In this edition of Bright Founders Talk, we spotlight Clarisse Beurrier, Co-Founder and CTO of Cellcraft, a pioneering startup transforming the future of biomanufacturing. Clarisse shares how her journey began in the labs of the University of Cambridge, where cutting-edge research and a lack of accessible data sparked the idea behind Cellcraft. What started as an academic challenge evolved into a bold vision: turning bioreactors from opaque systems into intelligent, self-optimizing technologies.

In this conversation, she explains how Cellcraft is building the world’s first plug-and-play AI automation platform for bioreactors, with applications spanning food production, pharmaceuticals, and sustainable materials. Clarisse also reflects on her unexpected path into entrepreneurship and the realities of building a deep-tech startup from the ground up.

From assembling multidisciplinary teams to navigating the complexities of scaling innovation, she offers candid insights into the challenges founders rarely anticipate. Beyond technology, her mission is deeply rooted in creating global impact—improving sustainability, food security, and ethical production systems. This interview reveals how purpose, science, and entrepreneurship can intersect to drive meaningful change in the world.

From Lab Curiosity to AI-Powered Bioreactors: Clarisse’s Unexpected Founder Journey

Clarisse didn’t set out to become a founder—far from it. Her story starts in a Cambridge lab, where she was deep into bioprocess development and hit a frustrating wall: no data. In a field as new as cultivated meat, that’s a serious problem. But then came a moment that shifted everything—a seminar on growing human brains on chips. It wasn’t just the science that caught her attention, it was the data behind it. That spark led to a bigger realization: what if better data and AI could unlock the full potential of biomanufacturing?

Cellcraft was born from that exact question. Today, Clarisse and her team are building something bold—AI automation software that turns bioreactors from “black boxes” into smart, self-optimizing systems. These machines are already behind everyday essentials, from bread to vaccines, but they’ve long been inefficient and hard to control. Clarisse’s vision is to change that completely, making production faster, cheaper, and more sustainable. As she puts it: “We enable bioreactors to become smart, self-optimizing systems.”

Of course, the journey hasn’t been smooth. One of the biggest surprises? People. Building a team of highly specialized experts—from AI engineers to tissue scientists—sounds exciting, but getting them to truly work as one is a different challenge altogether. “HR won’t be a problem,” she once thought after acing it in business school—reality proved otherwise. Yet, it’s exactly these unexpected challenges that keep startup life dynamic. For Clarisse, it’s all part of the process of turning a deeply personal mission—rooted in sustainability, ethics, and global impact—into a company that could reshape entire industries.

“Better Meat, No Compromise”: How Clarisse Is Rethinking the Future of Food

For Clarisse, the future of meat isn’t about convincing people to give something up—it’s about giving them more, without the guilt. She sees a world where people don’t have to justify their choices anymore, where taste, nutrition, and ethics finally align. Instead of targeting vegans, the real focus is on everyday meat eaters who want the same experience, just without the downsides. And here’s the twist: cultivated meat might not just match traditional meat—it could actually be better.

But Clarisse isn’t trying to replace the industry—she’s trying to upgrade it from within. Rather than competing with traditional meat producers, Cellcraft aims to empower them. The idea is simple but powerful: give existing producers the tools to adopt biomanufacturing themselves. That way, they stay in control, consumers keep trusting familiar brands, and the transition feels natural instead of disruptive. Behind the scenes, Cellcraft becomes the quiet enabler—solving the hardest technical and economic challenges while others bring the product to market.

Of course, the path isn’t easy. Biomanufacturing today is full of friction—sky-high costs, unpredictable processes, and “black box” systems that no one fully understands. That’s exactly where Clarisse’s team steps in. By building adaptive, AI-driven software designed specifically for living cells, they’re turning uncertainty into control. It’s not just about monitoring anymore—it’s about predicting problems before they happen and letting systems optimize themselves in real time. And if that works at scale, it could quietly transform not just food, but the entire future of how we produce it.

AI, Access, and Ambition: How Clarisse Is Leveling the Playing Field for Founders

What started as a side project quickly turned into something much bigger. Clarisse didn’t just notice a gap—she built a solution. After hearing the same struggles from hundreds of female founders, she realized the problem wasn’t talent or ambition. It was access. So instead of complaining about it, she created Iris—an AI-powered “super connector” designed to match founders with the right investors, at the right time, without the usual friction.

Iris feels almost like having a personal fundraising agent on call. Founders sign up, get contacted within minutes, and are guided through a process that’s usually slow, opaque, and exhausting. The AI maps their needs, finds relevant investors, and even makes warm introductions—cutting through the noise that often blocks great ideas from getting funded. And it’s not just about convenience. Clarisse is building something that quietly rewires how opportunities flow, making the startup ecosystem a little more fair, especially in Europe where access to networks can make or break a venture.

At the same time, she’s still pushing boundaries in biomanufacturing—using AI to tackle one of the industry’s biggest bottlenecks: cost. Cultivated meat has struggled to scale, largely because processes are unpredictable and expensive. Clarisse sees AI as the missing piece that brings control, efficiency, and speed. But even beyond the tech, her mindset stands out. When it comes to building teams, her rule is simple: don’t chase the “perfect” expert—choose people who genuinely want to be there. Because in the end, it’s not just about innovation. It’s about building a group that actually believes in what they’re creating together.

“5–10 Years to Disruption”: Clarisse on When Biotech Goes Mainstream

Clarisse isn’t talking about some distant sci-fi future—she’s surprisingly grounded when it comes to timelines. In her view, cultivated meat and smarter biomanufacturing are closer than most people think. The pieces are already coming together: better bioreactors, smarter software, improved cell lines, and a slowly evolving supply chain. The real bottleneck isn’t possibility—it’s coordination. If more players step into the space, things could accelerate fast.

What makes her approach stand out is how open she is to competition. Instead of guarding the space, she actively welcomes more startups. Why? Because without a strong ecosystem, funding slows down—especially in Europe. Investors want proof that a market exists, and right now, the lack of visible success stories is holding the whole sector back. For Clarisse, collaboration and competition go hand in hand—they’re both needed to unlock real momentum.

And while cultivated meat might be the headline, the bigger story is much broader. The technology behind Cellcraft isn’t limited to food—it can reshape pharmaceuticals, materials, and beyond. Add AI into the mix, and things get even more interesting. Clarisse sees a future where bioprocessing becomes predictable, scalable, and efficient—finally moving from trial-and-error into something closer to true manufacturing. Her advice to founders reflects that same mindset: stay in control, choose your partners wisely, and don’t let others dictate your pace. Because in deep tech, speed matters—but direction matters even more.