Wildtype
Wildtype is a San Francisco-based cellular agriculture company that produces sushi-grade cultivated salmon from fish cells without ocean contact. It sells to premium restaurants and is the first cultivated seafood company to receive FDA approval and achieve global commercial sale.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Wildtype does
Wildtype is a San Francisco-based cellular agriculture company founded in 2016 that produces cultivated (cell-cultured) seafood, with sushi-grade Pacific salmon as its flagship product. The company extracts cells from Pacific salmon and grows them in controlled nutrient baths on vegetable-based scaffolds inside bioreactor systems that the company describes as resembling brewery equipment. Its pilot production facility, located in a converted microbrewery in San Francisco's Dogpatch neighborhood, is operated as the world's first cultivated seafood pilot plant and includes an integrated tasting room called The Dock.
Wildtype's core product, the Wildtype Salmon Saku, is a uniformly cut block of cultivated raw salmon suitable for sashimi, nigiri, sushi rolls, crudo, ceviche, and poké. The company markets the product on three pillars: clean nutrition (omega-3s and 4-5 grams of protein per serving without mercury, microplastics, antibiotics, or parasites), sustainability (production that does not add pressure to wild fish populations), and culinary quality (consistent year-round output suited to fine-dining applications). The product achieved FDA approval in May 2025, making Wildtype the first cultivated seafood company to receive US regulatory clearance and the first globally to conduct a commercial sale of lab-grown seafood, debuting at Kann restaurant in Portland.
Wildtype operates a B2B go-to-market motion, partnering with high-end, award-winning restaurants and celebrity chefs to build culinary credibility before broader retail expansion. Current named partners include Kann (Portland), Robin (San Francisco), Barmini by José Andrés (Washington DC), The Walrus and the Carpenter (Seattle), and Kingfisher (Tucson), with an additional launch at OTOKO (Austin) halted due to Texas's SB 261 ban on cultivated protein. The company also operates a direct-to-consumer waitlist program called the First Mate club and has signed a future channel partnership with Pokéworks (100+ planned locations). Planned future channels include grocery retail (Costco, Trader Joe's, Walmart) once production reaches scale. Pricing is not publicly disclosed but is positioned at premium sushi-grade levels.
Wildtype firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wildtype
- Legal name
- Wildtype
- Website
- https://wildtypefoods.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Wildtype is a San Francisco-based cellular agriculture company that produces sushi-grade cultivated salmon from fish cells without ocean contact. It sells to premium restaurants and is the first cultivated seafood company to receive FDA approval and achieve global commercial sale.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wildtype industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cultivated Seafood
- NAICS
- Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (3117), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (311710)
- SIC
- Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty & Novel Proteins (Single-Cell Protein, Cell-Cultured/Animal-Free Proteins) (AFAJAHAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Sushi/Sashimi-Grade & Raw Ready-to-Serve Seafood (Including Poke) (AFANALAI)
Keywords
Where Wildtype is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Wildtype business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Cultivated Seafood Product Sales: Direct sales of cultivated salmon to restaurants and ultimately to consumers through retail channels. Products include sushi-grade salmon saku for dishes like sashimi, nigiri, poke, ceviche, and crudo.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Wildtype product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wildtype produces sushi-grade cultivated salmon using cellular agriculture technology. Cells are extracted from Pacific salmon and grown in nutrient baths on vegetable-based scaffolds inside bioreactor systems similar to breweries. The resulting salmon saku is sold to high-end restaurants and is positioned as a sustainable, contaminant-free alternative to wild and farmed fish.
Product overview
Wildtype is a cultivated seafood company offering sushi-grade cultivated salmon as its primary product. Their flagship product, Wildtype Salmon Saku, is produced using cellular agriculture technology where cells are extracted from Pacific salmon and cultivated in controlled environments. The company operates from San Francisco and partners with restaurants to serve their cultivated seafood products. Future product expansions are planned following their initial salmon offering.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wildtype Salmon Saku Sushi-grade cultivated salmon produced using cellular agriculture technology — a uniformly cut block of raw fish (saku) suitable for slicing into sashimi, nigiri, sushi rolls, poke, and crudo. Produced in San Francisco from cells extracted from Pacific salmon and grown in nutrient-rich environments on vegetable-based scaffolds. Sold to high-end restaurants and celebrity chefs.
Quantifiable outcome
- First cultivated seafood company to achieve FDA approval and commercial sale in the US
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Wildtype
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Wildtype technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Wildtype partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Solaris (Donaldson Brand)coreWildtype partnered with Solaris, a Donaldson brand renowned for specialized bioprocessing equipment including custom cultivators for food and beverage production. Partnership to expand production capacity and invest in next-generation cultivation systems.
- The Conservation FundminorWildtype partnered with The Conservation Fund to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska salmon habitat through conservation easements blocking access to Pebble Mine. Company matched first $10,000 in donations.
- PokéworksminorNational poké bowl chain (100+ planned locations) to serve Wildtype cultivated salmon once production reaches scale. No exact launch date set.
- Yale Center for Customer InsightsminorWildtype partnered with Yale's research center to conduct consumer studies on labeling and naming conventions for cultivated seafood products.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Wildtype competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Cargill: Cargill is a global food and agriculture conglomerate that is both a Wildtype investor (Series B) and a major supplier of conventional salmon feed and omega-3 oils. As a strategic partner, Cargill could enable distribution into mainstream grocery and foodservice channels.
Broad incumbents
- Aleph Farms: Aleph Farms is an Israeli cultivated meat company (cultivated beef steaks) that received the world's first regulatory approval for cultivated beef in 2024. A more established cultivated protein player with broader format ambition but adjacent cultivated protein technology.
Emerging players
- Vow: Vow is an Australian cultivated meat company that received regulatory clearance in 2025 and sells cultivated quail in Singapore. Same cellular agriculture technology and regulatory pathway; emerging global competitor for cultivated protein market share.
- Shiok Meats: Shiok Meats is a Singapore-based cultivated seafood company developing cell-cultivated shrimp, crab, and lobster. Direct seafood peer with same target market (premium Asian seafood) and alternative cultivated seafood format.
Direct peers
- Believer Meats: Believer Meats (formerly Future Meat Technologies) is a cultivated chicken and beef producer that received FDA approval in 2024. Direct competitor in the cultivated protein category with similar FDA-cleared status and foodservice GTM.
- UPSIDE Foods: Closest direct peer; UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) is a cultivated meat company that received FDA approval for cultivated chicken in 2023 and is among Wildtype's cohort of FDA-cleared cultivated protein producers. Same cellular agriculture category, same regulatory pathway, same GTM into premium restaurants.
- GOOD Meat (Eat Just): GOOD Meat is the cultivated meat division of Eat Just, also FDA-approved (2023) for cultivated chicken and the first company to sell cultivated meat commercially (Singapore, 2020). Same cultivated protein regulatory category and competitor for foodservice partnerships.
- BlueNalu: BlueNalu is a cultivated seafood company developing cell-cultivated yellowtail and other finfish species, making it the closest seafood-specific peer to Wildtype. Same target market (sushi-grade cultivated fish), same GTM challenges, and direct competitor for cultivated seafood shelf space.
- Finless Foods: Finless Foods is a cultivated seafood company developing cell-cultivated bluefin tuna, directly comparable to Wildtype's cultivated salmon in product form (sushi-grade finfish), technology (cellular aquaculture), and target market (premium sushi restaurants).
- Mission Barns: Mission Barns is a cultivated meat company (pork and beef fat) that received FDA approval in 2024. Same cultivated protein cohort, same regulatory pathway, and competitor for foodservice and retail partnerships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wildtype social profiles
Digital presenceWildtype financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wildtype leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Wildtype funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors16 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wildtype 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 Wildtype
What does Wildtype do?
Wildtype produces sushi-grade cultivated salmon using cellular agriculture technology. Cells are extracted from Pacific salmon and grown in nutrient baths on vegetable-based scaffolds inside bioreactor systems similar to breweries. The resulting salmon saku is sold to high-end restaurants and is positioned as a sustainable, contaminant-free alternative to wild and farmed fish.
Is Wildtype a public or private company?
Wildtype is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Wildtype founded?
Wildtype was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Wildtype based?
Wildtype is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Wildtype make money?
One revenue line is on record: cultivated Seafood Product Sales.
Who are Wildtype's main competitors?
Cargill is listed as an others. Aleph Farms is listed as a broad incumbent. Emerging players are Vow and Shiok Meats. Direct peers are Believer Meats, UPSIDE Foods, GOOD Meat (Eat Just), BlueNalu, Finless Foods and Mission Barns.
Does Wildtype have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wildtype.
What industry is Wildtype in?
Wildtype's product category is Cultivated Seafood. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAJAHAL, Specialty & Novel Proteins (Single-Cell Protein, Cell-Cultured/Animal-Free Proteins), with a secondary code of AFANALAI, Sushi/Sashimi-Grade & Raw Ready-to-Serve Seafood (Including Poke). Its NAICS code is 3117 and its SIC code is 2092.