Benzinga | Jan 10, 2022 05:12AM EST

Pluristem, and Israel's Largest Food Producer Tnuva, Launch Landmark Collaboration to Establish Cultured Food Platform; NewCo to Receive Licensing Rights to Use Pluristem Technology; Truva to Invest $7.5M initially in NewCo

Pluristem Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PSTI) (TASE: PSTI) ("Pluristem" or "the Company"), a leading biotechnology company, and Tnuva Group ("Tnuva Group" or "Tnuva"), Israel's largest food producer, (together, "Parties") today announced the launch of an innovative collaboration to develop, manufacture and commercialize cultured cell-based products for the food industry. The collaboration started with the incorporation of a new company ("NewCo"), that will receive exclusive, global, royalty bearing licensing rights to use Pluristem's proprietary technology, intellectual property and knowhow, to be used in the field of cultured meat.

Tnuva Group will invest $7.5 million in NewCo, according to a pre-money valuation of $40 million, with the option to invest up to an additional $7.5 million over a period of 12 months following the closing. NewCo will use its own funding and resources to promote its mission with a dedicated management team and staff, and Pluristem will support the establishment, research and development activities of NewCo pursuant to a services agreement. Tnuva will provide the R&D platform to develop consumer products and will receive preferred marketing rights of any developed NewCo's products in Israel.

Pluristem has the industry-leading capacity to design, develop, and manufacture cells for commercial use. Over the last two decades, the Company developed a proprietary three-dimensional (3D) expansion platform that can produce high-quality cells in a cost-effective manner with batch-to-batch consistency. According to both Parties' estimates and plans, NewCo intends to present its technology Proof of Concept in 2022, with the goal of launching its first raw cultured meat product in 2023.

As part of the collaboration, the Parties may expand the collaboration to include cultured dairy and cultured fish products by establishing separate, new ventures.