attracting renewed interest from potential investors looking for credible deep-tech food biotech plays.

Mewery also received the European Commission’s prestigious Seal of Excellence, a quality label awarded to projects evaluated as high-potential by independent experts in biotechnology and venture capital. Lauš says this recognition not only reflects the credibility of Mewery’s science and team, but also signals growing confidence in cultivated meat as a sustainable food solution. “European validation at this level proves that our project is at the absolute forefront of technology and ready for scaling up to pilot production,” he says.

Since its founding, Mewery has developed and validated a proprietary co-cultivation method that combines animal cells – initially pork – with microalgae. The hybrid approach improves cell growth efficiency, lowers costs, and enhances the nutritional profile of the final product. The company has already created four prototypes using this technology and began production earlier this year in a mid-scale bioreactor capable of generating biomass in the lower kilogram range.

Beyond its own platform, Mewery is now part of the ALLIANCE consortium, a major European research collaboration funded by the Horizon Europe program and led by Wageningen University. The project brings together 19 partners from eight countries to explore microalgae-based biorefineries. Mewery will contribute its expertise in validating microalgae extracts for use in animal cell cultivation, supporting the broader development of sustainable protein sources.

“We see this award and funding from local sources as a strong sign of confidence – not only in our team, but also in the very idea of cultivated meat as a sustainable alternative,” Lauš says. “It also strengthens the prestige of the entire Czech innovation ecosystem.”