Israeli startup Plantopia, which has developed a first-of-its-kind platform for producing high-quality proteins through advanced biomolecular agriculture, has completed a $9 million financing round led by US dairy giant Schreiber Foods and with the participation of Siddhi Capital and local investors, Yotvata, Arkin Capital and the foodtech incubator Fresh Start. The new funds, which will allow the company to move forward to the industrial production stage, brings the total raised by Plantopia to date to over $16 million.
Plantopia, founded by Prof. Alexander Vainstein, Tal Lutzky and Amir Tiroler, is based on innovative biotechnology developed at the Herbrew University’s Faculty of Agriculture, for the production of complex animal components in plants. The company has succeeded in producing all milk proteins identical to the original, lactose-free, at a competitive price and plant-based – a critical step for a supply chain that produces oxygen, not carbon dioxide or methane (like dairy farms) – and is therefore also considered 100% green. Plantopia is the first and only company in the world to have succeeded in producing complete casein with all four of its components (αs1, αs2, β, κ).
About 12% of the US population currently uses weight management medications. Doctors and nutritionists recommend significantly higher protein intake, given the risk of losing 25-40% of body weight as muscle mass. Whey protein is considered the Gold Standard due to its complete amino acid profile and rapid absorption rate. 70% of Americans now report that they are trying to consume more protein, compared with 59% four years ago. Food companies are adding milk proteins to almost everything from breakfast cereals to drinks from fast food chains.
Plantopia, founded in 2018 in Kiryat Shmona, has developed its technology after engaging in intensive R&D for the past eight years. This technology will be implemented this year in a new factory, which the company has already begun to build in Kibbutz Sdot Yam. The technology is unique to Plantopia and distinguishes it from other companies in the field, providing a green alternative to dairy farms, which until now have been the sole source of producing milk protein in general, and casein in particular – a market worth an estimated $50 billion annually in North America alone.
Unlike other alternative technologies, which are built or based on fermentation processes that require huge investments in equipment, are high-cost and produce CO2, Plantopia’s technology is based on indoor vertical farming of sprouts, produces oxygen, does not require light or special conditions, does not depend on cattle crops or large production areas, and can be implemented and expanded relatively easily and anywhere, according to demand, and without compromising the quality of the protein produced, or the quality of the cheese – and most importantly – is very cost-effective.
Plantopia cofounder and CEO Tal Lutzky said, “Plantopia’s technological achievement is the Holy Grail of the cheese world. Producing high-quality proteins, identical in composition to those in cow’s milk, will allow us to meet the growing demand for protein, and produce alternative dairy products that are much closer to the original. After extensive testing and research, we are moving forward to the industrial manufacturing phase. We are grateful to our significant partners, who have experience and knowledge, and who express trust in the company and are willing to take part in realizing Plantopia’s vision, and the company’s journey to the forefront of the global innovative industry.”
Published by Globes, Israel business news – en.globes.co.il – on July 22, 2026.
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