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Food technology start-up, Air Protein, has announced a $32 million Series A funding round led by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), with participation from Barclays and GV (formerly Google Ventures). Air Protein, which produces meat made from elements of the air, will use the funding to launch an R&D lab and accelerate its product development and commercialisation. Led by founder and CEO Dr Lisa Dyson, the start-up's unique technology can be used to produce protein in sustainable, vertical farms that can be built virtually anywhere on Earth. Air Protein meat can be produced in days, making it scalable and planet-friendly. “With this funding, we will be able to accelerate our work towards providing innovative, environmentally-friendly, highly nutritious alternatives that will play an important role in meeting the growing global demand for alternatives to animal protein,” said Dr Dyson. “We are commercialising a novel technology platform that is capable of scaling to large-scale production to help feed the world’s 10 billion people by the year 2050, in the most sustainable approach available today.” Darren Streiler, managing director of ADM Ventures (ADM's corporate venture capital arm), added: “It’s essential to explore a variety of alternative solutions and options to help meet the growing global population’s demand for protein. "ADM is a global leader in alternative proteins, and we are excited to help leverage our vast experience with fermentation solutions to help bring Air Protein’s innovative new ideas to the market.”