Berlin-based Project Eaden, a German climate tech startup developing plant-based meats with fiber-spinning technology, raised €15M in an oversubscribed Series A funding round.
The investment was led by Planet A and REWE Group, with participation from DeepTech & Climate Fonds, Happiness Capital, AgriFoodTech Venture Alliance, and existing investors Creandum and FoodLabs.
Christoph Gras, General Partner of Planet A, says, “Research suggests that plant-based products could replace 11–22 per cent of global meat consumption by 2035—but only if improvements are made in taste and texture.”
“Project Eaden is leading this shift with its new fibre technology, which delivers a meat alternative that will appeal even to the most skeptical consumers. This first-of-a-kind approach is a crucial step toward decarbonising the food sector.”
The latest funding round brings Project Eaden’s total funding to €27M. Prior to this fundraising, the climate tech startup raised €10M in a seed round and €2M in public grants in 2022, to support its European retail launch.
Meat is a textile
Founded in 2022 by Dr. David Schmelzeisen, Hubertus Bessau, and Jan Wilmking, Project Eaden creates plant-based meat alternatives using fibre-spinning technology inspired by the textile industry.
Co-founder Wilmking, says, “We are here to make the switch away from animal meat consumption a no-brainer. Our products deliver on taste, texture and nutrition.”
“Our proprietary tech is versatile across meat types, cheap and highly scalable,” adds co-founder Dr. David Schmelzeisen.
Meat is made of muscle fibres, connective tissue, and fat, similar to textiles. Project Eaden uses this similarity to develop a plant-based material that mimics the texture and structure of animal meat.
The company’s products replicate the look, taste, and chew of meat by combining this fibre-based material with natural taste components. Unlike traditional processed meats, their products are free of nitrates and antibiotics.
Project Eaden’s plant-based meat production significantly reduces environmental impact compared to animal meat. Each kilogram of their product lowers greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 kg of CO2, water use by up to 56 m³, and land use by up to 20 m². This approach meets increasing meat demand while minimising resource consumption and emissions.
Capital utilisation
Project Eaden will use the funds to launch its products across Europe, increase production capacity, and expand its product range through R&D. The company is hiring in operations, engineering, marketing, and sales to support these efforts.
Project Eaden will launch its products in multiple European markets in 2025, starting with Germany. Its plant-based ham will debut in thousands of REWE supermarkets across the country in the first half of the year. The German ham market is valued at over €2B.
01
From employee advocacy to social selling: Oktopost founder Daniel Kushner on the future of B2B marketing