Quazy Foods, a Berlin-based biotech startup, has announced a pre-seed funding round worth more than €800k to unlock the potential of microalgae as a sustainable food ingredient. The funding round involved ProVeg International, the global NGO running accelerator programmes to support startups that are driving food system change, Antler, one of the most active private early stage investor in Europe and Sprout & About Ventures, a family office impact investment firm.
A number of business angels from diverse backgrounds and strong entrepreneurial networks have also participated in the round. In addition, Quazy Foods has secured a number of local and European innovation grants.
Quazy Foods is developing improved strains and processes designed to unleash the potential of microalgae as an efficient, healthy and sustainable source of functional ingredients that can help meet the growing food needs of the global population.
The funding will allow Quazy Foods to make key strategic hires and produce the first samples of its product. This will allow the startup to prepare for the pilot stage of its microalgae production.
Nixe Zimmer, co-founder of Quazy Foods, commented: “Microalgae combine exceptional nutritional profiles with outstanding functional properties, which predestines them as a powerful renewable resource of the future. With Quazy Foods, we want to unleash that potential, now.”
The founders of Quazy Foods – a brother and sister team of Berenike (Nixe) Zimmer and Arvid Seeberg-Elverfeldt – started Quazy Foods in late 2021. Having spent their childhood summers in the Alps and at the oceans, they are passionate about nature and addressing the challenges of climate change. Both siblings have experience working in a number of different leadership roles in corporates and startups.
Divya Murthy, Co-Head and Investments Lead at ProVeg Incubator, said: “Microalgae has the potential to be a powerful food ingredient with strong sustainability credentials. We invested in Quazy Foods, because we believe in Arvid and Nixe’s vision and believe that they are a stellar team.”
Frederik Brandis, associate director at Antler, added: “Quazy Foods is building world-class products to address a challenge that will define humanity in the coming decades. Finding new and innovative ways of feeding the global population could transform our eating habits and save the planet in the process. We are delighted to have backed Quazy Foods and have every confidence that the founders can realise their ambitions and bring microalgae into the mainstream.”
The United Nations Environment Programme predicts that the global population will reach 10 billion by 2050, leading to a 56% increase in food consumption. As a result, there is a global search for plant-based foods that will meet this rising demand.
Microalgae is often cited as a potential solution, as it grows significantly faster than plants, not to mention animals. In November 2022, the European Union stated that “Now is the time to fully harness the potential of algae as a renewable resource in Europe.”
