• Protix

  Participated · Equity · Feb 2022

  Protix develops scalable technology to produce sustainable protein and lipids used as high-quality ingredients in animal feed and pet food. The company was founded in 2009 and has focused on efficient resource use and supply-chain optimisation, including reduction and recycling of residues and waste. Protix has operated a fully ramped-up industrial-scale insect-ingredient plant in The Netherlands since 2019. It intends to scale up production further through construction of a new production plant in Poland and is currently investigating locations there. The business supplies proteins and lipids to customers in the animal feed and pet food supply chains. Recent financing activity indicates capital support for its expansion plans. Protix produces proteins and lipids by feeding black soldier flies with food-industry byproducts and repurposes residual insect streams as organic fertiliser. The company supplies ingredients for pet food, aquaculture and livestock markets and oversees the full production chain from breeding to processing. Protix operates the world’s first industrial insect facility (opened in 2019) in the Netherlands and currently produces about 14,000 metric tons of insect larvae annually. It is pursuing global expansion through partnerships and aims to grow global gross revenue to around €1B by 2035. Invest-NL previously backed Protix with €7.5M. The recent strategic agreement with Tyson Foods is intended to accelerate scale-up and international growth. Protix farms Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae and processes them into proteins and lipids for use in animal and aquaculture feed, with a sideline in frass-based fertiliser. The company feeds larvae with organic waste from the food industry to create sustainable ingredients that can replace soy or fishmeal and help prevent overfishing and deforestation. Its products are available in 13 countries and span applications from pig and poultry feed to specialty pet foods. Protix applies high-tech solutions including AI, genetic improvement programmes, and robotics across its operations. The company frames its mission as bringing the food system back in balance with nature by converting low-grade food waste into high-value nutrients. Proceeds from its latest funding are earmarked for international expansion and ground-breaking R&D. Protix, founded in 2009 by Kees Aarts in the Netherlands, farms Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae and processes them into proteins, lipids and frass-based fertilizer for animal and aquaculture feed. The company feeds larvae on organic food-industry waste and supplies ingredients for pig, poultry and specialty pet foods. Protix uses high-tech solutions including AI, genetic improvement programs and robotics to scale and improve production. Its products are available in 13 countries and the company operates a large facility in Bergen op Zoom that was opened in 2019. Protix is supported by the EU Plattelandsontwikkelingsprogramma (POP3) to develop integrated software and hardware for smarter insect farming. The business positions insect ingredients as more sustainable alternatives to soy and fishmeal, aiming to reduce overfishing and deforestation. Protix breeds insects to produce protein ingredients for the animal feed market while developing food applications for consumers. The company positions insect protein as a low-impact alternative that can be cultivated on a variety of food scraps. Its products are used in feed applications ranging from pig and poultry to pet food specialties. Protix serves customers in over 12 countries to date. The company intends to use the newly raised funds to scale production of insect proteins. It closed a €45m funding round backed by Aqua-Spark, Rabobank, BOM and other private investors.

• Finnforel

  Participated · Equity · Nov 2021

  Finnforel is a Finnish RAS technology and family-owned aquaculture company focused on genetics and organically farmed rainbow trout. The company operates pilot plants in Varkaus, Hollola and Joroinen and currently produces approximately one million kilos of rainbow trout per year, sold in more than a thousand grocery stores in Finland under the Saimaan Tuore brand. Finnforel is expanding production capacity in Varkaus from one million to three million kilos with a roughly €25 million plant extension and is building Finland’s first industrial-scale selective breeding centre and fry plant in Hollola with a €12 million budget. The Hollola facility will produce eggs sufficient for six Finnforel gigafactor plants and is being developed in cooperation with Natural Resources Institute Finland. Finnforel plans to begin exports to the UK, Germany and the Netherlands and is designing similar gigafactor projects for Europe, Russia and the Middle East. The company emphasizes antibiotic-free, low-emission production and aims to secure the entire value chain from eggs to consumer packaging.

No current team members are available.