Mind the Tech NY
"There is a huge shortage of eggs around the world, and we want to help fill it"
Dr. Maya Sapir-Mir, co-founder and CEO of PoLoPo, shared at Mind The Tech NY how she transformed her academic research into a groundbreaking foodtech venture.
Maya Sapir Mir
(Tomeriko - Live Focus)
“There is a huge shortage of eggs around the world, and we want to help fill it,” said Dr. Maya Sapir-Mir, co-founder and CEO of PoLoPo. Sapir-Mir, whose startup recently won a Microsoft Entrepreneurship Competition, shared how she transformed her academic research into a groundbreaking foodtech venture.
“PoLoPo was founded by two entrepreneurs, myself and Dr. Raya Liberman-Aloni, in early 2022, but we have been working together for years. We met in academia and conducted most of our research at the Volcani Institute. We worked side by side for about seven years,” said Sapir-Mir. “Our expertise is in plant metabolic engineering—understanding how to produce proteins in plants and control not only the ability to express the protein but also where to express it.”
The company, based in Rehovot but planning to move its commercial operations to the US, produces egg proteins inside potatoes. “We genetically engineer the potato so that it produces a large amount of protein. In fact, we can produce almost any protein we want inside it. Egg protein is the first candidate we chose—essentially, an egg inside a potato.”
PoLoPo has already recorded significant achievements: “We are now completing our first field trial, in which we produced five tons of protein-rich potatoes—an important milestone. We also have the capacity to produce several hundred grams of protein samples per month, allowing us to begin working with food companies.”
Sapir-Mir highlighted the growing demand for their product: “We see the severe impact of the global egg shortage. In the US, grocery store shelves are often empty, and at the start of 2025, the price of a dozen eggs surpassed $7. Every year, billions of dollars are lost due to bird flu outbreaks, which force the culling of entire chicken farms.”
However, she emphasized that PoLoPo does not aim to replace traditional egg production entirely. “Our goal is not to eliminate the need for eggs but to create an additional supply chain that provides stability to the food industry. This is not just about replacing eggs but about diversification. The food supply chain needs multiple sources of protein to ensure stability in production.”
As for future plans, Sapir-Mir said, “Our next step is to bring our varieties to the US and conduct our first field trial there in 2026, adapting everything to local conditions. A field in Israel is not the same as a field in the US. We aim to scale up production each year and move toward commercial production.”
The company is currently raising capital. “We secured $2.3 million at the end of 2022 and are now in a Seed round, looking for a lead investor. Our two main goals are to continue producing samples to sign commercial agreements with food companies and to establish operations in the US.”
During the conference, Revital Ben Natan, CEO of the Ofakim tourism company, also announced the launch of Ofakim Tech, which will provide startups in the Traveltech and Fintech sectors with business support. “The diverse activities within the Ofakim Group, as well as our broad network of private and business clients, enable us to serve as a beta site for startups in various fields. In addition, we offer investment opportunities and connections to key industry players and partners,” said Ben Natan.
Watch the full interview in the video above.
