Wild Earth

Like food innovators creating cultured protein for human consumption, biotech startup Wild Earth is developing clean high-protein pet foods that are healthier, better for the environment, and more humane than conventional products.

Wild Earth’s fungi-based products require dramatically fewer resources than farming animals to produce the same nutritional value. In addition to a complete protein without animal ingredients, the veterinarian-developed formula offers omega fatty acids, digestion-boosting enzymes, and prebiotics to support gastrointestinal microbiomes. Since 25-30 percent of meat’s environmental impact in the U.S. is attributed to pet food, Wild Earth believes its fungi protein is necessary if we hope to sustainably feed more than a billion pets expected by 2050.

Wild Earth is built by pioneers in cellular agriculture led by chief science officer Ron Shigeta, Ph.D., an experienced business team led by chief executive officer Ryan Bethencourt, and Dr. Ernie Ward, known as “America’s Pet Advocate.” Investors include VegInvest, Felicis Ventures, Babel Ventures, Mark Cuban (Radical Investments), Mars Petcare, Stray Dog Capital, Founders Fund, and Thiel Capital. The company is headquartered in Berkeley, Calif. For more information visit www.wildearth.com.