# UPSIDE Foods

> UPSIDE Foods, founded in 2015 as Memphis Meats, grows real meat directly from animal cells - no slaughter required. Led by former cardiologist Uma Valeti, the Berkeley company was the first to clear both FDA and USDA review and the first to sell cultivated meat to a US diner, at chef Dominique Crenn's Bar Crenn in 2023. It has raised more than $600 million and now spends as much time in courtrooms fighting state bans as it does in its bioreactors.

- **Founded:** 2015
- **Headquarters:** Berkeley, California, United States
- **Founders:** Uma Valeti (Co-founder & CEO), Nicholas Genovese (Co-founder & former Chief Scientific Officer), Will Clem (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** ~150 (pre-2024/2025 layoffs; estimated ~250 at peak)
- **Products:** Cultivated chicken, EPIC (Engineering, Production and Innovation Center), Blended and next-gen chicken formats
- **Notable:** Received the world's first FDA 'No Questions' letter for a cultivated meat product (November 2022)., Among the first two companies to receive USDA approval to sell cultivated meat in the US (June 2023)., Made the first-ever consumer sale of cultivated meat in the United States at Bar Crenn (July 1, 2023).

## Products & services

- **Cultivated chicken** — Real chicken grown from cells derived from a heritage-breed chicken egg, cultivated in bioreactors and harvested in roughly three weeks. First product cleared by the FDA and USDA for US sale.
- **EPIC (Engineering, Production and Innovation Center)** — A ~53,000 sq ft cultivated-meat production and R&D facility in Emeryville, California, opened November 2021 with initial capacity above 50,000 pounds per year, designed to scale beyond 400,000 pounds.
- **Blended and next-gen chicken formats** — Shredded chicken, chicken sausage and other prepared formats combining cultivated chicken with plant-based ingredients, developed for foodservice and pending regulatory clearance.

## Achievements

- Received the world's first FDA 'No Questions' letter for a cultivated meat product (November 2022).
- Among the first two companies to receive USDA approval to sell cultivated meat in the US (June 2023).
- Made the first-ever consumer sale of cultivated meat in the United States at Bar Crenn (July 1, 2023).
- First company to publicly demonstrate cultivated beef (2016), chicken and duck (2017).
- Reached a $1B+ valuation with cultivated meat's largest funding round to date ($400M Series C).
- Recognized by Fast Company (World Changing Ideas) and the New York Times Good Tech Awards.

## Latest updates

- **2024-02** — Paused plans for its large-scale Illinois production plant and restructured, citing a tougher commercialization path.
- **2024-07** — Laid off staff after Florida's cultivated-meat ban took effect on July 1, 2024.
- **2024-08** — Sued the State of Florida with the Institute for Justice, arguing the ban violates the US Constitution.
- **2025-01** — Partnered with distributor Pat LaFrieda to develop cultivated chicken formats for restaurants.
- **2025-09** — Joined Wildtype in suing Texas over its ban on cell-cultured protein, effective September 1, 2025.
- **2025-11** — Argued its Florida case before the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals, where judges questioned the core claims.

## Links

- Website: https://upsidefoods.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/upsidefoods/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/upsidefoods
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/upsidefoods/
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/memphismeats

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/upside-foods
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-20