What makes us so Uncommon?
Uncommon goals
We want the whole world to experience the most innovative products that art and science can devise.
Prime your tastebuds.
We want to do the hitherto-undoable: selling rashers and rashers of cultivated pork at price parity.
For happy pigs and piggy banks.
We’d love to see an uncommon amount of our product in the world, let’s say 5% of the global pork market.
Making the uncommon, common.
Our team
Our Uncommon leaders
CEO
Chief Scientific Officer
Chief Operating Officer
VP of People
VP Marketing
Head of Technical Operations
Head of Strategic Partnerships
Our Uncommon investors & partners
And our Uncommon sense of creativity, urgency, care, and resilience… of course.
We see science as an artistic and emotive calling.
It’s a creative realm where we break new ground using powerful, diverse talents and perspectives.
We care deeply for people, planet, and each other — that’s truly at the heart of health, and it’s our biggest motivator to achieve quality and safety.
We treat the world around us with respect, openness, and sincerity.
We are driven and focused, never letting setbacks get in the way of our ambitious goals.
We’re firm in our beliefs (not inflexible) while constantly critically assessing and improving all we do.
We are brave in our pursuit of daring solutions — delivering with precision, quality, and flair.
Moving quickly and with purpose, we make a high-quality, long-term impact, ASAP.
A healthy start…
I was brought up by my parents to realise that our health is at the centre of everything, and that without it, nothing matters. However, it was only later in life when it became really clear that the vast majority of people do not think about health on a regular basis (or at all) – whether it’s because they can’t afford to, weren’t taught better, or otherwise.
Our food system today is one of the largest threats to our health, whether through antibiotic resistance, climate change, foodborne and infectious diseases, or food security. In 2017, while looking for ways to create a positive impact on people’s health, I came across the concept of cultivated meat, and very quickly became passionate about the topic. I then founded Higher Steaks (our former name). A few years later, with my incredible co-founder Ruth coming on board, our unique strategy was refined and we built the business that we are today.
Higher Steaks has been an incredible brand name for us. However, we quickly outgrew its roots as we looked to communicate our new vision: nurturing world health with creative cell science. Health is at the centre of everything in life, and creativity is at the centre of what will make us a success. For us, real innovation lies at the exciting intersection of both.
By harnessing the creative potential of stem cells to improve the health of our world, we’re performing uncommon science for the common good. And with that, Uncommon was born.
—Benjamina Bollag, Founder and CEO
…to an Uncommon journey
2018
Taking flight
Our first product focus was foie gras, but we soon decided to switch to pork – the most widely eaten meat in the world.
2020
First patents filed
Co-founders Benjamina Bollag and Ruth Faram filed their first patent on our proprietary technology.
We created the world’s first pork belly and bacon with cultivated muscle (and with less than £200k raised – how precocious!)
We raised a £1.4M seed round led by Apollo Projects (Max and Sam Altman)
2021
Raising the steaks
More funding. This time £2.5M (again led by Apollo Projects) and £1M Innovate UK, the UK’s national innovation agency.
We filed an additional 2 patents on our proprietary technology.
2022
Proliferating potency
We expanded the team from 20 to 50, and filed the 4th patent on our proprietary technology.
2023
A fresh future
We moved into our new 15,000 sq ft HQ, complete with pilot plant, and closed our Series A led by Balderton and Lower Carbon Capital. Nice!
We officially became Uncommon – celebrating our unique perspective on the future of food.
We’re seeking remarkable people to do extraordinary things.
Do you have a dash of the luminary? Do you see Picasso through the microscope? Do you have an urgent sense of daring? A Dalí-esque perspective on the world around you?
We do bold biotechnology in uncharted territory. You should do it with us.
