Miruku Secures $5M to Develop Proteins in Oilseed Crops for Dairy 2.0 Products  – vegconomist

Miruku, a New Zealand startup developing novel dairy proteins and fats using molecular farming and oilseed crops, has raised $5 million (NZD8 million) in a pre-series A round to support its B2B model. 
Motion Capital led the round with the participation of previous seed investor Movac and new investors NZVC, Cultivate Ventures, and Icehouse Ventures. The funding brings the startup’s total investment to $7.4 million, having previously raised $2.4 million in an oversubscribed seed round.
“We are delighted to be supporting Miruku to re-write the rules of dairy production”
With the new capital, the company will advance its “dairy seed system” and conduct trials for its initial crop cultivation with farming partners in Australia, including the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), an Australian government agency.
© Miruku
More efficient than other technologies
Miruku’s approach promises to offer an efficient solution to meet global dairy protein demand while reducing the environmental impact and supporting biodiversity, climate resilience, and global sustainable agriculture efforts.
While other innovators leverage precision fermentation to create animal-free proteins, Miruku argues that molecular farming is more efficient because it can be easily scaled and incorporated into existing agricultural practices. In addition, as in precision fermentation, the end proteins are not genetically modified, allowing faster approvals.
Lachlan Nixon, Managing Partner of Motion Capital, shared:  “We are delighted to be supporting Miruku to re-write the rules of dairy production. Miruku’s molecular farming technology enables the production of bio-similar dairy proteins and fats at a significantly cheaper cost, as well as with significantly less environmental impact, than traditional animal agriculture.”
© Miruku
A sustainable food system
Former dairy industry executive Amos Palfreyman (CEO), Ira Bing (Finance & Value Strategy), Professor Harjinder Singh (Head of Food Applications), and Professor Oded Shoseyov (CSO) founded Miruku in 2020 to become a supplier of novel and sustainable proteins for producing food alternatives to animal products.
As announced by the company, it also aims to use the new funds to develop its first proof of concept to co-develop products with food industry partners. Miruku also plans to expand into key markets, including the USA and Canada.
Palfreyman commented: “Miruku is committed to innovating at the intersection of agriculture and biotechnology. Our technology offers a scalable solution to meet the growing demand for sustainable dairy alternatives, supporting the global transition towards a more sustainable food system.”

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