From research to reality - with entrepreneurial vision.
How Merck and mantro turned a lab discovery into a US-based deep-tech venture — with an edible membrane that finally makes cultivated meat and high-protein foods scalable.
- Venture
- EdiMembre
- Case
- Turning research into a venture
- Cultivated meat market potential
- Up to $25B
- Industry funding 2021 → 2025
- –93 %
01Intro
Intro
EdiMembre builds edible hollow-fiber bioreactors — the structural foundation for whole-cut cultivated meat (steak, filet — not just minced) and for a new generation of high-protein, plant-based foods. The core technology comes from Merck’s labs — decades of membrane science, finally in a form the world hasn’t seen before: edible.
But innovation alone isn’t enough. It takes strategy, courage and execution to bring such a solution into the market. That’s where mantro came in — to transform an internal asset into an independent, investor-ready company.
Today, EdiMembre is based in Boston and growing fast - a case study in how strategic carve-outs can unlock deep tech potential.
02Situation
Breakthrough tech - but no market path
Within Merck, a new membrane technology had emerged - offering game-changing potential for the growing market of cultured meat.
But despite the promise, the solution had no clear route to commercialization within the corporate structure. It didn’t fit Merck’s strategic roadmap - but was too valuable to stay unused.
The cultivated meat industry has a scaling problem — today’s scaffolds are “prohibitively expensive” (GFI), and whole-cut products (steak, filet) remain practically impossible to produce at industrial scale. EdiMembre’s edible hollow-fiber bioreactors solve exactly that — the hardest, most expensive and most commercially valuable bottleneck in the category. A second market opens in parallel: high-protein pasta is growing from $1.9B (2024) toward $3.75B+ by 2033 (8–9 % CAGR). Two markets, one platform.
The decision: build a new company around it.
03Approach
Our job
Step 01 / 05
Understand the tech and the opportunity
mantro deeply analyzed the technology and its relevance for cell-based protein production - shaping a clear value proposition and commercial strategy.
Step 02 / 05
Transform R&D into an investable venture
We worked with Merck to turn the internal R&D project into a full business case: structuring the license agreement, building the operating model, and defining a fundable narrative for external investors.
Step 03 / 05
Secure the first funding
We led the pre-spin fundraising, connected with aligned early investors and structured the deal - paving the way for independent operations.
Step 04 / 05
Launch the company in Boston
EdiMembre was incorporated in Massachusetts, with mantro as co-founder and Merck as strategic partner. We built the corporate structure, team architecture and operational setup for a U.S.-based biotech scale-up.
Step 05 / 05
Ongoing support as partner and board member
mantro remains closely involved - providing strategic input, deep tech guidance and access to the venture ecosystem.
04Outcome
Why now
Alternative protein is in a consolidation phase. The companies that win are the ones supplying the enabling technology the next generation actually needs.
- Up to $25B Cultivated meat market potential
by 2030 (McKinsey best-case scenario)
- $1.9 → $3.75B High-protein pasta market
growth 2024 → 2033 (Grand View Research, 8–9 % CAGR)
- –93 % Industry funding 2021 → 2025
whoever solves cost and scale now wins
05Learnings
Learnings
- 01
Corporate R&D holds massive hidden value
Not just in the IP - but in the people and the untapped market insight.
- 02
From a DACH lab to a US venture
Research in Darmstadt, company in Boston — in under six months. We build ventures where the market needs them.
- 03
The first funding is the hardest
Securing capital before spin-out is the key step toward independence - and the hardest to pull off.
Get in touch
If you want to stress-test an idea, unblock an initiative, or simply see whether we're the right partner, let's talk. You can book a straight-to-the-point session with our CEO Manni, or leave us a message.
- Address
- Zielstattstr. 19
81379 München - hello@mantro.net