Multus
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Multus does
Multus is a London-based biotechnology company founded in 2020 that develops AI-designed cell culture media for biomanufacturing and cellular agriculture. The company addresses the industry's reliance on animal-derived serum (e.g., fetal bovine serum) by engineering serum-free formulations and recombinant proteins that can be qualified into regulated production processes. Its core platform, MediOP™, integrates artificial intelligence, robotic automation, and cell biology to design and test optimized growth media, creating a design–test–learn loop that is intended to accelerate formulation development versus traditional empirical R&D.
The company's commercial product portfolio spans the Proliferum line (M, B, P, LSR, and FG-DMEM/F12 formulations) and recombinant proteins including Vitronectin. It serves three distinct customer segments — cellular agriculture (cultivated meat), biopharmaceutical manufacturing, and advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs). Multus has obtained ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000 food-safety certifications, positioning the product line for food-grade and cultivated-meat applications in addition to pharma-grade uses.
Multus generates revenue through direct product sales of media formulations and recombinant proteins to biomanufacturers and cellular agriculture companies. The company has raised approximately $11.55 million in disclosed funding across a 2021 early-stage round ($2.05M) and a January 2023 Series A ($9.5M). With a headcount of 11–50 employees and three product launches in the first half of 2025, Multus appears to be in an early commercial scaling phase, with the Series A capital supporting product extension, certifications, and customer-acquisition activity across its three target segments.
Multus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Multus
- Legal name
- Multus Biotechnology
- Website
- https://multus.bio
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Multus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cell Culture Media / Bioprocess Reagents
- NAICS
- Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Other Animal Food Manufacturing (311119)
- SIC
- Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (upstream/downstream) (HLAAAKAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Bioprocess Consumables & Reagents (resins, membranes, media components, buffers) (HLAAAJAI), Cell Therapy Manufacturing Services (GMP, autologous/allogeneic) (HLAAAKAC), Cell Culture & Bioprocess Lab Equipment (Bioreactors, Single-Use Systems, Controllers) (HLAGAIAG)
Keywords
Where Multus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Multus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom media development services: Tiered professional services across Catalog (off-the-shelf), Express (1–3 months), Boost (3–6 months), and De Novo (6–9 months) media design engagements. Pricing is determined after a technical consultation and is not publicly disclosed; supports land-and-expand with repeat biopharma/ATMP customers.
- Catalog product sales: Direct sale of off-the-shelf, ready-made ACF/serum-free formulations (Proliferum B, Proliferum P, Proliferum LSR, Vitronectin, FG-DMEM/F12) sold via own website and channel distributors such as Appleton Woods in the UK; also available in 500 mL and 1L bottles for immediate testing.
- Global media supply at commercial scale: Supply of custom media at scale (rapid prototyping in London facility plus global scalable production through partner network); recurring supply agreements with biomanufacturing customers across countries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catalog — off-the-shelf, most affordable ready-made formulations |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Express — rapid media screening (1–3 months) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Boost — animal component removal and optimisation (3–6 months) |
| Other | Multi-year contract | De Novo — full custom media design from scratch (6–9 months) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Multus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Multus designs and supplies animal component-free cell culture media for cellular agriculture, biologics, and advanced therapy developers using its MediOP™ AI platform. Its offerings include custom media development services (Express 1–3 months, Boost 3–6 months, De Novo 6–9 months), off-the-shelf catalog products (Proliferum® M/B/P/LSR, FG-DMEM/F12, Vitronectin), and scalable supply from its FSSC 22000-certified London facility through a global partner network.
Product overview
Multus offers a single platform-plus-product portfolio built around its proprietary AI-enabled media design platform MediOP™, which sits at the intersection of AI, high-throughput robotic automation, and cell biology. The platform powers four customer-facing solution tracks: Services (Express, Boost, and De Novo tiers for custom media development), Catalog (off-the-shelf ready-made formulations), and Supply (scalable manufacturing through Multus' London facility and global partner network). The Catalog product line currently includes serum replacement products Proliferum® M, Proliferum® B, Proliferum® P, and Proliferum® LSR, the recombinant protein Vitronectin, and the food-grade basal media FG-DMEM/F12 — all 100% animal-component-free and developed via MediOP™ in a fraction of the time of traditional media development. Multus serves three primary customer segments: Cellular Agriculture (cultivated meat, seafood, and materials), Biologics, and Advanced Therapies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Proliferum® M: First Multus product; an all-in-one animal-component-free serum replacement demonstrated to grow muscle, fat and connective tissue cells from mammals, birds and seafood.
- Proliferum® LSR
- Proliferum® B
- Proliferum® P
- FG-DMEM/F12 (DMEM/F12-FG)
- Vitronectin (recombinant human protein)
- MediOP™
Products and services
- MediOP™ AI-enabled media design platform
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 5x lower cost than traditional serum-containing media (Proliferum B) while matching 10% FBS growth performance
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Multus
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Multus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability5 records
Feature6 records
Multus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship multi-stakeholder consortium member, materials/cultivated leather partner, key ai co-development partner, flagship cultivated-meat r&d partner, research validation partner, standards consortium member, academic research partner, standards body partner, non-profit ecosystem partner, flagship co-development partner, key channel partner for uk life sciences, foundational host and origin partner, strategic cultivated-fish partner, technology integration partner, analytics integration partner, acf microcarrier co-development partner, materials/structured meat partner and network supporter.
- CRAFT Consortium (RespectFarms, Wageningen University & Research, Mosa Meat, Aleph Farms, Kipster, Royal Kuijpers)flagship multi-stakeholder consortium memberMultus is a member of the CRAFT Consortium awarded a €2M grant (co-funded by EU-backed accelerator EIT Food) to build the world's first cultivated meat farm at Schipluiden, South Holland, Netherlands; launched the Cell Farmers Symposium with RespectFarms and South Holland province.
- Cultivated Biomaterialsmaterials/cultivated leather partnerMultus supplies culture media components to Cultivated Biomaterials (Raleigh, NC) for Angelry, the world's first lab-grown leather jewellery line; partnership expands into fashion goods like cardholders.
- New Wave Biotechkey ai co-development partnerAI bioprocess optimisation partnership using New Wave Biotech's software to virtually experiment on cultivated meat processes; achieved a 55% production cost reduction for cultivated meat applications. Funded by Innovate UK Engineering Biology grant.
- Quest Meatflagship cultivated-meat r&d partner£1M Innovate UK co-funded R&D partnership (with UCL) to co-develop CULT-GRO, a low-cost cell culture ingredients platform for cultivated meat scale-up. Quest Meat is Multus' growth media partner of choice.
- University College London (UCL) — Dept. of Biochemical Engineeringresearch validation partnerUCL's Department of Biochemical Engineering provides world-leading research support and bioreactor-based validation studies for the Quest Meat × Multus CULT-GRO project, led by Assistant Professor Petra Hanga.
- Vireo Advisorsstandards consortium memberMember of Innovate UK-funded consortium led by Multus to develop global safety testing standards for cultivated meat media ingredients.
- Aberystwyth University (Dr Ruth Wonfor)academic research partnerProvides analytical chemistry expertise and access to the Advanced Analysis Centre at the AberInnovation Innovation and Enterprise Campus for safety evaluation work in the cultivated-meat standards consortium.
- British Standards Institute (BSI)standards body partnerConsortium member supporting dissemination and consensus-based standards development for cultivated meat safety testing, alongside New Harvest.
- New Harvestnon-profit ecosystem partnerNon-profit cellular agriculture research accelerator; consortium member supporting cultivated-meat safety standards dissemination.
- Extracellularflagship co-development partnerCo-developed the first licence-free cultivated meat cell bank with Multus; cells up to 90% cheaper than other providers, free from licensing restrictions. Funded by Innovate UK grant.
- Appleton Woodskey channel partner for uk life sciencesExclusive UK distribution agreement for Multus' Advanced Serum-Free media range (e.g., Proliferum LSR) and recombinant human protein Vitronectin, supplying UK life-science researchers.
- Imperial College London (White City Innovation Campus)foundational host and origin partnerMultus originated in 2020 from scientists and engineers at Imperial College London and is based at Imperial's White City Innovation Campus, accessing multidisciplinary research facilities and talent.
- Fishwaystrategic cultivated-fish partnerStrategic partnership to develop scalable, cost-effective cultivated fish by combining Fishway's fish cell line expertise with Multus' AI-driven growth media optimisation platform.
- PROGENtechnology integration partnerMultus integrated PROGEN's Pan AAV Capsid Titer Assay with Analytik Jena's CyBio FeliX liquid handler, upscaling AAV titer determination from 96 to 384-well format with 11.4% mean inter-assay CV.
- Analytik Jena (CyBio FeliX)technology integration partnerAutomation partner whose CyBio FeliX liquid handler was integrated by Multus with PROGEN's AAV assay for 384-well automated validation.
- Valita (Valita Titer IgG Assay)analytics integration partnerHigh-throughput Valita Titer IgG assay integrated with Multus' MediOP™ platform for CHO media optimisation case study.
- Nexture Bioacf microcarrier co-development partnerValidated Proliferum B with Nexture Bio's ACF microcarriers across multiple experiments; the two companies are co-developing recommended concentration ranges and seeding densities for different cell types.
- Salleamaterials/structured meat partnerMultus Food-Grade DMEM-F12 + sallea's ProteinPURE scaffolds demonstrated significantly higher metabolic activity on day 0 vs pharmaceutical-grade DMEM-F12 in structured cultivated meat case study.
- Climate-KICnetwork supporterEIT Climate-Knowledge Innovation Community (Climate-KIC); referenced as part of Multus' "Our Network" supporters and acknowledged on the About page.
- EIT Food
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Multus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global leader in cell culture media (Gibco) and bioprocessing consumables, with established GMP-grade formulations for CHO, HEK, and vaccine production. Directly comparable as Multus' primary competitor for biologics and ATMP media spend, though Multus' AI-driven design and animal-component-free positioning is differentiated.
- Sartorius: Biopharmaceutical equipment and consumables supplier including cell culture media, bioreactors, and process analytics. Competes with Multus on bioprocess media and is a likely incumbent benchmark for any biopharma media qualification cycle.
- Cytiva: Danaher-owned bioprocessing platform offering cell culture media, single-use technologies, and process development services for biologics manufacturing. Overlaps with Multus' CHO/biologics and ATMP media offerings as part of a broader bioprocess portfolio.
- Lonza Group: Combined CDMO and cell-culture media supplier serving biologics, cell and gene therapy, and emerging modalities. Competes with Multus across mammalian cell media and is actively expanding serum-free offerings in adjacent ATMP and cellular agriculture segments.
Emerging players
- Cradle Bio: AI platform for protein and bioproduct engineering using generative ML models to design improved enzymes and biologics. Comparable as an AI-native biology design platform targeting industrial biopharma customers, though focused upstream of media on the protein itself.
- Culture Biosciences: Cloud-based high-throughput bioreactor platform offering automated fermentation experimentation and data infrastructure for bioprocess development. Comparable in combining automation, ML, and bioprocess data to compress development timelines, but focused on microbial fermentation rather than mammalian cell media.
- STEMCELL Technologies: Specialty life-sciences reagent supplier of serum-free media, cell separation products, and primary cell lines for academic, stem cell, and ATMP markets. Directly comparable to Multus' Proliferum LSR and Vitronectin catalog for life-science researchers.
Others
- Ginkgo Bioworks: Horizontal synthetic biology platform combining automated labs, codebases, and engineered organisms for industrial biotech customers. An adjacent platform rather than direct competitor, but represents the broader AI-driven biomanufacturing competitive backdrop.
- New Wave Biotech: AI bioprocess optimization software partner of Multus, focused on simulation and cost reduction for cultivated meat and alternative protein production. Listed as an ecosystem partner delivering the joint 55% cultivated-meat cost reduction case study.
Direct peers
- Bota Bio: AI-native synthetic biology and biomanufacturing platform using machine learning, automation, and engineered strains to develop ingredients and materials. Most directly comparable peer to Multus as an AI-first bioprocess design company targeting similar sustainability and industrial biology customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Multus social profiles
Digital presenceMultus compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Multus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Multus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Multus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Multus 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 Multus
What does Multus do?
Multus designs and supplies animal component-free cell culture media for cellular agriculture, biologics, and advanced therapy developers using its MediOP™ AI platform. Its offerings include custom media development services (Express 1–3 months, Boost 3–6 months, De Novo 6–9 months), off-the-shelf catalog products (Proliferum® M/B/P/LSR, FG-DMEM/F12, Vitronectin), and scalable supply from its FSSC 22000-certified London facility through a global partner network.
Is Multus a public or private company?
Multus is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Multus founded?
Multus was founded in 2020. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Multus based?
Multus is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Multus make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom media development services are the primary driver. The others are catalog product sales and global media supply at commercial scale.
Who are Multus's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Sartorius, Cytiva and Lonza Group. Emerging players are Cradle Bio, Culture Biosciences and STEMCELL Technologies. Others are Ginkgo Bioworks and New Wave Biotech. Bota Bio is listed as a direct peer.
Does Multus have an API?
No public API is recorded for Multus.
What industry is Multus in?
Multus's product category is Cell Culture Media / Bioprocess Reagents. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAAAKAF, Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (upstream/downstream), with a secondary code of HLAAAJAI, Bioprocess Consumables & Reagents (resins, membranes, media components, buffers). Its NAICS code is 325414 and its SIC code is 8731.