Modern Meadow


Modern Meadow is a company that produces Zoa, a branded materials platform constructed from biologically produced collagen protein but without reliance on animal-based agriculture. Zoa is inspired by traditional materials, such as leather, and reduces petrochemical use and animal dependency in making materials.
The company was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a 2018 Technology Pioneer, and a Zoa shirt was on display at the MOMA in the 2017 exhibit, "Items: Is Fashion Modern. Modern Meadow was started in 2011 by CEO and co-Founder Andras Forgacs, formerly of Organovo, a company that uses 3-D printing of human tissue for medical use. Modern Meadow has raised approximately $54 million from investors including Singapore's Temasek and Horizon Ventures, the private investment fund of the Hong Kong billionaire, Li Ka-shing. In 2018, Modern Meadow signed an agreement with Evonik, a chemical company that specializes in microbial fermentation with the goal of commercially producing biofabricated materials. It can take two weeks at R&D scale to create Zoa in the lab. Tunable and versatile, the material will explore new material characteristics such as softness combined with translucency and unique dying capabilities, and allow designers, makers and brands to offer novel perspectives to the marketplace.