CA-PROLIFIC-MACHINES
14.9.2022 15:34:41 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Prolific Machines, a next generation biotechnology company, is emerging from stealth today by announcing their massively oversubscribed Seed and Series A financings, led by the best VCs in the space. The Seed round was led by Arvind Gupta at Mayfield, the first investor in cultured meat. The Series A was led by Bill Gates-founded Breakthrough Energy Ventures. Prolific’s first check was written in late 2020, when SOSV’s IndieBio led their Pre-Seed round.
The lead VCs were joined by a number of high profile co-investors such as David Adelman, Mark Cuban (owner of the Dallas Mavericks), The Kraft Group (owners of the New England Patriots), David Rubenstein, Michael Rubin, Breyer Capital, The SALT Fund, Purple Orange Ventures, Fred Blackford, Jake Poliskin, and Baruch Future Ventures. A number of celebrities and restaurateurs have also invested in Prolific including: Kevin Love, Tobias Harris, Meek Mill, Ciara & Russell Wilson, Emily Ratajkowski, Maverick Carter, Sean Feeney, Michael Schulson, Mark Bucher, and RJ Melman.
Prolific is unique in that they are inventing the scalable manufacturing process first, and a product second. This is very different to the path taken by other cultured meat companies. Prolific aims to do for biology what Henry Ford did for automobiles. In 1906, there were hundreds of car companies, yet most people could not afford a car. After Ford invented the assembly line for automobiles, car production became scalable, and then cars became a mass market item. Prolific is inventing the technology that holds the key to building a scalable assembly line for biology.
Dr. Deniz Kent, Co-founder and CEO of Prolific Machines, started the company after witnessing the Syrian refugee crisis in his hometown of Antioch, Turkey. He realized that what he experienced would be nothing compared to the impending global refugee crises caused by climate change. He knew his expertise in stem cell biology could be used to create a sustainable food system, but lacked confidence in the ability of existing technologies to compete with factory farming on cost. He conceived of a new way to grow and control cells without the need for any recombinant proteins, the most expensive ingredients in cell production. He spent three years searching for the perfect co-founders while the idea marinated in his mind. He eventually found a brilliant physicist Dr. Max Huisman, and an exceptional machine learning engineer Declan Jones. Deniz convinced them to quit their jobs, and together they assembled an all-star team to embark upon a journey to revolutionize biomanufacturing.
“We are of the opinion that existing technologies being deployed in cultured meat will not reach price parity with factory farming. A fundamentally new approach is going to be required. We are inventing this new approach, and I'm open to making our technology available to every meat company. Our mission is to address the existential risks posed by our changing climate, and we have no time to waste,” said Deniz.
Arvind Gupta, partner at Mayfield and first investor in many prominent food companies, says of the Seed round, “I never intended to invest in another cultured meat company. But when Deniz showed me what they were doing, I was blown away by the creativity in their approach to reinvent the assembly line for food production. It is my goal to help reverse climate change by partnering with incredible teams, and I am convinced Prolific Machines will be a winner in the race for sustainable food production.”
After making quick progress, Breakthrough Energy Ventures met the team and was similarly impressed. “Prior to meeting Prolific we had come to the conclusion that a fundamental breakthrough would be required for cultured meat to be economically competitive with conventional meat production,” said Carmichael Roberts, Breakthrough Energy Ventures. “We believe that Prolific Machines may be this breakthrough. Prolific’s novel technology has the potential to enable the cost-competitive production of high-quality cultured meat products and they have the team to execute it."
Po Bronson, Managing Director at IndieBio and General Partner at SOSV, was the first to recognise Prolific’s potential. He wrote the Pre-Seed check, and incubated them from IndieBio while they de-risked their early science. “Prolific was a radical idea with a truly incredible team, exactly what IndieBio loves. Prolific has broken all of the records at IndieBio, and I see their technology as the best in this space.”
Deniz explains the next steps. “We are building a 25,000 square foot HQ in Emeryville and ramping up hiring to expand our assembly line programs, including fish, poultry, and beef. If you are talented and looking to make a historic change, come and talk to us.”
If you would like to support us, you can join the waitlist and find out more information at www.prolific-machines.com.
About Prolific Machines
Prolific Machines is a biomanufacturing company inventing novel technologies to grow and differentiate stem cells at a dramatically lower cost relative to conventional means. The initial focus of the company is cultured meat, but the technology they are developing is cell-agnostic, meaning that it could be applied to myriad of different applications in biotechnology. Further information is available at www.prolific-machines.com, and you can stay updated by following the company on LinkedIn.
About Breakthrough Energy Ventures
Founded by Bill Gates and backed by many of the world’s top business leaders, BEV has raised more than $2 billion in committed capital to support cutting-edge companies that are leading the world to net-zero emissions. BEV is a purpose-built investment firm that is seeking to invest, launch and scale global companies that will eliminate GHG emissions throughout the economy as soon as possible. BEV seeks true breakthroughs and is committed to supporting these entrepreneurs and companies by bringing to bear a unique combination of technical, operational, market and policy expertise.
BEV is a part of Breakthrough Energy, a network of investment vehicles, philanthropic programs, policy advocacy, and other activities committed to scaling the technologies we need to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Visit www.breakthroughenergy.org to learn more.
About Mayfield
Mayfield is a global venture capital firm with a people-first philosophy and a 50+ year track record of inception and early-stage investing, partnering with founders to build iconic enterprise, consumer and engineering biology companies. Since its founding, the firm has invested in more than 500 companies, resulting in 120 IPOs and more than 200 acquisitions, and currently has $2.2B under management. For more information, go to https://www.mayfield.com or follow @MayfieldFund.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220914005004/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Rapid Medical™’s DISTALS Trial Overwhelmingly Positive, Demonstrating Superior Reperfusion with TIGERTRIEVER™ 13 in Medium Vessel Stroke6.2.2026 20:30:00 CET | Press release
TIGERTRIEVER™ 13 is the first device shown to meet safety and effectiveness endpoints for restoring blood flow in smaller but critical areas of the brain, accounting for almost 50% of all ischemic strokes Rapid Medical™, a leading developer of active endovascular devices, today announced late-breaking results from the DISTALS multicenter, randomized controlled trial showing that TIGERTRIEVER™ 13 achieved superior brain tissue reperfusion with an excellent safety profile when compared with medical management in medium vessel occlusion (MVO) stroke. The findings were presented in the main closing session at the 2026 International Stroke Conference (ISC). Top-line results showed that the TIGERTRIEVER™ 13 arm demonstrated 3x more successful reperfusion without symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) compared to medical management–86.3% vs 27.7% (p < 0.001). Notably, zero sICH events were reported in the randomized treatment arm treated with TIGERTRIEVER 13. By comparison, sICH rates rep
Al Barari Breaks Ground on The Cape, The Final Chapter of a Legacy6.2.2026 15:46:00 CET | Press release
Al Barari, Dubai’s pioneering nature-led community, has officially marked the groundbreaking of The Cape, its final signature residential development, celebrating two decades of visionary craftsmanship and a continued commitment to creating harmonious living environments rooted in nature. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260206475199/en/ Hazza Zaal, CEO of Al Barari Real Estate Group, alongside the Sales and Construction teams at The Cape Groundbreaking Ceremony, marking a milestone in Al Barari’s final signature development. (Photo: AETOSWire) The milestone ceremony signals the beginning of a landmark chapter for Al Barari, as The Cape represents the culmination of a 20-year legacy defined by intentional design, wellbeing-focused living, and immersive natural landscapes. Located within Dubai’s green heart, The Cape introduces an enriched lifestyle experience surrounded by lush botanical settings, gentle water
Andersen Consulting indgår samarbejdsaftale med Alfa Group6.2.2026 15:41:00 CET | Pressemeddelelse
Andersen Consulting styrker sit udbud inden for cybersikkerhed gennem samarbejdet med Alfa Group, der er en førende teknologivirksomhed med næsten tre årtiers erfaring i at hjælpe organisationer med at beskytte og optimere deres drift. Alfa Group blev grundlagt i 1996 og har hovedsæde i Rom. Virksomheden leverer avancerede løsninger inden for cybersikkerhed, registrering og forebyggelse af svindel, hændelseshåndtering og sårbarhedsstyring samt udvalgte ydelser inden for processtyring. Deres proprietære teknologi, N.O.V.A., er en fuldt integreret administreret tjeneste, der kombinerer Alfa Groups innovationer med tredjepartssystemer for at beskytte digitale infrastrukturer, reducere risici og øge den operationelle effektivitet. Virksomheden betjener kunder på tværs af brancher, herunder finans og forsikring, forsvar og rumfart, telekommunikation, fremstilling, energi og medicinalindustrien. "Vores samarbejde med Andersen Consulting giver os mulighed for at udvide vores rækkevidde og lev
Quantfury and Sandwich Launch Commercial Series to Encourage Better Choices in Retail Trading6.2.2026 15:00:00 CET | Press release
Quantfury Trading Americas Limited (“Quantfury”), a global brokerage offering commission-free trading at real-time spot prices from major exchanges, has partnered with Sandwich, a leading creative agency for tech and product videos, to produce a Social Responsibility Commercial Series. The series of commercials incorporates clear, engaging storytelling to prompt viewers to think about common retail trading behaviors—especially high-energy marketing, gamification of speculation, and heavy focus on potential gains without equal attention to risks—and to choose more thoughtful, informed approaches. Lev Mazur, Founder of Quantfury, said: “It’s a pleasure to work with Sandwich, whose visual storytelling is outstanding. Since day one, Quantfury has aimed to question and improve the standard practices in the global retail trading industry.” Adam Lisagor, Founder of Sandwich, added: “A good investment is a story. Quantfury stood out by wanting to tell a real, interesting story first—rather tha
JSS: 2025 Sake Exports Grew Steadily, Reaching a Record 81 Markets6.2.2026 04:00:00 CET | Press release
Sake exports continued to expand in 2025 in both value and volume, with export destinations reaching a record 81 countries and regions. Export value increased 6% year on year to 45.9 billion yen, while export volume rose 8% to 33.55 million liters (3.73 million cases on a 9-liter basis), marking the second-highest export performance on record. The average export unit price per 750 ml bottle declined 2% year on year to 1,026 yen. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260205671686/en/ Sake Export Performance by Country (Top 10, 2025) Export value has nearly doubled since 2020, and the CAGR over the past five years reached 14%. This underscores sake’s position as a high-growth category globally. Asia remained the largest export destination, with export value totaling 28.8 billion yen, representing an 8% increase year on year and accounting for 63% of total export value. North America recorded exports of 12.4 billion ye
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom