SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
A LEAD CELL BIOLOGIST WORKS IN A TURTLETREE LAB . THE CELL TECHNOLOGY STARTUP LAUNCHED IN WOODLAND EARLIER THIS YEAR AT THE LAB @ AGSTART AND HAS SINCE OPENED A 24,000-SQUARE- FOOT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FACILITY IN WEST SACRAMENTO .
PHOTO COURTESY OF TURTLETREE
The Sacramento region is home to innovative life science and agricultural companies that have located here to take advantage of the highly-skilled talent pool and superb location . With assistance from the Greater Sacramento Economic Council and local colleges and universities , these businesses are expanding .
TurtleTree , creators of human breast milk using cell technology , launched in Woodland earlier this year as part of the city ’ s Lab @ AgStart incubator . Since then , TurtleTree has opened a 24,000-squarefoot research and development facility in West Sacramento . According to their website , their goal is to create crueltyfree , sustainable food products like meat and dairy . In October , they announced that they ’ d raised $ 30 million to expedite their development process .
Rita Huang , communications lead for TurtleTree , says GSEC has been instrumental in connecting TurtleTree with support and a network of talent . GSEC connected with them during their time at the Lab @ AgStart and helped them locate their West Sacramento location .
“ We would like to expand our presence in California and the whole U . S .,” Huang says . “ We are planning to work with local talent in the Sacramento area , not just science students . We are located here so we can tap into the best talent in the world .”
“ We are eagerly looking forward to working with the brilliant talent in the area and building a future generation of nutrition ,” says Fengru Lin , TurtleTree cofounder and CEO .
The Sacramento area has no shortage of talent . According to UC Davis Chancellor Gary May , more than 100 startups have risen from the UC Davis research community within the last 10 years . Last year alone , nine startups emerged .
In partnership with the City of Sacramento and GSEC , UC Davis is adding Aggie Square , a $ 1.1 billion , 25-acre “ innovation ecosystem ” adjacent to the UC Davis Medical Center off Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento . May says the mixed-use innovation space will add nearly $ 5 billion in economic impact to
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