Dr Sandhya Sriram

“Just go for it - see if you like it first, and then if you can succeed. Expect the challenges and be ready for them.”

Tell us about your innovation, and the inspiration behind it.

Shiok Meats is the world’s first cultivated crustacean meat company and Southeast Asia’s first cultivated seafood company. Using our technology to grow meat from healthy cells instead of animals, stem cells are isolated from a small sample of crustaceans (shrimp, lobster, crab) and grown in a nutrient broth. These cells are then expanded into smaller bioreactors and progressively moved to larger bioreactors, large stainless-steel tanks in a food manufacturing facility. Once the cells have grown to a large enough mass, they form the meat, which are collected and separated from the liquid. The final meat then finds its way into delicious dishes.

For ethical and scientific reasons, I wanted to start working on cellular agriculture - cultivated seafood and meats. We decided to first focus on seafood, particularly crustaceans because this constitutes the most significant part of our diet in Singapore and Southeast Asia. It represents a 150-billion-dollar industry, so it seemed the obvious choice. While working in my first startup, a science news website, I discovered cultivated meats. As a scientist, I became obsessed with this new technology and have been a vegetarian and food lover my whole life; starting a business in this sector seemed natural.

How has Shiok Meats made a difference?

Consumers concerned with healthy living, the environment, or animal welfare can enjoy Shiok seafood and meats with peace of mind. They can trust that only the highest quality seafood and meats are presented, tasting as great as traditional seafood. The process is cruelty-free and doesn’t require growing more live animals. Our technology makes producing seafood more environmentally friendly, using less water, land, and energy to grow meat.

Dr. Sandhya Sriram is the Group CEO and Co-Founder of Shiok Meats Pte. Ltd., Singapore, the first cultivated seafood & meat company in Southeast Asia and the first cultivated Crustacean company globally. With her at the helm, Shiok Meats has raised USD 30 Million in funding since its inception in 2018 from a global suite of investors – USA, Europe, Singapore, Japan, and South Korea. Shiok Meats also acquired Gaia Foods, a cultivated red meat company headquartered in Singapore.

A stem cell biologist and scientist by training and education, a former business development professional, a serial entrepreneur, and a thought leader, Sandhya was also recently named as part of the 2021 class of Bloomberg New Economy Catalysts and as one of Forbes Women in Tech. She is also an advisor and investor to trailblazing Food Tech start-ups and has spoken at leading industry conferences worldwide.