In the future, could we be drinking lab-grown coffee and wearing cultivated cotton? The principles behind lab-grown meat, where cells are cultivated in laboratories to create real meat, can also be applied to plants, such as cotton, coffee, and cocoa. This is the belief of the Brazilian cleantech company Galy, a belief now shared by major players in the fashion and business world.
Backed by H&M, Inditex, and Bill Gates
In a new funding round that attracted more investors than anticipated, Galy raised 33 million dollar. New investors include the world’s largest fashion groups, H&M and Inditex, while Bill Gates and OpenAI founder Sam Altman had already invested. This is impressive, given that only a few kilos of ‘Galy cotton’ have been produced so far.
Currently, Galy has only one customer: Japan’s Suzuran Medical, which has signed a proof-of-concept agreement for 10 years and 50 million dollar. While the fabric is not yet suitable for clothing, it is already usable for bandages and cotton wool. The new funding round is primarily intended to further research and develop cultivated cotton.
