ETH spinoff Gaia Tech raises early VC to scale upcycled ingredients
What's the deal? Gaia TechDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Swiss startup turning agricultural waste into functional ingredients, has closed an early VC round led by Kielder Agro GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Swiss responsible-agriculture and sustainable-development enterprise. The financing will fund research, development, and scaling of its core product portfolio, plus expansion into new ingredients.
What's the endgame? Founded in 2021 as an ETHDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → spinoff, Gaia Tech aims to replace artificial and petroleum-based products with bio-compounds extracted from agricultural side streams. It transforms high-volume biomass — olive pomace, rapeseed cake, or spent coffee grounds — into functional ingredients for industrial supply chains.
Who's backing it? Kielder Agro Group leads and joins as a strategic partner, bringing an industry network and access to biomass. Existing backers include the Migros Pioneer FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Tech4Impact, Venture KickDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the W.A. de Vigier Foundation, the Foundation for Technological InnovationDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and the Economic Development Agency of Bern.
Why now? Alongside the round, Gaia Tech converted a loan from the W.A. de Vigier Foundation into equity, strengthening its balance sheet. Kielder chief executive officer Eduardo Pares also joins the board.
"With Gaia, we are taking an important step towards Kielder's ambition to build a circular bioeconomy platform for high-value bioactive ingredients and beyond," Pares said. Gaia Tech chief executive officer Claudio Reinhard called the deal "a significant step," citing Kielder's "global market presence and access to valuable biomasses."
The signal: Investor appetite is building for startups that convert food and agricultural waste into higher-value products, positioning the circular bioeconomy as a route to more sustainable supply chains.
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