VitroLabs was a Milpitas, California-based biotechnology company developing cell-cultivated animal leather through tissue engineering. Founded in 2016 by Ingvar Helgason and stem-cell biologist Dr. Dusko Ilic, the company collected a one-time sample of cells from an animal and grew them in nutrient-rich conditions to produce leather material targeted at the luxury fashion industry without ongoing animal sourcing. VitroLabs built what it described as the world's first pilot production facility for cultivated leather and partnered with Kering for product quality testing, tanning, and finishing. The company raised approximately $53M in disclosed funding (including a $46M Series A in May 2022 led by Agronomics with participation from Kering, Khosla Ventures, Leonardo DiCaprio, BESTSELLER's Invest FWD, New Agrarian, and Regeneration.VC) before its assets, including a portfolio of approximately 30 patents covering multilayered skin structure cultivation and scaled cell-based leather production, were acquired by French in-vitro leather company Faircraft on May 6, 2025.
VitroLabs has been acquired
This company is no longer available on our private secondary market.
Company data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Founded
2016
Employees
11–50
Total Funding
$53M
3 rounds
Total raised $53M across 3 rounds
Funding data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Last updated 06-25-2026
Latest Round
Type
Series A
Date
May 4, 2022
Amount
$46M
Valuation
—
Lead Investors
| Date | Round | Amount Raised | Valuation | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2022 | Series A | $46M | — | Agronomics |
| September 20, 2021 | Series A (initial close) | $7M | — | Agronomics |
| October 17, 2019 | Seed | — | — | Agronomics |
Ingvar Helgason
Co-Founder & CEO
Dusko Ilic
Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer
Competitor list is illustrative and may be incomplete, stale, or erroneous.
Faircraft
Paris-based in-vitro leather producer focused on luxury fashion; acquired VitroLabs' assets in May 2025 to consolidate its position as the leader in cell-cultivated leather.
Modern Meadow
Nutley, NJ-based biofabrication company that originally pursued cell-cultivated leather using collagen-producing yeast, then pivoted to plant-based protein biomaterials.
Uncaged Innovations
US biomaterial company developing plant-based luxury leather alternatives (ELEVATE) from grain proteins.
Qorium
Dutch startup developing cell-cultivated leather using tissue engineering for luxury and automotive applications.
3D Bio-Tissues
UK biotech producing scaffold-free cell-cultivated tissue platforms with applications including lab-grown leather.
Lab-Grown Leather Ltd
UK-based startup developing cell-cultivated leather materials using tissue engineering for fashion applications.
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