Parendi Birdie has been at the forefront of the cultivated meat industry since 2013. She has contributed to the industry’s growth as a scientist, investor, and volunteer. She is currently the Head of Strategic Partnerships at Mission Barns, a leading cultivated meat company based in San Francisco. Previously, she worked as a Cellular Agriculture Research Associate at JUST. She has a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Kansas.

Parendi joined Mission Barns in March of 2019 as a Scientist/Scientific Project Manager. In November of 2020, she became the Head of Strategic Partnerships in which she leads the Business Development efforts. She spends her days meeting with large meat companies and leading plant-based brands to develop partnerships to bring blended products (cultivated fat + plant protein) to the market.