HAIFA, ISRAEL — Pluri Inc., a biotechnology company that produces cell-based products, has acquired a 71% stake in Kokomodo Ltd. for $4.5 million. Kokomodo, a cellular agriculture technology startup that produces cultivated cacao, will continue to operate as an independent company and subsidiary of Pluri, according to the company.
“With the closing of this strategic acquisition, we believe that we are uniquely positioned to lead innovation in the cultivated cacao sector,” said Yaky Yanay, chief executive officer and president of Pluri. “This acquisition advances our mission of transforming global food systems through biotechnology while adding complementary technology to our portfolio. By combining Pluri's proven expertise in scalable and cost-effective cell production with Kokomodo’s innovative approach to cultivated cacao, we believe that this acquisition can address growing concerns about climate change impacts on traditional cacao farming, while meeting increasing consumer demand for sustainable cacao-based products.”
Kokomodo, which was founded in 2024 by Tal Govrin co-founder and CEO, said its technology cultivates cacao directly from plant cells and isolates them using its biotechnology platform.
The startup is able to offer “tailored cacao ingredients” for the chocolate industry.
The company said its cacao may be used in applications including food, beverages, supplements and cosmetics.
“Scaling breakthrough innovation in food requires both technological expertise and market reach,” said Tal Govrin. “By teaming up with Pluri, we believe that we will gain the ability to accelerate our production capabilities, expand globally, and remain true to our founding mission. I am proud to continue leading Kokomodo and we look forward to demonstrating how cellular agriculture technology can revolutionize the cacao industry with more sustainable, consistent and adaptable products.”
Pluri said its platform harnesses cells to develop products and solutions. The company takes placenta cells and grows them into billions of cells that create cell-based therapies to treat patients, according to the company.
Pluri uses its 3D cell expansion technology cell-based technology to develop cells at mass scale for food technology, pharmaceuticals among other industries.Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
