The one thing you should know is that the cultivated meat industry has hit a rough patch, and SCiFi Foods is just one of the casualties. But before we shed any tears for their failed bioreactors and fake meat dreams, let’s take a closer look at what led to their downfall.

Kudos to them – they raised a TON of money  from investors like Coldplay and Andreessen Horowitz – $40 million to be exact. And yet, they still couldn’t make it work. It just goes to show that throwing money at a problem doesn’t always solve it, especially when the focus is on impressing Silicon Valley rather than building a sustainable business model.

The thing that gets me about this is the panel of experts at Tufts University discussing the challenges of investing in cultivated meat. Risk aversion, scalability, and ecosystem development are all valid concerns, but let’s not forget about the lack of solid business fundamentals and a clear consumer demand for these products. Maybe if these startups focused more on making something people actually want to eat, rather than trying to impress VCs with fancy technology, they wouldn’t be struggling so much.

But don’t worry, there is still hope for the cultivated meat industry. Companies like Uncommon and Meatable are still managing to secure funding, even if it’s not as much as they had hoped for. And let’s not forget about the big players like UPSIDE Foods, who are raking in millions while others struggle to stay afloat.

The truth is, the cultivated meat industry is still in its infancy and there are bound to be bumps along the way. But maybe instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, these startups should focus on collaborating and outsourcing certain aspects of their production to more established companies. Just a thought.

Sad-trombone for SCiFi Foods and the bumps and thumps of creating cultivated meat. Their downfall serves as a cautionary tale for those who prioritize impressing Silicon Valley over building a sustainable and consumer-driven business. As for the rest of us, we’ll stick to good old-fashioned, real food for now.