Amyris CEO on post-bankruptcy re-boot, Windfall Bio ceases operations, why India is the fermentation capital of the world, mycoprotein funding

Express interest in investing in Fund V.

AgFunder is a top 100 VC, according to TIME and Statista.

Is your business ready for AI analytics? Find out more here.

Two years after emerging from bankruptcy, biomanufacturing specialist Amyris is not yet profitable, but is a “drastically different company," says CEO Kathy Fortmann.

Elsewhere, California-based Windfall Bio—a startup with tech to convert waste methane from farms and landfill sites into organic fertilizer—has ceased operations and is now auctioning off its lab and bioreactor assets.

Plus:

Biomanufacturing: StrainX Bioworks nets $13m to scale Indian platform
Food inflation: What does it mean for consumer spending?
Mycoprotein: Pacifico Biolabs nets $8m for brewery retrofit model
Gene editing: Let the little guys do the legwork?
Meat trade 2.0: Dubai’s sovereign food security play

And finally… Plant cell culture is pricy and difficult. But new food-grade facilities without biopharma cost structures could unlock more favorable unit economics, claims new entrant Rheaplant.

Have a fantastic week! Louisa, Jenn, and Elaine

Amyris CEO on the post-bankruptcy re-boot: ‘We’re a drastically different company’

Two years after emerging from bankruptcy, Amyris is not yet profitable, but has slashed its burn rate, says CEO Kathy Fortmann. Elaine Watson

Exclusive: Waste methane to fertilizer startup Windfall Bio auctions off assets

Silicon Valley Disposition lists an auction featuring “extremely high-end R&D instruments, bioreactor systems, and lab equipment." Elaine Watson

Can plant cell culture escape the biopharma cost trap? Rheaplant nets new funds

“When we talk to potential clients in the botanicals space, some of them are distraught,” says Derek Scholin. “They say things like: ‘One year we didn't have a product.’” Elaine Watson

Mid-tier food brands face toughest test in next inflation cycle, warns Rabobank

Value segments will grow, some premium segments may hold, but mid-tier brands face a big challenge in a K-shaped economy. Elaine Watson

StrainX Bioworks nets $13m to scale biomanufacturing platform: ‘India is going to be the fermentation capital of the world’

India has key advantages as a manufacturing base due to its cost structure, existing manufacturing ecosystem, equipment and supplier base, talent pool, and access to raw materials. Elaine Watson

Pacifico Biolabs nets $8m, targets alt-meat cost parity with brewery retrofit model

Pacifico Biolabs aims to unlock “a low-cost, rapidly scalable route to mass-market production," says cofounder Zac Austin. Elaine Watson

How to sell the next wave of gene-edited crops? Let the little guys do it

Incumbent small- and medium-size partners can “do a lot of the legwork” around gene-edited crops, say F&A Next panelists. Rich Bellis

AgriFood Signals: Elbit acquires Bluewhite, more funding for virtual fencing, Anheuser-Busch awards $80k grant

Plus: Pizza robot company Picnic shuts down. Jennifer Marston

Guest article: Building the next generation of the global meat trade as a sovereign mandate

Competitive advantage in the next generation of global meat trade belongs to those who solve technical and infrastructural challenges first. By guest contributor Ahmed Bin Sulayem