Animal-free protein maker Zero Cow Factory raises $4M in a seed round led by Green Frontier Capital, others

Surat-based Zero Cow Factory, a biotech startup producing India's first animal-free protein and dairy products using bioengineering microbes and precision fermentation, has raised $4 million in a seed round co-led by Green Frontier Capital, GVFL and pi Ventures, with participation from Pascual Innoventures, the investment arm of a leading Spanish dairy group Calidad Pascual.

With this funding, Zero Cow Factory said it will be able to accelerate its R&D efforts, scale up production capacity, and obtain regulatory approvals to hit the market.

Founded in 2021 by Sohil Kapadia and Parini Kapadia with the aim of revolutionizing the dairy industry by producing sustainable animal-free milk proteins and dairy products. The startup said it has a new alternative to cow's milk protein that replicates its taste, texture, nutrient profile, and appearance.

It claims to have developed a patented technology to produce dairy proteins, such as casein & whey, without any animal being involved. 

Zero Cow Factory's first product is A2 Beta-casein which is also healthier as the A1 milk protein, which causes indigestion is absent from their product. This will be used to formulate various sustainable food and dairy products like cheese, yogurt, ice-cream, supplement powder etc. which are used across various industries like food, dairy, CPG, nutraceutical, and dietary supplements, the startup said.

"We are excited to partner with our investors' outstanding setup and combine them with our talented team, which positions us uniquely to lead the way in building a global dairy 3.0 that is animal-free, sustainable, and scalable," said Sohil Kapadia, Co-founder and CEO of Zero Cow Factory.

"We are developing a technology to reproduce milk proteins to craft real dairy products that are ethical, safe, delicious, and identical to cow milk but without any animal involved," said Parini Kapadia, Co-founder and CSO of Zero Cow Factory.

Sandiip Bhammer, Co-Managing Partner and Founder at Green Frontier Capital, said, "With cattle being the No.1 agricultural source of greenhouse gases, precision fermentation startups have the potential to disrupt the dairy industry globally. If the world (and India) has to achieve its net zero goals, there needs to be a pivot rather quickly to sustainable solutions like precision fermentation and, in that regards, Zero Cow Factory, is working assiduously on developing its own proprietary A2 casein-based solution, a weakness which plant-based ingredients have not yet been able to address successfully."

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