Finless Foods
Finless Foods is a pre-revenue cellular agriculture company developing cell-cultivated and plant-based seafood alternatives, primarily Pacific bluefin tuna, using proprietary marine cell lines. It serves environmentally conscious and general seafood consumers, pursuing FDA approval ahead of national retail and foodservice launch.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersEmeryville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Finless Foods does
Finless Foods is a cellular agriculture company developing cell-cultivated and plant-based seafood alternatives, headquartered in Oakland, California (originally Emeryville). Founded in 2017 by Michael Selden and Brian Wyrwas, the company was the first to produce cell-cultured fish meat ever consumed by a person that same year. Its product portfolio centers on cell-cultivated Pacific bluefin tuna (its primary focus), structured cell-cultured seafood formats (including rolls), and a parallel plant-based tuna line. The underlying technology rests on proprietary cell lines for high-value marine species, cell culture media development, and bioprocess scale-up capabilities, with co-founder expertise spanning clinical cell cultivation (Weill Cornell) and fermentation commercialization (Genomatica).
The company is pre-revenue and pre-commercial. Pricing is undisclosed; revenue is intended to be generated through one-time sales of cell-cultivated and plant-based seafood products once regulatory clearance is secured. Its go-to-market motion is sales-led: pursuing FDA regulatory approval for cell-cultured bluefin tuna while concurrently developing a plant-based tuna product for national retail and foodservice launch, with planned international market exploration and construction of a Bay Area pilot facility to support production scaling. Distribution is currently limited to top-of-funnel channels (LinkedIn, Mailchimp newsletter, website) ahead of commercial launch.
Finless Foods has raised approximately $48 million across seed, 2019/2020, and Series B (March 2022, $34M led by Hanwha Solutions) rounds, with an investor syndicate including Draper, SOSV/IndieBio, At One Ventures, Dainichi Corp, and Justin Kan. In early 2025, co-founder Brandon Chen transitioned from CTO to CEO (Michael Selden remains as Advisor), and the Board recognized Chen as co-founder in 2026, signaling a sharpened focus on regulatory clearance and commercialization. End customer segments are defined as environmentally conscious consumers and general seafood consumers; no paying customers, channel partners, or contracted buyers are disclosed in the available data.
Finless Foods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Finless Foods
- Legal name
- Finless Foods, Inc.
- Website
- https://finlessfoods.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Finless Foods is a pre-revenue cellular agriculture company developing cell-cultivated and plant-based seafood alternatives, primarily Pacific bluefin tuna, using proprietary marine cell lines. It serves environmentally conscious and general seafood consumers, pursuing FDA approval ahead of national retail and foodservice launch.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Finless Foods industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Alternative Seafood
- NAICS
- Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plant-Based Seafood Alternatives (Analog Fish & Shellfish) (AFANAKAK)
Keywords
Where Finless Foods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Emeryville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Finless Foods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Cell-Cultivated Seafood Products: The company plans to generate revenue through the sale of cell-cultivated seafood products, starting with bluefin tuna. Currently pre-revenue as they work toward regulatory approval and commercial launch.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Finless Foods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Finless Foods develops cell-cultivated seafood products using proprietary cell lines for high-value marine species, primarily Pacific bluefin tuna, producing cell-cultured fish filets and rolls through cellular agriculture. The company also plans a nationally launched plant-based tuna alternative, with all products aimed at providing sustainable seafood without harvesting wild fish.
Product overview
Finless Foods is a cellular agriculture company developing alternative seafood products through two main approaches: cell-cultivated seafood (using proprietary cell lines to grow fish cells) and plant-based alternatives. The core product portfolio includes cell-cultivated bluefin tuna (the company's primary focus), cell-cultured seafood rolls demonstrating structured product capabilities, and plant-based tuna. The company leverages proprietary cell line development for high-value marine species and has produced the world's first cell-cultured fish filets. The long-term focus is on bringing cell-cultivated seafood to market, starting with bluefin tuna.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cell-Cultivated Bluefin Tuna Cell-cultivated bluefin tuna produced through cellular agriculture using proprietary Pacific bluefin tuna cell lines; the company's primary product focus and the basis for the world's first cell-cultured fish filets.
- Cell-Cultured Seafood Rolls Cell-cultivated seafood product in a structured roll format, demonstrating the company's ability to produce shaped cell-cultured seafood offerings.
- Plant-Based Tuna Plant-based tuna alternative that the company plans to launch nationally, expanding its portfolio beyond cell-cultivated seafood into plant-based alternatives for broader everyday consumption.
Quantifiable outcome
- First cell-cultured fish meat ever consumed by a person (2017)
Companies that use Finless Foods
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Finless Foods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Finless Foods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Hub AzulminorPartner in Blue Economy community initiatives, shown on Finless Foods communities page.
- 1000 Ocean StartupsminorOcean startup recognition program that Finless Foods participates in as part of Blue Economy initiatives.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Finless Foods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wildtype: Pioneer in cell-cultivated salmon, using similar cellular agriculture technology to Finless Foods. While focused on salmon rather than tuna, both are pursuing FDA approval for cell-cultivated finfish and competing for the same retail and foodservice customers in the alternative seafood category.
- Ocean Hugger Foods: Plant-based seafood company producing analogs including a plant-based tuna product (Ahimi). Directly competes with Finless Foods' plant-based tuna line and serves as a benchmark for plant-based seafood consumer adoption and pricing.
- Good Catch: Plant-based seafood brand offering alternatives to tuna, crab cakes, and fish fillets. Competes with Finless Foods in the plant-based seafood category and shares similar retail and foodservice distribution channels.
- BlueNalu: Cellular agriculture company developing cell-cultivated seafood, with a specific focus on high-value species including yellowfin and bluefin tuna—directly overlapping with Finless Foods' core product strategy. Both companies target FDA regulatory approval for cell-cultivated finfish.
- Shiok Meats: Cellular agriculture company specializing in cell-cultivated seafood, particularly shrimp and crustaceans. Operates in the same cellular aquaculture regulatory and technology category as Finless Foods and targets the Asia-Pacific market with similar premium seafood positioning.
Emerging players
- Impossible Foods: Plant-based meat leader with proprietary food science capabilities analogous to Finless Foods' cellular agriculture R&D. While not focused on seafood, Impossible represents a comparable alternative protein company pursuing novel food technology and large-scale manufacturing.
- Perfect Day: Precision fermentation company producing animal proteins (dairy whey) without animals. Uses a related bioprocess technology platform to Finless Foods' cellular agriculture approach and competes for the same pool of alt-protein investor capital and talent.
Broad incumbents
- Upside Foods: One of the most well-funded cellular agriculture companies (cell-cultivated chicken, with FDA approval already secured). While focused on poultry rather than seafood, Upside shares the same cellular agriculture technology stack and regulatory pathway as Finless Foods and represents the broader category's commercialization benchmark.
- GOOD Meat (Eat Just): Subsidiary of Eat Just, focused on cell-cultivated meat (notably chicken). Among the first companies to receive regulatory clearance for cell-cultivated meat and a key competitor for retail and foodservice partnerships in the broader cellular agriculture space relevant to Finless Foods.
- Beyond Meat: Largest publicly-traded plant-based meat company with a broader plant-based seafood strategy. While primarily a plant-based meat incumbent, Beyond's expansion into seafood alternatives and extensive retail relationships make it a relevant comparable for Finless Foods' plant-based tuna business.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Finless Foods social profiles
Digital presenceFinless Foods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Finless Foods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Finless Foods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds12 records
Investors32 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Finless Foods 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 Finless Foods
What does Finless Foods do?
Finless Foods develops cell-cultivated seafood products using proprietary cell lines for high-value marine species, primarily Pacific bluefin tuna, producing cell-cultured fish filets and rolls through cellular agriculture. The company also plans a nationally launched plant-based tuna alternative, with all products aimed at providing sustainable seafood without harvesting wild fish.
Is Finless Foods a public or private company?
Finless Foods is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Finless Foods founded?
Finless Foods was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Finless Foods based?
Finless Foods is headquartered in Emeryville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Finless Foods make money?
One revenue line is on record: cell-Cultivated Seafood Products.
Who are Finless Foods's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wildtype, Ocean Hugger Foods, Good Catch, BlueNalu and Shiok Meats. Emerging players are Impossible Foods and Perfect Day. Broad incumbents are Upside Foods, GOOD Meat (Eat Just) and Beyond Meat.
Does Finless Foods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Finless Foods.
What industry is Finless Foods in?
Finless Foods's product category is Alternative Seafood. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANAKAK, Plant-Based Seafood Alternatives (Analog Fish & Shellfish). Its NAICS code is 112511 and its SIC code is 2000.