Goodbye, Soy: Israeli Rubisco Protein Startup Bags $750K in Pre-Seed Funding
Summary
When we met Day 8, we felt that this is the right team with the right technology to materialise the enormous business potential of Rubisco protein and create a more sustainable global food system.The funds will enable the startup to scale up to pilot production and carry out proof-of-concept work with what co-founder and CEO Daniel Rejzner described as a long list of food manufacturers that have signed up to try the product.Founded in July 2023, Day 8 is the brainchild of Rejzner and Dana Marom. Marom, who is the companys chief technology officer, is a food manufacturing veteran with previous experience in soy protein production and the medical cannabis sector. Rejzner comes from the CPG space, and previously founded Zollo, an app helping consumers compare grocery prices.The name comes from the Biblical belief that the world was created in seven days. This underlines the startups goal to create more scalable, sustainable and functional plant-based products for the mass market.This is where Rubisco, possibly the most abundant enzyme on the planet, comes in. And to make things more affordable, it eliminates the cost of growing raw materials green plants, in this case by upcycling discarded leaves from existing crops.