Uncommon raises €28M to expand RNA technology-based lab-grown meat production

UK-based start-up Uncommon has raised $30m in Series A funding, led by Balderton and Lowercarbon, to help scale its lab-grown meat operation. Uncommon uses RNA lab technology to cultivate bacon and pork belly from pig cells, a process it says makes it distinctive in the field of cell-based meat and gives it a competitive advantage. The company has now raised around $35m in total funding, including a £1m Innovate UK grant. The latest injection of capital will go towards driving down costs, navigating regulatory authorization and scaling up production at a pilot factory in Cambridge Technopark. The aim is to build a 5% share of the global pork market by 2035. The cultural meat industry raised $869m in venture capital funding in 2022, down from $1.3bn in 2021.