Genesia Ventures Leads Kinish’s Seed Round: Developing Plant-Based Dairy Products with Proprietary Rice Technology
Genesia Ventures has led the Seed Round investment in Kinish, a company developing plant-based dairy products with proprietary rice technology. The investment was made through the Genesia Venture Fund No. 3 (GV-3).
About Kinish
Kinish is a foodtech startup that generates milk proteins in rice through plant molecular farming to create dairy product substitutes. This innovative technology produces sustainable food products with a significantly lower environmental footprint than traditional livestock farming.
The food and agriculture sectors significantly impact global environmental issues, including climate change, water scarcity, and deforestation. Dairy cattle in particular, pose substantial environmental concerns — they emit methane gas (which has 28 times the greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide) and consume water at rates dozens of times higher than humans. As a result, plant-based dairy alternatives have emerged as a promising solution for reducing environmental impact.
Through its proprietary rice technology, Kinish aims to create plant-based dairy products that taste as good as traditional cow’s milk — working toward a more sustainable world through better food alternatives.
Background and Purpose of Fundraising
Development of Casein-Producing Rice. Kinish will accelerate research and development of rice that produces casein — one of the main proteins in dairy products. The company aims to develop this specialized rice at a scale suitable for commercial production.
Accelerating Plant Factory Research and Development. To address the increasing challenges in agriculture caused by global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation, the company has developed a model using 20cm-tall dwarf rice grown in plant factories. In collaboration with Shizuoka University, Kinish is conducting research and development of plant factories specialized for dwarf rice cultivation. This funding will help advance this crucial research.
Marketing of Alternative Dairy Products. Leveraging its expertise in rice-based dairy alternatives, Kinish is initially launching an ice cream made from regular rice without casein. The company plans to market this product in Japan and the United States, using the funds to showcase rice’s broader potential in dairy alternatives.
About the Investment
Shu Sokabe, Associate, at Genesia Ventures
Modern dairy farming relies heavily on finite resources like water and land. Due to environmental changes and AI-driven re-evaluation of water resources, we anticipate increasingly challenging conditions for this industry. Current dairy alternatives fall short in taste and texture, limiting their widespread adoption. However, Kinish has developed core technology that can authentically replicate dairy functionality in a cost-effective way. We are confident that Kinish will address critical social needs arising from environmental and resource challenges. Genesia Ventures is committed to fully supporting Kinish as they revolutionize the future of food and environmental innovation.
Company Profile
Company name: Kinish Inc.
Website: https://kini-sh.com/ja/
Founded: January 2023
Address: 3-5-6 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Legal Representative: Hiroya Hashizume
