How to Invest in Lab-Grown Meat

About half a decade ago, the concept of having edible meat grown in labs was not popular enough for many to think of investing in it. Today, however, the narrative has changed. Although the industry is still a long way from being fully established, it has made a name for itself and the results are doing the talking.

With cultured meat making its way to grocery store counters in select countries, and with several other countries taking the cue to do the same, the subject of investing in lab-grown meat is a timely one to discuss.

Invest in Public Lab-Grown Meat Companies

Investing directly into lab-grown meat companies is a way for anyone, irrespective of financial capability to take advantage of the rapidly growing industry. it may be quite hard to invest in privately-owned companies, which is the case for many of the emerging companies in the industry. However, there are a couple of publicly-traded companies focused on the production of cultured meat whose stocks might be worth purchasing.

Agronomics Ltd (AGNMF)

A cellular agriculture industry based in London, Agronomics lets willing investors purchase its stocks directly over the counter. The company aims to produce as many agricultural products as possible from cell cultures. Hence, lab-grown meat is not the only cellular product the company is invested in. This spells a wider market base for the company and this could mean more success for the company in the coming years.

CULT Food Science (CULT)

Cult Food Science is based in Vancouver, Canada, and trades in the Canadian stock market. Formerly known as Triangle Industries and now known as CULT Food Science Corp., the company shows a lot of promise and might be able to draw from its wealth of experience as a long-standing business to survive in the rapidly growing market.

Eat Beyond Global (EATBF)

Eat Beyond Global is not a producer of lab-grown meat or its raw materials. However, the company exists as a venture capital firm and invests in other companies that manufacture alternative protein products. As an experienced venture capital firm, Eat Beyond Global makes one company you might want to trust with your money. The firm would do the job of identifying promising companies and investing in them.

Steakholder Foods Ltd (STKH)

Steakholder Foods Ltd only went public in May 2021, yet, it has rapidly made a good name in the industry. The company had recently just changed its name and was formerly known as MeaTech 3D Ltd. The future-forward company develops 3D bioprinting technologies for slaughter-free and sustainable culture of alternative protein. Steakholder Foods Ltd has its headquarters in Rehovot, Israel, and trades publicly on the Nasdaq.

Neto Me Holdings Ltd (NTO)

Neto Me Holdings Ltd is one of those companies through which you can indirectly invest in the cultured meat industry. A member of an Israeli large food conglomerate known as Neto Group, the company does not and has not declared its intent to produce or research cultivated meat. However, it is invested in Future Meat Technologies, one of the leading lab-grown meat companies in the world, which at the moment, is private-owned.

Future Meat is a beneficiary of the largest funding in the history of the industry, and this is one of the many feats that have proved its success. To indirectly invest in Future Meat through Neto Me Holdings Ltd, you can trade the latter’s stock on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Make Private Investments

While private-owned companies do not trade on the stock market, you will be able to leverage private equity opportunities. Note that this option is only available to accredited investors who will be recognized by private companies for investment deals.

As an experienced investor, you may also partner with credible venture capital firms that are interested in investing in lab-grown meat companies.

Buy and Sell Cultivated Meat

Depending on your capacity, you can become a distributor or retailer of cultivated meat. The fact is that lab grown meat is here to stay and the earlier you position yourself for that reality, the more profit you stand to make eventually. The market is still relatively new. You can learn about cultivated meat, and set up a system for distribution or retails. You can even push for agreements with some of the manufacturers and probably get exclusive rights to some of their products in the long run.

Is Lab-Grown Meat Worth Investing in?

The cultivated meat industry has always been a beneficiary of generous investors. In 2020 alone, startups in the industry received more than $1.2 billion from willing investors. At the later end of 2021, an Estonian materials startup benefited a $1.2 million seed fund to begin producing raw materials for cultured meat production. So far, Future Meat, a company that has only existed for about four years, has benefited the most from funding into the industry. in one of its financing programs in 2021, the company raised $347 million, the biggest investment hit so far in the sector.

However, all of these investment series and fundraising events have been highly dignified, making investment opportunities available to only a select few. Thankfully, we project that the lab-grown meat industry will be able to compete in the public investment market in no time.

This is particularly true as the Industry makes progressive headway toward getting approved in several countries, including the US.  Already, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a research grant to Tufts University to fund research and education on cultured meat. On the other hand, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has actively maintained communication with the industry to critique production procedures and ascertain safety.

Since cultivated meat is not regulated for sale in the US yet, a lot of US-based companies have been invested in research. This itself means a lot of progress would have been made in terms of innovation and scalability by the time the product is finally authorized for consumption.

From most indications, investing in lab-grown meat appears to be an excellent opportunity that should not be discarded, especially at this early stage.

This is not to say that it would be all rosy for the industry. Every investment is a risk and money pumped into cultured meat is not an exception, despite the buzz. First of all, there are no guarantees that cultivated meat will indeed make it to grocery stores, and neither does anyone know when that will be. Besides, everyone can only make forecasts based on past and current performance, but no one can really envisage what companies would continue to do well long after lab-grown meat is regulated.

Conclusion

A successful investment is a romance of risks and hopes. For all that lab-grown meat promises, investing in it seems a shot that is worth going for. The question now would be: Are you ready to invest in lab grown meat?