NEW TECH FOODS

Asterix Foods has emerged from stealth with $4.2 million in seed funding to scale a new, low-cost alternative to precision fermentation.

The round was led by CPT Capital, with participation from ReGen Ventures, SOSV, Grok Ventures and the Israeli Innovation Authority.

Precision fermentation has become central to food and biotech innovation, enabling the production of high-value bioactive proteins through genetically engineered microbes. However, the process is notoriously expensive to scale, building a single facility can cost between $125 million and $500 million in capital expenditure.

Asterix says it has developed a more affordable and flexible approach. Instead of modifying microbes, the company uses plant cell suspension cultures grown in Massively Parallel Modular Bioreactors (MPMB). This set-up, the company claims, can cut facility costs by over 95%, shorten development timelines from years to months and eliminate the need for costly cleanrooms, while maintaining or even improving protein yield and functionality.

Dan Even, CEO of Asterix Foods, said: “Bioactivity makes these proteins so powerful for the food industry, unlocking new applications in food, nutrition and health. Our system shows how future production facilities can be deployed quickly, flexibly, and at dramatically lower cost.”

Because plant cells are multicellular and equipped to produce complex proteins like glycoproteins, they offer an advantage over microbial systems, which often struggle with such molecules and require stringent contamination controls. Asterix’s platform uses plant cells that are naturally more resistant to contamination, allowing safe operation in simpler bioreactors that can be housed in standard food manufacturing environments.

The company’s pilot facility in central Tel Aviv, Israel, demonstrates how this flexibility works in practice. Its modular bioreactors can run year-round, continuously, without the extensive downtime typical of precision fermentation plants. They also consume less energy and water by operating at room temperature and avoiding sterilization cycles.

Harry Kalms, investor at CPT Capital, commented: “Asterix’s capex-light and modular system gives them and their customers flexibility to locate production exactly where it’s needed. CPT has long supported removing animals from the supply chain but what’s exciting now is the clear pull from the market."

"Companies are recognising the limits of today’s protein supply chain and looking for ways to produce high-value, bioactive proteins at a fraction of the cost, and at unprecedented volumes.”

Po Bronson, general partner at SOSV, added: “Plant cell suspension cultures are already used by global corporations for vaccines and food pigments. Asterix is now pushing this platform further, opening new opportunities to produce alternative proteins with unprecedented cost-efficiency and precision.”

With its technology validated across multiple proteins, Asterix is now partnering with corporates to target ingredients critical to future food supply chains. The new funding will be used to expand its Tel Aviv pilot site and begin delivering samples to customers.