Dutch startup Vivici has been awarded €12.5 million ($14.4 million) through the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Program to scale production of dairy proteins via precision fermentation.
The blended financing combines grant funding with equity investment.
Formed by Fonterra and DSM-Firmenich in December 2022, Vivici has been able to move rapidly by leveraging its founders’ expertise in dairy proteins and industrial-scale biomanufacturing. It recently integrated novel tech from Danish startup Enduro Genetics into its production strain, enabling a dramatic increase in titers and yields, two key metrics in biomanufacturing.
“We entered the scene as the new kid on the block, and since then, we’ve leapfrogged a lot of the field and catapulted ourselves to the front,” CEO Stephan van Sint Fiet told AgFunderNews early last year. “We have a very strong technology base, a deep understanding of ingredient applications and marketing, and a team with a track record of bringing innovations to market.”
The firm, which raised a $34 million Series A round last year, has also made rapid progress on the regulatory front, attaining FDA GRAS status for beta-lactoglobulin (the primary protein in whey) in Feb 2025 and self-GRAS status for the bioactive protein lactoferrin in Feb 2026.
Vivici has European co-manufacturing partners able to produce at industrial scale and has struck a deal with Liberation Bioindustries to produce its proteins in Indiana in the US. It has also partnered with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office to explore an industrial-scale facility for alt protein production in the UAE.
Further reading:
Vivici sees 30% boost in titers, yield, via cell productivity tech from Enduro Genetics
Standing Ovation nets $34m, gears up for US launch of casein via precision fermentation
🎥 21st Bio on strains, scale, and the valley of death: Fixing precision fermentation’s weak links
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