Planetarians

# Planetarians: A Climate/FoodTech Company

High-Level Overview

Planetarians is a climate and food technology company that develops sustainable, plant-based meat alternatives from upcycled ingredients—primarily spent brewer's yeast and oil cake byproducts from vegetable oil extraction.[1][4] The company addresses a critical problem in the alternative protein market: creating affordable, allergen-free, clean-label meat substitutes without the high costs and environmental footprint of conventional plant-based proteins.

The company serves foodservice operators, institutional buyers (schools, universities), and food manufacturers seeking sustainable protein solutions. Its products—including BBQ-style strips, meaty tips, and chef's cut tenders—are designed as ready-to-eat or par-cooked options that can be integrated directly into existing meal programs.[5] Planetarians' core innovation lies in its patented manufacturing process that converts food industry waste streams into high-protein ingredients with umami-like flavor profiles, achieving a carbon footprint reportedly 50 times better than animal meat and 10 times better than other plant-based alternatives.[3]

Origin Story

Aleh Manchuliantsau, the company's co-founder and CEO/CTO, is an inventor with seven granted patents and a track record as a serial entrepreneur who previously founded 100%FOOD, Usarium, and MOBYS.[2] He launched Planetarians with an explicit mission: "to show my kids that a venture that's healthy for people, good for the planet, and rewarding for all collaborators is possible."[3]

The company's evolution reflects iterative product development. Beginning in 2015 with sunflower chips from upcycled oilcake, the team pivoted through multiple iterations—high-protein pasta with Barilla (2017), solid-state fermentation applications (2019), and finally to spent brewer's yeast-based proteins (2021).[3] Early validation came through academic partnerships: Planetarians' process was tested at the University of Minnesota, leading to investment from manufacturing partner Cereal Docks and recognition with the AgFunder Innovation Award 2019.[2] The company secured backing from Barilla's venture arm Blue1877 and Amadori, and later raised a $6 million seed round in 2023 led by Mindrock, with support from Techstars, SOSV, and ZX Ventures (AB InBev's corporate venture arm).[4] In 2022, the company achieved patent awards and launched its first commercial facility with AB InBev's support.[3]

Core Differentiators

• Patented upcycling technology: The company converts food industry waste streams (spent brewer's yeast, oil extraction byproducts) into high-protein ingredients, eliminating traditional protein extraction methods that discard nutrients.[1][3]

• Clean-label formulation: Products contain minimal ingredients (brewer's yeast, plant flour, basic seasonings) without the allergen concerns of soy-based or the cost premiums of pea-based alternatives.[1][5]

• Umami flavor profile: By incorporating spent brewer's yeast through solid-state fermentation, Planetarians achieved a naturally meaty taste without artificial flavoring.[3][4]

• Environmental credentials: Independent analysis calculated a 50x lower carbon footprint compared to animal meat and 10x lower than competing plant-based products.[3]

• Founder-led transition support: The company's acquisition memo emphasizes that Manchuliantsau offers 6-to-9 months of strategic advisory services post-acquisition, reducing knowledge transfer risk.[4]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Planetarians operates at the intersection of three converging trends: the alternative protein market's maturation, the circular economy movement, and corporate sustainability commitments. The company's reliance on brewery and oil extraction byproducts addresses a genuine supply chain inefficiency—these waste streams are abundant and currently underutilized. AB InBev's involvement signals that legacy food and beverage corporations recognize the strategic value of ingredient innovation for sustainability goals.

The company also represents a shift in how alternative protein companies approach market entry: rather than competing on taste alone (a crowded space), Planetarians emphasizes cost reduction and environmental impact through process innovation. This positions it within a broader ecosystem of companies solving the "affordability problem" that has constrained plant-based meat adoption in foodservice and institutional settings.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

As of August 2025, Planetarians entered a strategic transition phase, auctioning its IP and assets to settle outstanding debts while actively seeking acquirers to develop the technology further.[4] The company's founder positioned this not as failure but as a pivot toward licensing its patented process and SpyGlass AI platform—which can optimize any CPG product using byproducts—to larger food manufacturers.[4]

The real opportunity may extend beyond plant-based meat into broader food reformulation: the company's technology could enable major food companies to create healthier, lower-cost versions of existing products (chocolate bars with less sugar, ramen with more protein) using waste-stream ingredients. This positions Planetarians' intellectual property as a potential acquisition target for established food conglomerates seeking rapid innovation in sustainability and nutritional optimization. The company's success will ultimately depend on whether its technology can be scaled and integrated into existing manufacturing infrastructure by buyers with distribution networks and capital resources that Planetarians itself lacked.