2020 was a year of firsts for the cultivated meatindustry—capped off with a head ofgovernment consuming cultivated meat in Israel andthe first commercial sale of cultivatedmeat in Singapore. The regulatory approval of a cultivatedchicken product in Singapore is agood sign for regulatory green lights in other countries.

The industry’s commercial landscape now comprisesmore than 70 startups focused ondeveloping cultivated meat inputs, services, or endproducts. Another 40+ primarily life sciencecompanies have publicly announced a formal initiativeor business line to supply cultivatedmeat startups with critical inputs and meet manufacturingand infrastructure needs.Companies at the leading edge of the industry arenow manufacturing cultivated meat at pilotscale, a crucial early step to assess the viabilityof industrial-scale production.

Investment in the nascent field topped $350 millionin 2020, nearly double the previouscumulative investment in the industry. 2020 saw theindustry’s first Series B funding rounds aswell as the first substantial public-sector R&D fundingin both the United States and theEuropean Union. Within the alternative protein sector(which includes plant-based andfermentation segments), cultivated meat accountedfor 14 percent of overall annualprivate-sector investments.