What Shiru does

Shiru is an AI-powered ingredient discovery company founded in 2019 by Dr. Jasmin Hume and headquartered in Berkeley, California. The company's core offering is the Flourish™ platform and ProteinDiscovery.ai marketplace, which use machine learning, bioinformatics, and precision biology to screen a proprietary database of 33-77 million natural protein sequences and identify candidates with specific functional properties. This capability compresses traditional ingredient discovery timelines from 5-15 years to 1-2 years, addressing a structural bottleneck in food, personal care, agriculture, and advanced materials R&D.

Shiru's commercial product portfolio includes OleoPro™ (a structured plant-oil-and-protein fat alternative that mimics animal fat functionality), OleoPro+™ (an enhanced version), and uPro™ (a texturizing plant protein in dry-bead format that functions as a clean-label emulsifier, thickener, and texturizer). Pipeline products include sugar replacers, methylcellulose and egg replacements for plant-based meat, plus cosmetic extensions C-OleoPro™ and C-uPro™. The company achieved commercial scale production for OleoPro and uPro in April 2025 and sells samples directly via an e-commerce storefront. Shiru also operates the GLP-1 Innovation Alliance, an industry consortium launched in 2025 that sells multi-year membership tiers to Fortune 500 CPG companies for collaborative research into natural GLP-1 pathway activation.

Shiru's revenue mechanics span four streams: (1) ingredient sales (one-time unit pricing for samples and bulk, e.g., $125/450g to $800/5kg for OleoPro); (2) technology licensing and R&D integration services to manufacturers; (3) co-development partnerships with ingredient companies such as Ingredion (which provides distribution access to 18,000+ customers across 120+ countries) and Holobiome (gut microbiome data); and (4) recurring consortium membership fees under the GLP-1 Innovation Alliance (5-quarter minimum commitment). The company is venture-backed with ~$36M raised across Series A and B rounds (both led by S2G Ventures), with an additional ~$14M from earlier seed and extension rounds, and serves enterprise CPG, personal care, and ingredient-manufacturer customers globally.

Name

Shiru

Legal name

Shiru, Inc.

Website

https://shiru.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shiru is an AI-driven ingredient discovery company using its Flourish™ platform and ProteinDiscovery.ai marketplace to scan 33-77 million natural protein sequences, compressing discovery timelines from 5-15 years to 1-2 years, and commercializing functional protein ingredients (OleoPro™, uPro™) for CPG, personal care, and agriculture manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Alameda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Ingredient Sales: Direct sales of discovered ingredients including OleoPro, uPro, and other functional proteins to food and beverage manufacturers through e-commerce storefront and direct sales
2. Technology Licensing: Licensing of AI platform capabilities and technology integration services for R&D purposes to partner companies
3. Co-Development Partnerships: Strategic partnerships with ingredient companies like Ingredion for joint development and commercialization of novel ingredients, including prebiotics and functional proteins
4. Consortium Membership: GLP-1 Innovation Alliance membership tiers (Discovery Leader, Innovation Partner, Observer Member) offering access to exclusive findings, first licensing rights, and collaborative research

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Shiru operates an AI-powered protein discovery platform (Flourish™ / ProteinDiscovery.ai) that screens millions of natural protein sequences to identify functional protein candidates for food, personal care, agriculture, and materials applications. The company also develops and sells its own commercial ingredients — including OleoPro™ (structured fat alternative) and uPro™ (texturizing plant protein) — plus co-develops and licenses novel ingredients with manufacturing partners.

Product overview

Shiru is an AI-powered ingredient discovery company offering a unified platform-plus-products architecture. The core technology is the Flourish™ platform and ProteinDiscovery.ai marketplace, which uses AI to scan 33-77 million natural protein sequences and reduce discovery timelines from 5-15 years to 1-2 years. Commercial products include OleoPro™ (structured fat alternative) and uPro™ (texturizing protein) available for immediate purchase, with OleoPro+ and C-OleoPro extensions launched in 2025. Pipeline products include sweeteners, methylcellulose replacement, and egg replacement for food applications, plus C-uPro for cosmetics. The company operates across food ingredients, health, cosmetics, agriculture, and advanced materials sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Flourish™: AI-powered protein discovery platform that scans over 33 million proteins to identify candidates with specific functional properties
• ProteinDiscovery.ai
• OleoPro™
• uPro™
• OleoPro+™
• GLP-1 Innovation Alliance

Products and services

• Flourish™ Platform Proprietary AI-powered discovery platform that scans over 33 million proteins to identify candidates with specific functional characteristics for food, personal care, agriculture, and materials applications. Reduces traditional 5–15 year discovery timelines to 1–2 years.
• ProteinDiscovery.ai World's first protein marketplace and discovery platform enabling companies to search, discover, pilot, and buy protein molecules for food, agriculture, personal care, and advanced materials applications. Named to TIME's 2024 Best Inventions list.
• OleoPro™ Next-generation structured fat alternative that combines natural plant oils with proteins to deliver superior lubrication, coating, and texture-modifying benefits, mimicking animal fats. Available in 450g ($125) and 5kg ($800) formats.
• uPro™ Highly dispersible plant protein in dry bead format that functions as a clean-label texturizer, emulsifier, and thickener with >45% oil and water incorporation capability. Available in 250g ($400) and 1.4kg ($800) formats.
• OleoPro+™ Enhanced version of OleoPro with superior functionality. Available in 450g ($125) and 5kg ($800) formats.
• C-OleoPro™ Luxurious protein-based emollient for skin and hair care formulations, derived from the same technology platform as OleoPro.
• C-uPro™ Advanced emulsifying protein for premium cosmetic formulations, leveraging Shiru's protein discovery technology.
• GLP-1 Innovation Alliance Industry consortium bringing together Fortune 500 CPG companies and emerging brands to explore natural approaches to GLP-1 pathway activation using Shiru's Flourish AI platform. Three participation tiers (Discovery Leader, Innovation Partner, Observer Member) with 5-quarter (15-month) commitment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces discovery timelines from 5-15 years to just 1-2 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ingredion Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Global R&D collaboration to accelerate discovery and commercialization of novel functional proteins using Shiru's AI-powered platform. Partnership aims to develop next-generation prebiotics from natural sources to promote healthier microbiomes for food, beverage, supplements, and nutrition markets. Shiru's discovery platform screens over 77 million natural protein sequences while Ingredion provides access to its network of over 18,000 customers across 120 countries.
• Madhya Pradesh GovernmentminorOthers · 19 January 2026State-level engagement between Madhya Pradesh and technology companies including Shiru to explore technology collaboration opportunities, discussed during WEF Davos 2026.
• GLP-1 Innovation Alliance Consortium MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2025Industry consortium inviting Fortune 500 CPG companies and emerging brands to collaborate on exploring natural approaches to GLP-1 pathway activation using Shiru's Flourish™ AI platform. Three engagement tiers available with application deadline of August 15, 2025. Consortium officially launched Q3 2025 with development kickoff in October 2025.
• GreenLabcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 12 March 2025Partnership to scale sustainable protein production through novel corn-based expression system. GreenLab produces proteins in corn, complementing Shiru's AI-driven protein discovery with high-yield, scalable manufacturing platform that extends beyond microbial and precision fermentation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Motif FoodWorks: AI- and biotechnology-driven food ingredient discovery company producing animal-free proteins and fats for CPG applications. Directly comparable to Shiru's Flourish™ platform and OleoPro/uPro product strategy.
• NotCo: Uses AI (Giuseppe) to discover plant-based ingredient combinations for food products. Highly comparable as an AI-driven plant-based ingredient company serving CPG and B2B customers.
• Geltor: Biology-driven producer of animal-free proteins for food, beverage, and personal care applications. Comparable on the animal-free protein discovery model and the food/personal-care dual vertical approach.
• Perfect Day: Animal-free whey protein producer using precision fermentation. Comparable as a venture-backed company producing novel functional proteins that displace animal-derived ingredients for CPG customers.
• The EVERY Company (formerly Clara Foods): Animal-free egg proteins and other functional proteins produced via precision fermentation for food and beverage manufacturers. Comparable novel-protein ingredient producer targeting the same CPG customer base.
• Remilk: Animal-free dairy proteins produced via precision fermentation. Comparable venture-backed company producing novel functional proteins for food and beverage applications.
• MyForest Foods: Mycelium-based meat alternative producer using biology-derived ingredients. Comparable as a venture-backed company producing novel protein ingredients for plant-based food applications.

Broad incumbents

• Cargill: One of the world's largest agricultural and food ingredient companies with deep R&D capabilities and entrenched CPG customer relationships. Comparable as the dominant incumbent Shiru must displace in food ingredient categories.
• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): Major ingredient manufacturer with broad food, beverage, and personal care portfolios. Comparable as an incumbent ingredient supplier with global CPG relationships and extensive R&D resources.
• ADM: Global food and ingredient processor with significant plant-based protein capabilities. Comparable broad incumbent in food ingredients with the scale and customer integration to define category economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shiruinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shiru-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/shiru_inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors20 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shiru