{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":300,"width":600,"title":"While other cultivated meat companies are collapsing, this one turned a profit | E2317","description":"This Week In Startups is made possible by: Every.io https:\/\/every.io MongoDB https:\/\/MongoDB.com\/ai Agree https:\/\/agree.com Today\u2019s show: *Most lab-grown meat companies have already gone under. It\u2019s expensive to produce, and there\u2019s little demand from real-world consumers. But Tokyo\u2019s IntegriCulture is still standing after selling their proprietary serum to cosmetics companies. On Episode 3 of TWiST from Tokyo, Jason sits down with Dr. Yuki Hanyu, an Oxford-trained chemist who started a DIY meat movement out of a comic convention and turned it into Japan\u2019s first cell-cultured protein company. PLUS why the cultivated meat market stalled out, why producing a \u201cslurry of cells\u201d is more efficient than jumping right to muscle tissue, the regulatory framework in Japan vs. the US, and\u2026 is it fair to call this \u201cmeat\u201d? Or is it something else entirely? Guest Yuki Hanyu on LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/yuki-hanyu-b860bb34\/ IntegriCulture: https:\/\/integriculture.com\/en\/ Relevant Links: AG Funder News: \u201cIntegriCulture turns a profit\u201d: https:\/\/agfundernews.com\/cell-ag-picks-shovels-pioneer-integriculture-turns-a-profit-but-cautions-that-as-long-as-cell-ag-remains-so-capital-intensive-it-will-be-difficult-to-take-off Vegconominst: Cultivated duck liver coverage: https:\/\/vegconomist.com\/cultivated-cell-cultured-biotechnology\/cultivated-meat\/japans-integriculture-products-cultivated-duck-liver\/ Cellament skin care ingredient: https:\/\/www.cellament.jp\/cellament-en?lang=en Medium: Shojinmeat Project: https:\/\/medium.com\/shojin-meat Cellular Agriculture Institute of the Commons (CAIC): https:\/\/cellagri.org\/en\/about-us Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture (JACA): https:\/\/jaca.jp\/en\/ Upside Foods: https:\/\/upsidefoods.com\/ Vow: https:\/\/www.eatvow.com\/ Impossible Foods: https:\/\/impossiblefoods.com\/ Fast Company: \u201cInside the stunning collapse of Believer Meats\u201d: https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/91462102\/believer-meats-stunning-collapse-600-million-cooling-cultured-meat-industry AG Funder News: \u201cFDA clears Wildtype\u2019s cell-cultivated salmon\u201d: https:\/\/agfundernews.com\/fda-clears-wildtypes-cell-cultivated-salmon-for-us-debut Food Navigator: Parima gets green light for cultivated duck: https:\/\/www.foodnavigator.com\/Article\/2026\/04\/15\/parima-gets-regulatory-approval-for-cultivated-foie-gras\/ Protein Production: \u201cJapan publishes first draft safety guidelines for cultivated meat\u2026\u201d: https:\/\/www.proteinproductiontechnology.com\/post\/japan-publishes-first-draft-safety-guidelines-for-cultivated-meat-as-regulatory-debate-advances Stateline: \u201cTexas bans lab-grown meat\u201d: https:\/\/stateline.org\/2025\/06\/30\/texas-becomes-seventh-state-to-ban-lab-grown-meat\/ TODAY: \u201cJapan\u2019s Coca-Cola Plus has an unexpected ingredient\u201d: https:\/\/www.today.com\/food\/japan-s-coca-cola-plus-has-unexpected-ingredient-t121047 Timestamps: 0:00 Why founders should visit Japan 1:48 Intro of cultivated meat pioneer, Dr. Yuki Hanyu 3:19 Why don't consumers want lab-grown meat? 10:05 Every.io - For all of your incorporation, banking, payroll, benefits, accounting, taxes or other back-office administration needs, visit https:\/\/every.io 10:26 DIY meat manuals at comic conventions 15:37 Flavors that don't exist in nature 19:35 The Wagyu Hot Dog 21:38 MongoDB - AI-assisted and agentic coding is helping you build faster than ever. Start building at https:\/\/MongoDB.com\/ai 24:23 Why chicken nuggets are the hardest problem 28:28 Beachhead markets, waypoints, and surviving early 30:25 Agree.com - Stop chasing invoices and automate your entire contract-to-cash stack. Go to https:\/\/agree.com and tell them Jason sent you to get 50% off for life! 35:57 Q&A: Commercializing an open source project 37:56 Q&A: Growing protein in space 40:07 Should this be called "meat"?   Subscribe to the TWiST500 newsletter: https:\/\/ticker.thisweekinstartups.com Check out the TWIST500: https:\/\/www.twist500.com Subscribe to This Week in Startups on Apple: https:\/\/rb.gy\/v19fcp   Follow Lon: X: https:\/\/x.com\/lons   Follow Alex: X: https:\/\/x.com\/alex LinkedIn: \u2060https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alexwilhelm   Follow Jason: X: https:\/\/twitter.com\/Jason LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jasoncalacanis Check out all our partner offers: https:\/\/partners.launch.co\/   Great TWIST interviews: Will Guidara, Eoghan McCabe, Steve Huffman, Brian Chesky, Bob Moesta, Aaron Levie, Sophia Amoruso, Reid Hoffman, Frank Slootman, Billy McFarland   Check out Jason\u2019s suite of newsletters: https:\/\/substack.com\/@calacanis   Follow TWiST: Twitter: https:\/\/twitter.com\/TWiStartups YouTube: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/thisweekin Instagram: https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/thisweekinstartups TikTok: https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@thisweekinstartups Substack: https:\/\/twistartups.substack.com ","author_name":"This Week in Startups","author_url":"https:\/\/thisweekinstartups.com","html":"