Air Protein
Air Protein is a US climate-tech company that produces protein-rich food ingredients from CO2, water, and renewable energy via proprietary AirFermentation™, selling B2B to food manufacturers, CPG companies, and government/defense customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersPleasanton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Air Protein does
Air Protein is a US-based climate-tech company that produces protein-rich food ingredients from CO2, water, and renewable energy using its proprietary AirFermentation™ process — a single-step elemental fermentation technology leveraging hydrogen-oxidizing microorganisms in bioreactors, protected by more than 30 patents and rooted in 1970s NASA research rediscovered and commercialized by founders Dr. Lisa Dyson and Dr. John Reed. The company's flagship product is an 80%+ protein flour with a complete amino acid profile (all 20 amino acids including the 9 essential) and neutral flavor, aroma, and color, sold B2B to industrial food manufacturers and CPG companies across Dairy, Meat alternatives, and Baked Goods categories, while also pursuing defense and humanitarian applications through DARPA's Cornucopia initiative and the U.S. Department of Defense Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP).
Revenue is generated through three primary streams: direct enterprise ingredient sales (quote-based, multi-year contracts via a dedicated "Buy Our Product" inquiry channel), strategic co-development and production agreements with major ingredient partners (notably a strategic agreement with ADM, one of the world's largest agricultural ingredient distributors), and non-dilutive government/defense contracts and grants. The company operates a single demonstration plant in San Leandro, California, and positions its Air Chain™ vision as a landless, supply-chain-independent food system capable of continuous, year-round, locally distributed production with thousands of times less water consumption than traditional agriculture.
Air Protein has raised approximately $107 million in cumulative venture funding (including a $32M round in 2021 and a $75M round in 2023) from investors including ADM Ventures, Google Ventures, Barclays, Primera Capital, Park Bench Capital, Plum Alley, and The Ford Family Foundation, and has secured external validation through selection as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer (2020), TIME/Statista's #1 FoodTech Company (2024), DARPA Cornucopia (2023), DoD DBIMP (2024), and Mars' Unreasonable Food cohort (2024). The company is privately held, headquartered in San Leandro, California (with a Pleasanton mailing address), employs 11–50 people, and operates under US FDA GRAS certification for its protein flour.
Air Protein firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Air Protein
- Legal name
- Air Protein, Inc.
- Website
- https://airprotein.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Air Protein is a US climate-tech company that produces protein-rich food ingredients from CO2, water, and renewable energy via proprietary AirFermentation™, selling B2B to food manufacturers, CPG companies, and government/defense customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Air Protein industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alternative Protein Ingredients
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fermentation-Derived Proteins (Precision Fermentation, Biomass Fermentation) (AFAJAHAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty & Novel Proteins (Single-Cell Protein, Cell-Cultured/Animal-Free Proteins) (AFAJAHAL)
Keywords
Where Air Protein is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pleasanton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Air Protein business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- B2B ingredient sales: Air Protein sells protein-rich flour and functional protein ingredients to food manufacturers and CPG companies across Dairy, Meat, and Baked Goods categories. Customer inquiries flow through a dedicated "Buy Our Product" contact channel, indicating pre-revenue / early commercial stage with anchor offtake agreements (e.g., ADM strategic agreement).
- Strategic co-development and production agreements: Air Protein signs strategic agreements with major food/ingredient players (e.g., ADM) to co-develop, produce, and distribute its landless protein, generating revenue through co-development partnerships and joint manufacturing arrangements.
- Government and defense contracts / grants: Air Protein has been awarded contracts and selected for government programs including DARPA Cornucopia (military rations) and DoD DBIMP (Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program), generating non-dilutive funding and procurement opportunities in defense and humanitarian food applications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom B2B ingredient pricing via direct inquiry |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Air Protein product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Air Protein produces a nutrient-dense protein-rich flour ingredient via its proprietary AirFermentation™ process, which uses carbon dioxide (air), water, and renewable energy combined with proprietary microbial cultures to grow single-cell protein in hours within bioreactors. The resulting flour contains over 80% protein with all 20 amino acids (including the 9 essential ones) and delivers neutral flavor, aroma, and color for incorporation into Dairy, Meat, and Baked Goods food applications. The company sells this ingredient B2B to food manufacturers and CPG companies, with strategic co-development and production agreements with major ingredient partners.
Product overview
Air Protein operates a single-product company architecture centered on one core offering: the Air Protein protein flour ingredient. This core product is enabled by Air Protein's proprietary AirFermentation™ production process (the underlying elemental fermentation technology module that converts air, water, and renewable energy into protein in hours) and is positioned within the broader Air Chain™ supply-chain platform that Air Protein is building to enable a resilient, landless food supply independent of traditional agriculture. The core Air Protein ingredient delivers all 20 amino acids with neutral flavor/aroma/color for use across Dairy, Meat, Baked Goods, and other food categories, while AirFermentation™ is the carbon-negative, scalable process behind it and Air Chain™ is the company's emerging supply-chain narrative around it.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Air Protein: The company's first product — a protein-rich flour produced from elements of the air via AirFermentation™.
- Air Chain™
Products and services
- Air Protein protein flour ingredient
Companies that use Air Protein
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Air Protein technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Air Protein partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major event partner, core defense partner, major gtm partner, flagship strategic partner and recognition partner.
- Deloittemajor event partnerDeloitte invited Air Protein CEO Dr. Lisa Dyson to deliver the opening keynote at Deloitte's Climate Week NYC event (Sept 23, 2025) titled "Food Without Farms: Reinventing the Supply Chain from Thin Air," positioning Air Protein with investors, partners, and policymakers.
- U.S. Department of Defensecore defense partnerSelected for an award under the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP), one of 12 awards announced by the DoD. DBIMP supports distributed bioindustrial manufacturing of critical products.
- Marsmajor gtm partnerSelected among 15 startups in Mars' first "Unreasonable Food" cohort aimed at future-proofing food with sustainable protein. Provides Air Protein visibility into Mars' global food and confectionery supply chain and brand network.
- ADM (Archer Daniels Midland)flagship strategic partnerStrategic agreement signed to advance the development and production of Air Protein's unique landless protein. ADM is one of the world's largest agricultural processors and ingredient distributors, providing Air Protein a major commercialization and distribution pathway.
- DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)core defense partnerSelected for DARPA's Cornucopia initiative to develop rations from air-based protein. Provides Air Protein access to defense R&D funding and defense food supply-chain channels.
- World Economic Forumrecognition partnerAir Protein received the Technology Pioneer Designation from the World Economic Forum (June 2020), joining a cohort of early-to-growth-stage companies shaping new technologies.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Air Protein competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Solar Foods: Finnish company producing Solein, a single-cell protein grown from CO2, hydrogen, and renewable electricity using gas fermentation — the most direct technological and product analogue to Air Protein's AirFermentation™ flour.
- Deep Branch Biosciences: UK-based gas fermentation company converting CO2 and industrial gases into single-cell protein for food and feed, directly comparable to Air Protein's air-to-protein platform and target ingredient market.
- Calysta: Producer of FeedKind® single-cell protein from methane via gas fermentation, targeting food and aquaculture feed — a direct peer in gas/biomass fermentation protein for industrial ingredient markets.
Broad incumbents
- Perfect Day: Animal-free dairy proteins (whey and casein) produced via precision fermentation, serving food and nutrition CPG customers — a broader fermentation-based protein incumbent competing for the same B2B ingredient buyer.
- The EVERY Company (formerly Clara Foods): Precision fermentation producer of animal-free egg and other proteins, selling B2B to food manufacturers — comparable as a fermentation-based alternative protein ingredient supplier to CPGs.
- Quorn: Established mycoprotein (fungal fermentation) food brand with broad retail presence in meat alternatives — a more mature incumbent in fermentation-derived protein that competes for the same end consumer and CPG demand.
- Impossible Foods: Major plant-based meat alternative brand with significant CPG retail penetration; competes for the same end-protein-demand and food-manufacturer buyer mindshare, though via a plant-based rather than fermentation route.
- Beyond Meat: Largest publicly-traded plant-based meat brand, competing for the same end-protein-ingredient demand from food manufacturers and CPGs as a more mature incumbent in alternative protein.
Emerging players
- Nourish Ingredients: Australian startup producing animal-free fats and proteins via fermentation for food applications — an emerging peer in fermentation-based alternative protein ingredients targeting similar CPG customers.
- Geltor: Producer of animal-free functional proteins (collagen, elastin) via precision fermentation for food, beauty, and nutrition — an emerging fermentation-based ingredient peer serving CPG and food manufacturers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Air Protein social profiles
Digital presenceAir Protein compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Air Protein financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Air Protein leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Air Protein funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Air Protein M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Air Protein
What does Air Protein do?
Air Protein produces a nutrient-dense protein-rich flour ingredient via its proprietary AirFermentation™ process, which uses carbon dioxide (air), water, and renewable energy combined with proprietary microbial cultures to grow single-cell protein in hours within bioreactors. The resulting flour contains over 80% protein with all 20 amino acids (including the 9 essential ones) and delivers neutral flavor, aroma, and color for incorporation into Dairy, Meat, and Baked Goods food applications. The company sells this ingredient B2B to food manufacturers and CPG companies, with strategic co-development and production agreements with major ingredient partners.
Is Air Protein a public or private company?
Air Protein is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Air Protein founded?
Air Protein was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Air Protein based?
Air Protein is headquartered in Pleasanton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Air Protein make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. B2B ingredient sales are the primary driver. The others are strategic co-development and production agreements and government and defense contracts / grants.
Who are Air Protein's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Solar Foods, Deep Branch Biosciences and Calysta. Broad incumbents are Perfect Day, The EVERY Company (formerly Clara Foods), Quorn, Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. Emerging players are Nourish Ingredients and Geltor.
Does Air Protein have an API?
No public API is recorded for Air Protein.
What industry is Air Protein in?
Air Protein's product category is Alternative Protein Ingredients. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAJAHAH, Fermentation-Derived Proteins (Precision Fermentation, Biomass Fermentation), with a secondary code of AFAJAHAL, Specialty & Novel Proteins (Single-Cell Protein, Cell-Cultured/Animal-Free Proteins). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2090.