UMAMI Bioworks
UMAMI Bioworks is a Singapore-based cultivated-seafood biotechnology company that uses proprietary machine-learning tools (ALKEMYST™ and Virtual Marine Cell) to produce cell-cultivated seafood from endangered or unfarmable species, serving premium foodservice, supplements, cosmetics, and pet-food customers via B2B partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersSingapore, Singapore
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What UMAMI Bioworks does
UMAMI Bioworks is a Singapore-based cultivated-seafood biotechnology company, founded in 2020 (originally as Umami Meats, rebranded in 2023) and operating as a private Pte Ltd entity with 11-50 employees. The company targets the production of cell-cultivated seafood from Endangered, Threatened or Protected (ETP) species that are commercially desirable but not farmable, including Japanese Eel, Orange Spotted Grouper, Bluefin Tuna, and Atlantic Cod. Its product surface spans whole-muscle seafood SKUs (fish fillets, fish cakes, fish ball laksa), a pet-food sub-brand (Marina Cat, in partnership with Cult Food Science), and a cell-cultivated supplement line (Marine Radiance, targeting omega fatty acids, collagen, and marine bioactive peptides including GLP-1-adjacent formulations).
The technology stack combines stem-cell biology with a proprietary machine-learning layer. ALKEMYST™ is an ML toolkit using computational biology, machine learning, and digital-twin simulation to accelerate cell line selection, serum-free media development, and process optimization, while the Virtual Marine Cell is a metabolic model that predicts cellular behavior and bioactive outcomes in silico. A plug-and-play automated production architecture is designed for licensing or co-location with seafood producers. The company's go-to-market is B2B and partnership-led: revenue mechanics combine technology licensing (ALKEMYST™), cultivated product supply, and channel distribution through partners such as Maruha Nichiro (Japan's largest seafood company), Nippon Barrier Free (Japan and 18 other countries), IntegriCulture (cosmetics), and Steakholder Foods (3D-printed cultivated seafood). Customer segments include premium restaurants and foodservice, global wellness and supplement brands, cosmetics and personal-care brands, pet food, and seafood producers.
Commercially, UMAMI remains pre-revenue with only USD 2.4 million of disclosed pre-seed equity funding as of March 2022 and active reliance on non-dilutive grants (e.g., Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D grant). Growth capital needs are substantial given the planned USD 10 million Tokyo production facility in 2027, ongoing regulatory pursuit for novel-food approvals in the UK, US, and Singapore, and a recently expanded product portfolio following the March 2024 merger with Shiok Meats.
UMAMI Bioworks firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UMAMI Bioworks
- Legal name
- Umami Bioworks Pte Ltd
- Website
- https://umamibioworks.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- UMAMI Bioworks is a Singapore-based cultivated-seafood biotechnology company that uses proprietary machine-learning tools (ALKEMYST™ and Virtual Marine Cell) to produce cell-cultivated seafood from endangered or unfarmable species, serving premium foodservice, supplements, cosmetics, and pet-food customers via B2B partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UMAMI Bioworks industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultivated Seafood and Cellular Agriculture
- NAICS
- Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710), Aquaculture (1125)
- SIC
- Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Aquaculture Harvest, Processing & Packing (Farmed Finfish/Shellfish; On-Farm Plants) (AFANADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood (CRADADAG)
Keywords
Where UMAMI Bioworks is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Singapore
- HQ country
- Singapore
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
UMAMI Bioworks business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Cultivated Seafood Products: Sale of cultivated seafood products including fish fillets, fish cakes, and other seafood items. Initial market entry in premium restaurants with broader market expansion planned.
- Marine Bioactives and Supplements: Cell-cultivated marine supplement products including omega fatty acids, collagen, and marine bioactive peptides targeting wellness and pharmaceutical applications.
- Technology Licensing and Platform Access: Licensing of ALKEMYST™ platform and production architecture to seafood producers and biotechnology companies.
- Marine Ingredient Distribution: Distribution of cultivated marine ingredients for cosmetics and supplements through partnership agreements.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
UMAMI Bioworks product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UMAMI Bioworks develops and produces cultivated seafood products from endangered, threatened, or protected (ETP) species such as Japanese Eel, Bluefin Tuna, and Orange Spotted Grouper using a proprietary platform that combines stem cell biology, machine learning (ALKEMYST™), and automated production. The company also produces cell-cultivated marine supplements (Marine Radiance) and pet food (Marina Cat), and licenses its ALKEMYST™ platform and production architecture to seafood producers and biotech firms.
Product overview
UMAMI Bioworks is a technology company developing cultivated seafood through a unified platform approach combining ALKEMYST™ (ML-driven development toolkit) and the Virtual Marine Cell (metabolic modeling system). The company produces cultivated seafood from endangered, threatened, or protected species including Japanese Eel, Bluefin Tuna, and Orange Spotted Grouper, alongside new product lines including Marine Radiance (cell-cultivated supplements with omega fatty acids and collagen) and Marina Cat (cultivated fish pet food). The automated production platform enables scalable manufacturing of cultivated seafood products for food, supplements, and cosmetics applications, leveraging partnerships with IntegriCulture for beauty applications and Nippon Barrier Free for distribution in Japan and 18 other countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Alkemyst: Machine Learning toolkit leveraging computational biology, machine learning, and digital twin technology to accelerate product development process for cultivated seafood
- Marine Radiance
- Virtual Marine Cell
- Marina Cat
Products and services
- Cultivated Seafood Products Cell-cultivated seafood products including fish fillets, fish cakes, grouper, and fish ball laksa produced through UMAMI's plug-and-play automated production architecture. Designed for premium restaurant and foodservice markets as a sustainable alternative to wild-caught and overfished species.
- Marine Radiance Cell-Cultivated Supplements Cell-cultivated marine supplement line providing omega fatty acids, collagen, and marine bioactive peptides without harvesting wild fish. First products include omega fatty acids and peptides designed to work with GLP-1 drugs. Targeted at the global wellness and supplement market and brought to market through partnerships with global wellness brands.
- Marina Cat Cultivated Fish Cat Food World's first cultivated fish cat food brand developed in partnership with Cult Food Science. Provides a sustainable alternative to traditional fish-based pet food using cultivated seafood technology, targeting the pet food market.
- 3D-Printed Cultivated Seafood Products Scalable 3D-printed cultivated seafood products combining 3D printing with cell cultivation technology. Developed in partnership with Steakholder Foods and Singapore's National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster to translate cultivated seafood research into commercial-ready seafood products.
- ALKEMYST Technology Platform (Licensed) Machine learning toolkit leveraging computational biology, machine learning, and digital twin technology to accelerate cultivated product development. Licensed to seafood producers and biotechnology companies as a standalone technology platform to optimize cell line selection, media development, and process controls.
Quantifiable outcome
- Platform can evaluate dozens of feed formulations within hours before physical trials
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use UMAMI Bioworks
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
UMAMI Bioworks technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature5 records
UMAMI Bioworks partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Nippon Barrier FreecoreMemorandum of Understanding signed for Nippon Barrier Free to serve as sales and distribution partner for cultivated marine cosmetics and supplement ingredients across Japan and 18 other countries. Partnership builds on existing collaboration with IntegriCulture and planned $10M production facility in Japan by 2027.
- Shiok MeatsflagshipMerger between UMAMI Bioworks and Shiok Meats, two Singaporean cultivated seafood companies. The consolidation aims to accelerate commercialization, leverage combined technologies, improve production efficiency, speed up regulatory approvals, and expand opportunities in the region.
- Maruha NichiroflagshipJapan's largest seafood company has partnered with UMAMI Bioworks to bring cultivated seafood to market. Maruha Nichiro provides investment and strategic partnership for commercialization.
- Steakholder FoodscoreTwo-year R&D collaboration funded by Singapore-Israel Industrial R&D grant to develop scalable 3D-printed cultivated seafood products. Produced portfolio of prototype fish designs combining 3D printing with cell cultivation technology. Companies now partnering with Singapore's National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster.
- IntegriCulturecoreCollaboration with Tokyo-based biotech startup for beauty and skincare applications. IntegriCulture achieved profitability in 2025 and operates Cellag open brand for cellular agriculture products. Partnership targets marine-derived bioactive ingredients.
- CULT Food SciencecorePartnership to drive down cultivated seafood industry costs and develop products including Marina Cat, world's first cultivated fish cat food brand.
- NUProteinminorPartnership with Japan's NUProtein to bring down cost of cultivated seafood through novel protein inputs.
- National University of Singapore (NUS)minorResearch partnership for cell biology and translational research projects.
- Nanyang Technological University (NTU)minorResearch partnership for cell and molecular biology research.
- Kitasato UniversityminorInternational research partnership for biotechnology research.
- James Cook UniversityminorResearch partnership for marine biology and aquaculture research.
- Temasek PolytechnicminorResearch partnership for food technology and innovation.
- Nanyang PolytechnicminorResearch partnership for biotechnology and food science.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
UMAMI Bioworks competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wildtype: US-based cultivated seafood company focused on cell-cultivated salmon. Directly competes with UMAMI Bioworks on cultivated finfish products for the restaurant and retail channels, with a similar B2B go-to-market motion.
- BlueNalu: US-based cultivated seafood company producing cell-cultivated yellowtail, sea bream, and mahi-mahi. Competes head-to-head with UMAMI on premium cultivated finfish for foodservice markets.
- Finless Foods: US-based cultivated seafood company initially focused on bluefin tuna. Directly competes with UMAMI on premium cultivated tuna and adjacent finfish species and on navigating US novel food regulation.
- Avant Meats: Hong Kong-based cultivated seafood company producing cell-cultivated fish maw and other premium seafood products. Closest APAC peer to UMAMI, sharing the premium Asian seafood positioning and regulatory pathway in Singapore/Hong Kong.
- IntegriCulture: Japan-based cellular agriculture company operating the Cellag platform. Both a UMAMI partner and a direct peer, competing on cultivated meat/seafood technology with a Japan-first commercialization strategy.
- Steakholder Foods: Israel-based 3D-printed cultivated meat and seafood company. A UMAMI R&D partner on 3D-printed cultivated seafood products but also a competing technology platform targeting similar B2B applications.
Broad incumbents
- Eat Just (Good Meat): US-based cultivated meat company (Good Meat division) with the first commercial cultivated meat approvals. A broader incumbent in cellular agriculture that, while focused on chicken, validates the cultivated meat regulatory and commercialization playbook relevant to UMAMI.
- Upside Foods: US-based cultivated meat company with FDA approval for cultivated chicken. A broader incumbent in cellular agriculture competing for capital, talent, and shelf space that indirectly shapes UMAMI's opportunity.
- Meatable: Netherlands-based cultivated meat company using opti-ox technology for pork and beef. A broader incumbent in the cultivated meat space whose technology trajectory and regulatory progress are directly relevant to cultivated seafood economics.
Others
- Maruha Nichiro: Japan's largest seafood company and a UMAMI flagship partner and investor. Not a competitor but a critical ecosystem participant that supplies distribution, market access, and strategic validation across Japan's seafood value chain.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
UMAMI Bioworks social profiles
Digital presenceUMAMI Bioworks financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UMAMI Bioworks leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
UMAMI Bioworks funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors16 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UMAMI Bioworks M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UMAMI Bioworks
What does UMAMI Bioworks do?
UMAMI Bioworks develops and produces cultivated seafood products from endangered, threatened, or protected (ETP) species such as Japanese Eel, Bluefin Tuna, and Orange Spotted Grouper using a proprietary platform that combines stem cell biology, machine learning (ALKEMYST™), and automated production. The company also produces cell-cultivated marine supplements (Marine Radiance) and pet food (Marina Cat), and licenses its ALKEMYST™ platform and production architecture to seafood producers and biotech firms.
Is UMAMI Bioworks a public or private company?
UMAMI Bioworks is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was UMAMI Bioworks founded?
UMAMI Bioworks was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is UMAMI Bioworks based?
UMAMI Bioworks is headquartered in Singapore, Singapore, in the Asia region.
How does UMAMI Bioworks make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Cultivated Seafood Products are the primary driver. The others are marine Bioactives and Supplements, technology Licensing and Platform Access and marine Ingredient Distribution.
Who are UMAMI Bioworks's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wildtype, BlueNalu, Finless Foods, Avant Meats, IntegriCulture and Steakholder Foods. Broad incumbents are Eat Just (Good Meat), Upside Foods and Meatable. Maruha Nichiro is listed as an others.
Does UMAMI Bioworks have an API?
No public API is recorded for UMAMI Bioworks.
What industry is UMAMI Bioworks in?
UMAMI Bioworks's product category is Cultivated Seafood and Cellular Agriculture. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANADAL, Aquaculture Harvest, Processing & Packing (Farmed Finfish/Shellfish; On-Farm Plants), with a secondary code of CRADADAG, Frozen Seafood Meals & Value-Added Seafood. Its NAICS code is 31171 and its SIC code is 2092.