Reimagining Ingredients From the Cell Up
At Novel Farms, we’re building a new way to create essential animal-based ingredients — no animals required. By cultivating cells instead of relying on livestock, we make food components that are safer, more scalable, and radically more sustainable.
Our platform combines cutting-edge cell biology with machine learning and biomanufacturing innovation to deliver clean, consistent ingredients — without antibiotics, GMOs, or animal slaughter.
Rather than replacing traditional agriculture, we aim to complement it — providing tools and technologies that reduce pressure on supply chains, increase resilience, and unlock new possibilities for food producers around the world.
Our Story
Founded in 2020 by a team of scientists and innovators in Berkeley, CA, Novel Farms was born out of scientific curiosity and a commitment to solving the major flaws in traditional food systems. Problems like inconsistent quality, environmental damage, supply‑chain risk, and animal welfare inspired us to build a different model.
Since then, we’ve been supported by leading fellowships and grants including the National Science Foundation, the Activate Fellowship, and the Breakthrough Energy Fellowship as well as venture capital.
Our Team
Michelle Lu, PhD
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Michelle Lu is Co-founder and CEO of Novel Farms, where she is leading the development of cultivated animal-cell ingredients that are scalable, sustainable, and slaughter-free. Her work centers on building a more resilient food system through advanced biomanufacturing.
Michelle has a background in cell biology, synthetic biology, and protein biochemistry, with over 20 years of research experience. Prior to founding Novel Farms, she led projects across multiple academic labs focused on protein design, and microbial and mammalian cell engineering.
Since launching Novel Farms, Michelle has been awarded the NSF SBIR Phase I and II grants, the Activate Fellowship, and the Breakthrough Energy Fellowship, helping position the company at the forefront of cell-ag innovation.
Outside the lab, Michelle enjoys exploring fermentation techniques and hiking the California coastline.
Nadja Heine, PhD
Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer
Nadja Heine is Co-founder and Chief Science Officer at Novel Farms, where she leads R&D strategy, flavor innovation, and analytics. Her work focuses on using high-dimensional data and machine learning to accelerate development of next-generation cultivated ingredients.
With a PhD in molecular physics and a specialization in mass spectrometry, Nadja brings over 15 years of scientific leadership across academia and industry. She has published over 20 peer-reviewed papers and developed analytical tools for metabolomics and flavor profiling.
At Novel Farms, she combines deep technical insight with a passion for building safe, data-driven platforms that meet regulatory standards and industry demands.
When she’s not in the lab, Nadja can be found running up mountains or obsessing over airplanes.
Meet Our Partners
