A substantial part of the fresh capital will come from Astanor Ventures. This fund specializes in impact investments, where returns are not only measured based on financial parameters, but also in terms of how they contribute to a more sustainable world. The investment comes at the perfect time, as Aphea.Bio has been developing initiatives in line with the European Green Deal and the “farm to fork” strategy of the European Commission. The intention of the new regulations that come with this strategy is to give European consumers easier access to more sustainable food, while reducing the use of chemicals and overfertilization in agriculture.

Isabel Vercauteren, CEO of Aphea.Bio – which based its technology on research conducted by scientists at the university of Ghent (UGent) –, expects that large producers of seeds and pesticides will accelerate their efforts to find organic solutions.

Aphea.Bio was founded in 2017 as a spin-off of VIB, Flanders’ strategic research center for biotech and life sciences. In addition to Astanor Ventures, the original investors in Aphea.Bio were also involved in the latest capital injection round. These include VIB, V-Bio Ventures, Qbic II, Agri Investment Fund (Boerenbond), the Vives Fund and the Gemma Frisius Fund (KU Leuven).