Believer Meats, a cultivated-meat startup formerly known as Future Meat Technologies, has ceased operations and laid off its remaining workforce after running out of cash in December 2025. The company, which had raised over $390 million and built a major production facility in North Carolina, was unable to meet a $22 million payment deadline to its construction contractor, leading to a lawsuit and an abrupt shutdown. This collapse leaves the alternative protein industry without one of its most advanced contenders, despite the company recently achieving key regulatory milestones for selling its products.
