July 11, 2023

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Located in Ghent, Belgium, Aphea.Bio is a fully integrated microbial product developer with a mission to build a sustainable, reliable, and profitable future for agriculture.

With a mission centered on its novel high-throughput APEX R&D platform capitalizing upon the untapped microbial space, the company has been successful in building out a broad biostimulant and biocontrol pipeline based on naturally occurring microorganisms.

“We believe that with a fresh and sincere spirit of innovation, result-driven science, and the courage to go off the beaten track, there is fertile ground to develop efficacious biological solutions to help complement or partially replace products in the major chemical indications,” noted the company. 

Some of today’s most high-profile investors agree. Aphea.Bio has recently announced its successful closing of a EUR70 million (US$77 million) Series C funding round led by Innovation Industries, who was joined by Korys Investments and supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, SFPIM, BNP Paribas Fortis, along with returning investors ECBF, Astanor, AIF, and other unnamed existing investors. 

“Aphea.Bio possesses several qualities that we actively seek in a company: a world-class team, strong scientific foundations, and promising products that can effectively tackle the significant challenges faced in modern agricultural practices,” said Caaj Greebe, partner and lead investor, Innovation Industries. “We are thrilled to have led this financing round alongside an exceptional group of investors to support Aphea.Bio in its next phase of growth towards a global commercial organization.”

Aphea.Bio explained that this new funding comes amid a period of significant growth as the company has increased its diverse and talented team to more than 50 scientists and industry specialists, and is further expanding its research facilities, including the establishment of a new pilot plant scheduled to open later this year. 

The company has also gained the status of a Certified B Corporation in recognition of demonstrating high social and environmental impact standards, and has made notable advances in its product portfolio with the recent launch of its novel biostimulant seed treatment ΛCTIV by Aphea.Bio® – it’s first entry to the market. 

This funding will be used to further advance the company’s R&D in biologicals, to scale its product launches, expand market research, and to commercialize its product offerings. 

Toward this end, Aphea.Bio is currently preparing for the launch of its first maize biostimulant in 2024, and is planning to submit its first biofungicide for regulatory approval in the U.S. in Q1 2024, and in Europe in Q3 2024. 

“We are excited to have secured Series C Funding, which not only validates our mission to enable sustainable, profitable, and reliable farming, but also propels us toward commercialization,” said Isabel Vercauteren, CEO, Aphea.Bio. 

Furthermore, the company’s partnership with the Gates Foundation will generate support for the development of biostimulant products designed to address the unique needs of smallholder farmers in the foundation’s primary geographies in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. 

Vercauteren commented, “This investment will allow us to broaden our operations and bring our products to market at a larger scale, so we can address urgent agricultural challenges and meet the needs of farmers worldwide, while at the same time ensuring accessibility and affordability for smallholder farmers in low-income countries.”

Ultimately, Aphea.Bio stated that its recent achievements, together with the successful close of this significant funding round, reinforce the company’s position as a key actor in the achievement of a safe and healthy food chain through sustainable agriculture. 

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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