- UPSIDE Foods is a pioneer in the cultivated meat industry, producing real meat from animal cells without the need for animal slaughter, and is valued at over $1 billion following a $400 million Series C funding round in April 2022.
- In the past year, UPSIDE Foods has undergone restructuring, including layoffs, to focus on commercialization and scaling operations while pausing plans for a large-scale facility in favor of expanding its smaller EPIC site in Emeryville, California.
- The company has attracted significant investment from notable backers such as Temasek and the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, reflecting a growing interest in sustainable food production.
- UPSIDE Foods targets environmentally conscious consumers and food distributors seeking sustainable meat alternatives, addressing the pain point of traditional meat production's environmental impact.
Engineering is the largest organisation within UPSIDE Foods, accounting for about 39 % of total headcount (82 employees). Business Management (14 %) and Operations (12 %) follow, reflecting the importance of strategic planning and production capabilities alongside core research and development. Marketing & Product, Finance & Administration, and Healthcare functions collectively represent roughly one-quarter of the workforce, signalling balanced investment in go-to-market execution, financial stewardship, and in-house laboratory expertise. Human Resources, Sales & Support, and Risk, Safety & Compliance round out the roster, each comprising a small but necessary share of employees, while an additional 5 % are classified in Other roles.
UPSIDE Foods’ talent footprint is concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area, with more than half of all employees based in San Francisco itself and another 29 % spread across nearby Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, San Mateo, and San Jose. Smaller hubs include New York, Madison, and London, each hosting only a handful of team members, while a final segment of staff work remotely or in unlisted locales. The Bay Area concentration aligns with the region’s biotechnology ecosystem and provides proximity to research partners, investors, and pilot-scale production facilities.
