Clara Foods is creating the world's first animal-free egg white. Clara is the first company from IndieBio, a biotechnology accelerator, to close its round. Among the investors participating in the round are David Friedberg, Gary Hirshberg, Ali and Hadi Partovi, Scott Banister, and SOSV.

With the growing popularity for low cholesterol, high protein foods, the market for egg whites has grown to exceed $3 billion domestically. But along with egg whites' rising popularity, there is also a growing concern for the environmental, animal welfare, and public health compromises of industrial-scale egg production.

Clara Foods aims to resolve this moral and economic deadlock by taking the chicken out of the equation. Clara is bringing an egg white to the table that is produced completely animal-free and therefore free of salmonella and avian flu, using far less land and water inputs, while matching the taste, nutritional value, and unique culinary properties of the same egg whites we know and love.

The company's founding team includes Arturo Elizondo as its CEO, Dr. David Anchel as its CSO, and Isha Datar in her capacity as CEO of New Harvest, a non-profit organization.

This announcement comes at a time when the largest avian flu outbreak in U.S. history is currently sweeping the Midwest sending egg prices to record highs across the country costing the economy upwards of $1 billion in losses. 'From the onset, Clara was founded on a fundamental belief that we can cultivate a better and safer food system using technology' said Arturo Elizondo.