Recently, the UC Berkeley Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology received a grant of $1.15M over two years from Open Philanthropy to support its Alternative Meats Lab (Alt: Meat Lab). Since Open Philanthropy’s original October 2019 $700,000 grant support, the Alt: Meat Lab has incubated a number of new startups developing alternatives to animal products and has helped build the talent pipeline for existing companies working in this space. This funding is intended to enable Alt: Meat Lab to continue startup incubation, pipeline-building, and educational expansion on the UC Berkeley campus.
The awarded grant falls under Open Philanthropy’s focus area of farm animal welfare. It serves to spur new UC Berkeley startups developing alternatives to animal products and will help build the talent pipeline for existing Alt: Meat Lab companies working towards the same mission and vision. Moreover, the grant shall also be used towards expanding the Alt: Meat Lab’s educational offerings (such as the Alt: Meat challenge lab) to enable more UC Berkeley students to learn about plant-based food and the alternative-meat industry.
About the UC Berkeley Alternative Meats Lab
The Alternative Meats Lab at UC Berkeley helps entrepreneurs and researchers investigate the next generation of foods such as plant-based meats, dairy substitutes, and alternative sources of fat and protein. Operating out of the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, the Alt: Meat lab seeks to foster an open and collaborative space, where aspiring entrepreneurs are developing novel solutions to address food’s current impact on the environment, health, and animal welfare.
About Open Philanthropy
Open Philanthropy identifies outstanding giving opportunities, makes grants, follows the results, and publishes its findings. Its mission is to give as effectively as it can and share the findings openly so that anyone can build on them. Click here to learn more Open Philanthropy!