Led · Seed · Apr 2026

EVANIUM builds ingredient formulations around its proprietary OPTISOLV® platform, a dual-coating system combining a cyclodextrin-based core with an outer phospholipid shell to stabilise actives in a crystal-free, highly dispersible state. The company says OPTISOLV prevents re-agglomeration, improves permeability, and raises solubility and absorption using natural materials; for curcumin it reports more than 1,000x improved solubility and over 170x greater release during digestion versus the native form. EVANIUM’s commercial portfolio includes OPTISOLV Curcumin, Berberine, Boswellia, and Passiflora, and it completed an initial commercial launch of OPTISOLV Curcumin in 2025 with Hevert-Arzneimittel. The company has filed its fourth patent to protect the platform and is preparing clinical studies to build scientific evidence for its formulations. Operationally, EVANIUM has grown to more than 12 employees and produced and delivered over two tons of material in 2026. Future plans emphasized in company statements include scaling manufacturing, expanding the team, advancing clinical work, and accelerating B2B commercial partnerships.

Participated · Series A · Feb 2024

Planet A Foods produces ChoViva, a cocoa-free, lower-carbon chocolate alternative made from sunflower seeds and other locally grown ingredients such as oats. The company currently produces about 2,000 tons of ChoViva per year and plans to scale capacity to over 15,000 tons (around a 7.5x increase) as it industrializes production. It supplies roughly 20 customers so far, including Lambertz, Lindt, Rewe Group and Deutsche Bahn, and targets mass-market snacking and confectionary applications rather than premium chocolate. Planet A claims a carbon footprint up to 80% lower for its vegan ChoViva and estimates large potential CO2 savings if bulk chocolate production switches away from cocoa. The team is developing a bio-identical cocoa-butter alternative via fermentation and exploring replacements for palm oil and other specialty fats, though some precision-fermentation versions will require novel-food approval in Europe. The company is a Y Combinator alum and is planning international expansion, including new production capacity in the U.S. and launches in the U.K. and France in early 2025. Planet A Foods develops ChoViva, a cocoa-free chocolate ingredient made via fermentation of locally sourced ingredients such as oats and sunflower seeds, available in milk, semi-sweet, and white varieties. ChoViva delivers a melt-in-the-mouth texture and full-bodied chocolate flavor while containing up to 30% less sugar. The company supplies food manufacturers and brands including Griesson-de Beukelaer, Peter Kölln, Lufthansa, REWE, and has been used by Lindt in a vegan chocolate product. Planet A Foods has scaled production to 750 kilograms of ChoViva per hour and employs a 50-person team in Germany. It expects to hit eight-figure revenue by the end of 2024 and plans international expansion beginning in the U.K., then other European markets, Asia, and the U.S. The company also intends to extend its fermentation platform to additional plant-based ingredients with further product launches expected in Q1 2024. QOA has developed a fermentation process that uses natural byproducts and proprietary microbacteria to create a vegan product that mimics the texture and flavor of chocolate without artificial additives. The company was founded this year by Drs. Sara and Maximilian Marquart, a food chemist and a material scientist, and was part of Y Combinator this year. QOA’s product aims to address sustainability and supply risks in the cocoa industry, including threats from pathogens, climate change, deforestation and child labor. The firm says its fermentation process will enable scaling by 2035 and expects to price products at parity with or below traditional chocolate. QOA already has a product test kit with nine options, expects a first product on the market in 2022, and is in talks with initial B2B customers. The new $6M seed funding will support building a pilot production facility in Munich to complement one in Switzerland, hiring, and preparation for a Series A to fund larger production lines.

Participated · Equity · May 2022

Willicroft is an Amsterdam-based foodtech startup that makes plant-based, bean-based cheese alternatives and spun out of a UK-based dairy farm. The company says its bean-based range produces up to five times less CO2 than the dairy alternatives it replaces and has recently secured B Corp status. Willicroft emphasizes helping farmers transition to sustainable production by enabling a local supply chain without monocropping or highly processed ingredients. The startup aims to become the world’s first net positive plant-based cheese company and focuses on taste and nutrition in its products. With €2 million of fresh funding, Willicroft plans to expand its branded range into the UK, Germany and the Nordics and to bring in senior hires to accelerate product evolution and market entry. Willicroft, founded in 2018 by Brad Vanstone, is an Amsterdam-based craft producer of plant-based cheeses sold under the This is Not Cheese range. The brand initially used cashews as its base and has more than doubled its range yearly. After rollouts into the Netherlands and Belgium in 2020, Willicroft expanded into the UK the following October. The company is experimenting with beans and pulses to lower emissions, reduce processing and transport, and enable transitional farming projects to help dairy farmers convert land. Willicroft is applying to become a B Corp and plans to expand its points of sale and product range. No financial totals or instruments for the recent investment are disclosed in the article.