Virginia Rangos PhD
Founder and CEO
Dr. Rangos is a sociologist with expertise in social behavior and identity.
- What if you could make meat with science, and never had to harm another animal?
- What if you could make meat tastier & healthier?
- What if you could end food insecurity around the world?
- Clever Carnivore is dedicated to making these things happen right now. Join us!
Did You Know?
It currently takes 441 gallons of water to produce 1 lb of beef.
On A Mission
Innovating our way around the limitations of 21st century meat production.
Food Insecurity
Food prices have been rising, all over the world, and current production methods cannot meet future demand. The UN estimates that we must produce 70% more food by 2050, in order to keep up with population growth and prevent widespread starvation.
The USDA reports that 10.5% of American households—13.7 million families—experienced food insecurity during 2019.
Households with children and Black and Hispanic families are even more likely to suffer from food insecurity. About 19 million Americans live in a food desert where healthy, affordable food is inaccessible. Americans who live in low income communities and in rural areas are particularly likely to struggle to meet their basic nutritional needs.
Land and Water Use
Factory farming is an incredibly inefficient system that wastes land and water on a major scale. This leads to massive deforestation for grazing land and feed crop production.
How much feed does it take to produce farmed meat?
- 1lb of beef = 6lbs of feed
- 1lb of pork = 3.5lbs of feed
- 1 chicken = 2lbs of feed
Current estimates suggest that cultivated meat could drastically reduce land use by more than 95%!
Industrial Takeover of Traditional Farmers
According to the USDA, consolidation efforts by factory farming conglomerates have been squeezing traditional farmers out.
Since 1935, there has been a nearly 70% drop in the number of American farms.
Water Contamination
The EPA reports that manure runoff from industrial farming is a major contaminant to our surface and groundwater supplies.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
From the production process itself to the fuel expended for animal transport, slaughter, and distribution to supermarkets, factory farming releases colossal quantities of greenhouse gases.
It is estimated that a single 1200lb cow releases 100kg of methane into the air, the equivalent of burning more than 230 gallons of gasoline.
According to the UN, animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Cultivated meat production is projected to reduce climate change causing emissions by up to 87%.
Food Supply Contamination and Superbugs
The process of animal farming and slaughter risks introducing pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli into the food supply. Cultivated meat eliminates this risk.
Unlike factory farming, cultivated meat does not require the use of antibiotics, diminishing the threat of antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
How it Works…
Clever Carnivore meat isn’t an imitation.
It isn’t just similar to farm-raised meat, it’s identical — cell for cell.
Our meat is beef, pork, or chicken, minus the considerable environmental impact of industrial agriculture and the potential for contamination with agricultural byproducts.
Production begins with a tiny tissue sample from a cow, pig, or chicken. From there, Clever Carnivore meat is grown in a food production facility, similar to a brewery. As the cells grow, they are fed with carefully formulated combinations of perfectly pure nutrients, scientifically tailored to produce high quality, delicious meat.
Clever Carnivore is meat…
Our meat isn’t a meat “alternative”-it’s 100% beef, pork, and chicken! No animals are ever harmed in the making of our meat.
Clever Carnivore is clean…
While farmed meat can be tainted by antibiotics, pathogens, disinfectants, and other artifacts of the industrial farming process, our meat is cultivated in a safe, highly-controlled environment.
Clever Carnivore is green…
Our meat is produced sustainably and efficiently, with a considerably smaller environmental footprint than traditional agriculture. Our process minimizes land and water use which generates far less industrial pollution.
Clever Carnivore is healthy…
Our beef, pork, and chicken has no nitrates or highly processed substitutes.
Clever Carnivore is kind…
With our meat, it is possible to be a cruelty-free carnivore!
Who We Are
Paul Burridge PhD
Founder and CSO
Dr. Burridge heads our scientific research team, specializes in chemically defined media formulations, and holds patents for optimized, low-cost cell culture media.
Russell Thomas MSc
VP of Product Development
Russell is an experienced food scientist, with expertise in food safety, product development, and operations management. Russell is working on the Clever Carnivore Bratwurst.
Kaitlin Grady
Director of Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs
Kaitlin manages investor relations and develops community and media partnerships. She previously worked in development for the Good Food Institute and has years of experience in the alternative protein space.
Phillip Freeman MSc
Manager of Process Development
Phillip is a chemist turned bioprocess engineer with experience in gene therapy manufacturing.
Ray Copley MSc
Manager of Media and Cell Line Development
Ray is a biomedical scientist, engineer, and former aerospace research specialist.
Davi Lyra-Leite PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Lyra-Leite is a bioengineer turned stem cell biologist with expertise in media formulation, differentiation protocols, and cellular metabolism.
Nick Lekovic
Director of Quality
Nick is an accomplished quality professional with extensive experience in FDA compliance, quality management, and media preparation.
Donny McKenna MSc
Scientist
Donny is a developmental biologist with prior experience in biochemical research and drug discovery.
Nicole Long
Research Associate
Nicole is a biologist with experience in bioinformatics, production, and commercialization.
We’re Hiring!
Join Our Team
Working for Clever Carnivore means working with elite academic researchers, in a rewarding, collaborative setting.
Our team is passionate about our mission, and we’re looking for scientists who are equally committed to the proposition that scientific advancement can help solve some of the world’s most pernicious problems.
Clever Carnivore is on an aggressive trajectory to break through the technical barriers to low-cost, scalable cultivated meat production. Come be part of the team that will bring a 21st century burger to the consumer market!
We are hiring:
Bioprocess scientist/engineer – join our bioprocess team performing mammalian cell bioreactor methodology development and scale up to large vessels. Preferred experience in bioprocess experiment operation and design, GMP environments, non-single use bioreactor engineering/design, installation, and initiation, and steam-in-place systems. PhD preferable.
Cell biologist – join our cell culture team developing cell line derivation, culture, and differentiation methodologies. Preferred experience in mesodermal lineage differentiation and/or cell culture media development and/or reprogramming methodologies. PhD preferable.
If you’re interested in one of our open positions, start by applying here and attaching your resume.
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Investors
Lever VC is a leading sector specialist in the food and ag-tech sectors, backing early-stage startups around the world creating the future of protein.
McWin Capital seeks to revolutionize the world’s food ecosystem. Its Food Tech Fund invests in technologies that will transform the value chain of food. McWin also owns 1700+ restaurants globally, giving the fund a unique ability to act as a strategic partner to food tech companies.
Thia Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused on the health, nutrition, and biotech industries.
Valo Ventures is a research-driven, early stage venture capital firm focused on Climate Solutions.
Newfund is an entrepreneurial venture capital firm dedicated to financing seed-stage startups that are driving global change. Newfund supports entrepreneurs and invests in what’s good for the people and for the planet.
Stray Dog Capital is a venture capital fund investing in innovative, early stage companies across the food, beverage, and biotechnology sectors that are driving a healthier, humane, and more sustainable future.