sallea
An ETH Zurich spin-off developing edible, high-porosity 3D-printed scaffolds to enable the production of structured whole-cut cultivated meat and fish.
- CEO / Founder
- Simona Fehlmann
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Seed
- Total Funding
- $4.4M ($2.6M equity + $1.8M grants)
- Latest Round
- Pre-Seed (Oct 2024)
- Key Investors
- ["Founderful","Kost Capital","Venture Kick","ETH Zurich Foundation"]
Technology & Products
Key Products
["Edible 3D-printed Scaffolds","Salt-based Templating Platform","Custom Scaffold Engineering Services","Advanced Composite Structuring Solutions"]
Technological Advantage
The technology allows for the growth of thick, structured tissues by overcoming nutrient diffusion limits; it uses fully edible materials, eliminating the need for scaffold removal, and is highly scalable for industrial production.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Enables the transition from minced products to premium whole-cuts (like steaks and fillets) by providing edible scaffolds with hierarchical porosity that ensure optimal nutrient transport and cell maturation.
How They Differentiate
Proprietary salt-based sacrificial templating technology that creates hierarchical porosity. Unlike competitors using electrospinning or simple 3D printing, sallea's method ensures optimal nutrient transport and cell infiltration in thick tissues, enabling the production of 'whole-cut' steaks and fillets rather than just minced products.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Cultivated meat and seafood manufacturers, cellular agriculture startups, and advanced composites manufacturers.
Industry Verticals
["FoodTech","Cellular Agriculture","Biotechnology","Advanced Materials"]
Competitors
Gelatex, DaNAgreen, Matrix Meats
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Team size of 13 employees; CEO recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30 DACH (2024).
Major Milestones
["Awarded ETH Pioneer Fellowship in 2022","Winner of Venture Kick Stage 3 (CHF 150,000) in 2024","Raised $2.6M Pre-Seed funding led by Founderful in Oct 2024","CEO Simona Fehlmann named to Forbes 30 Under 30 DACH in 2024"]
Notable Customers
Sallea has begun working with a number of food producers on testing and proof-of-concept projects.