Gates, Zuckerberg, Bezos and Branson Funding Company Creating Lab-Grown Breast Milk As Baby Formula Shortage Hits

Some of the world’s wealthiest men, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, have all invested in a company hoping to soon sell lab-grown human breast milk.Back in 2020, the investment firm Breakthrough Energy Venture announced $3.5 million in Series A funding for a company called BIOMILQ, Inc.Gates, Zuckerberg, Bezos and Branson are all members of Breakthrough Energy Venture.In 2021, the group invested an additional $21 million into the company.BIOMILQ is a North Carolina business created in 2019 by cell biologist Leila Strickland.The company is working to create “human milk” in a lab using cells taken from human breast tissue and milk from local women who are rewarded with Target gift cards.A CNN Business article published earlier this month focusing on BIOMILQ said the “lab-grown” formula could be ready to sell to customers within three years.According to the report, “BIOMILQ grows the cells in flasks, feeding them nutrients, and then incubates them in a bioreactor that mimics the environment in a breast. Here, the cells absorb more nutrients and secrete milk components.”