Israeli slaughter-free meat start-up Aleph Farms Ltd announced on 14 May that it has raised US$12 million in Series A investments.

These are led by Singapore’s VisVires New Protein (VVNP), Cargill Protein, and M-Industry – the industrial group of Migros. Existing investors included the Strauss Group, Peregrine Ventures, CPT Capital, Jesselson investments, New Crop Capital, and Technion Investment Opportunity Fund.

Aleph Farms, previously Meat-the-Future, was co-founded in 2017 by Israeli food-tech incubator The Kitchen, a part of the Strauss Group, and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

The start-up produces real meat from cow cells, “providing the same meat – same experience, same taste – but without killing animals, without using antibiotics, and potentially causing less foodborne illness risk.”

In December, the company unveiled the first prototype of lab-grown steak in the world. The company said it will use the new funds to “accelerate product development of its slaughter-free meat” and to transform its prototype into a commercial product. Its cultured meat will grow in large, bio-farm facilities.

The Indian Navy has conducted for the first time a successful live firing test of a medium-range Surface to Air Missile (SAM), which has been developed with Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. (IAI).

The Indian Navy said that it had “achieved a significant milestone in enhancing its anti-air warfare capability with the maiden cooperative engagement firing of the SAM. The firing was undertaken last month on the Western Seaboard by Indian Naval ships Kochi and Chennai, wherein the missiles of both ships were controlled by one ship to intercept different aerial targets at extended ranges.”

The SAM system is based on IAI’s Barak 8, an operational advanced missile defense system used by Israel’s navy as well as by India’s navy, air, and land forces. It provides broad aerial and point-defense against a wide range of threats to the marine arena from the air, sea, or land. The system integrates several advanced state-of-the-art systems, such as digital radar, command and control, launchers, and system-wide connectivity.