FOUNDER OF THE MONTH
MEET THE FOUNDER
TURTLETREE
BY Russell Nichols
Milk may do the body good , as the campaign stated , but Fengru Lin believes milk production without cows could do the planet even better . Her Davisbased startup , TurtleTree , uses cell-based technology to create nutritious milk and milk ingredients that represent the full mammalian spectrum .
The idea came after Lin traveled around Southeast Asia to find highquality milk for cheesemaking . After seeing the conditions of some farms — poor animal hygiene , cows pumped with hormones , contaminated water — Lin set out to make an alternative protein that had the benefits of milk in an affordable , sustainable product . Such a product could reduce animal cruelty and greenhouse gas emissions caused by traditional dairy farming , says Lin , cofounder and CEO of TurtleTree .
Scientists told her the cell-based method was possible . After launching in Singapore , TurtleTree opened its research and development headquarters in Davis in 2021 with a wet lab at Lab @ AgStart in Woodland . The team has about 30 full-time employees . By the end of 2020 , the startup had raised $ 6.2 million from a pre-series A round and other sources , including Singapore ’ s Livability Challenge . TurtleTree seeks to raise $ 80 million in a series A this fall .
If I could have any other job , I ’ d be a ................................... MythBuster !
PHOTO BY TERENCE DUFFY
A startup can ’ t be successful without ................................ a rockstar team !
The ( recent ) book that best represents my approach to business would be .............................................................
“ Range ” by David Epstein
My biggest fear about launching was .................................. not even giving it a shot ........................................................................................
If I could give my younger self any advice , that would be ... to read more and do more internships ......................................................................................
WHEN WILL THE FIRST TURTLETREE PRODUCTS BE RELEASED ? “ We are planning to have a product launch event this September to introduce the first TurtleTree blend of performance ingredients . … While it will take several years before cell-based whole milk passes regulatory requirements , TurtleTree has chosen to be commercially focused by exploring deeper into the field of milk ingredients . There are highly beneficial and valuable proteins and complex sugars in milk that can be scaled into existing nutritional products much sooner .”
WHAT IS THE GOAL FOR THE FUTURE OF THE STARTUP ? “ Our goal is to be seen as the gold standard for sustainable food technology when it comes to milk production .”
For more on TurtleTree , read Russell Nichols ’ Startup of the Month column at comstocksmag . com .
102 comstocksmag . com | August 2021