London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Sep 01, 2025

South Korean lab-grown shrimp producer bags $8.1M

South Korean lab-grown shrimp producer bags $8.1M

CellMEAT, which develops cell-based shrimp, has secured $8.1M to compete with 120 companies around the world that produce alternative seafood.

As consumers’ interest in the environment and nutrition rises, food-tech companies join the race to invent meat alternatives. In 2021, alternative seafood companies received $175 million in investment globally, increasing 92% from 2020. A South Korean startup called CellMEAT, which develops cell-based shrimp, has secured $8.1 million (10 billion KRW) Series A funding to compete with 120 companies around the world that produce alternative seafood.

The new round of funding, which brings its total raised to $14.1 million, will help CellMEAT continue the research and development of its lab-grown shrimp, ramp up pilot production of its prototype shrimp to 10 kilograms per day from 5 kilograms and expand its offerings to other cultivated seafood, including crustaceans like lobsters and crabs, CellMEAT co-founder and CEO Giljun Park said in an interview with TechCrunch.

CellMEAT intends to enter Singapore, the only country to approve alternative meat products for sale. It aims to commercialize its cultivated shrimps as early as 2023, targeting B2B and B2C consumers, Park continued. CellMEAT is also eyeing the U.S. after entering Asian countries, Park noted.

Late last year, CellMEAT announced the development of its own fetal bovine serum (FBS)-free cell culture medium. Its animal-free cell culture technology would help bring the shrimp meat cost down to approximately $20 or less per kilogram, Park said.

CellMEAT isn’t the only startup developing animal-free cell culture medium technology in this space. San Diego-based cultured seafood company BlueNalu, which partnered with Japanese sushi restaurant operator Food & Life Companies (F&LC) to develop cell-cultured tuna early this year, has cultivated yellowtail fillets in a serum-free solution. San Francisco-based Finless Foods has developed lab-grown bluefin tuna using its own animal-free growth media. Hong Kong-based Avant Meats uses animal-free serum for its cell-based seafood production.

Investors including NauIB, BNK Venture Capital, Strong Ventures and Ryukyung PSG participated in the Series A funding. CellMEAT is considering raising an extension of Series A this year, Park told TechCrunch.

Founded in 2019, CellMEAT raised $4 million in its pre-Series A funding in January 2021. The startup has 25 employees.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
Ukrainian Nationalist Politician Andriy Parubiy Assassinated in Lviv
Corporate America Cuts Middle Management as Bosses Take On Triple the Workload
Parents Sue OpenAI After Teen’s Death, Alleging ChatGPT Encouraged Suicide
Amazon Faces Lawsuit Over 'Buy' Label on Digital Streaming Content
Federal Reserve Independence Questioned Amid Trump’s Push to Reshape Central Bank
British Politics Faces Tumultuous Autumn After Summer of Rebellions and Rising Farage Momentum
US Appeals Court Rules Against Most Trump-Era Tariffs
UK Sought Broad Access to Apple Users’ Data, Court Filing Reveals
UK Bank Shares Dive Over Potential Tax on Sector
Germany’s Auto Industry Sheds 51,500 Jobs in First Half of 2025 Amid Deepening Crisis
Bruce Willis Relocated Due to Advanced Dementia
French and Korean Nuclear Majors Clash As EU Launches Foreign Subsidy Probe
EU Stands Firm on Digital Rules as Trump Warns of Retaliation
Getting Ready for the 3rd Time in Its History, Germany Approves Voluntary Military Service for Teenagers
Argentine President Javier Milei Evacuated After Stones Thrown During Campaign Event
Denmark Confronts U.S. Diplomat Over Covert Trump-Linked Influence in Greenland
Starmer Should Back Away from ECHR, Says Jack Straw
Trump Demands RICO Charges Against George Soros and Son for Funding Violent Protests
Taylor Swift Announces Engagement to NFL Star Travis Kelce
France May Need IMF Bailout, Warns Finance Minister
Chinese AI Chipmaker Cambricon Posts Record Profit as Beijing Pushes Pivot from Nvidia
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
Ukraine Finally Allows Young Men Aged Eighteen to Twenty-Two to Leave the Country
The Porn Remains, Privacy Disappears: How Britain Broke the Internet in Ten Days
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Welcome to The Definition of Insanity: Germany Edition
Just a reminder, this is Michael Jackson's daughter, Paris.
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
×