Register for SOSV HAX Investor Showcase – April 1, 2026
Back
MrBeast Visits UPSIDE Foods: A Big Moment for Cultivated Meat
Back
Kira Colburn
Kira Colburn

It’s not every day that one of the world’s biggest creators steps inside a cultivated meat facility. Recently, Jimmy Donaldson (aka MrBeast) did exactly that.

During a visit to SOSV / IndieBio portfolio company UPSIDE Foods’ California headquarters, Donaldson and his team got a firsthand look at how cultivated meat is made—and yes, they tasted UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken for themselves.

UPSIDE Foods isn’t just another startup experimenting with next-gen protein. They’ve long served as the bellwether for the entire cultivated meat category:

  • The world’s first cultivated meat company
  • The most well-funded in the space
  • Early backers include Bill Gates and Richard Branson
  • First company to receive U.S. regulatory approval for cultivated chicken (2023)

For years, UPSIDE has carried the weight of proving that cultivated meat could become both real and scalable. Seeing creators with massive cultural reach show up at their facility signals something important: the conversation around the future of food is moving from science labs and policy tables into mainstream culture.

Did you know?