Participated · Equity · Sep 2024

Founded in 2022 as a spin-off from Tallinn University of Technology, ÄIO engineers specialised yeasts that ferment second-generation feedstocks such as sugars from sawdust into lipid-rich ingredients. Its flagship product, Flavoured Fat, delivers umami flavour, mouthfeel, and can replace animal fats, palm oil, cocoa powder, and brown sugar in various food applications. The company is advancing the product from lab and pilot scale toward industrial production, aiming to reach TRL6 and prepare a novel food dossier for the European Commission. Over the next three years, ÄIO plans to transfer production to a contract manufacturing facility, optimise downstream processing, and run quality, shelf-life, and safety studies. Longer-term, management envisions a 4,000-tonne-per-year plant and potential large-scale licensing deals so customers can valorise their own side-streams. Financially, ÄIO has raised €6.8 million in seed equity and about €3 million in prior grants, on top of the new €1.2 million grant secured for the FERM-OIL project. These funds support scale-up, regulatory work, and customer trials as the company positions itself as a critical supplier of sustainable lipids to the food sector.