Vivici News - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

Investment Climate Podcast: Stephan van Sint Fiet of Vivici, How to Get Funded in 2025

May 2, 2025

In this podcast series, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2025 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. This podcast is syndicated through our media partners; Foodtech Weekly and Vegconomist. Episode 28: Vivici In this episode, I sat down with Stephan van Sint Fiet, CEO of Vivici, for a deep dive into what it takes to bring precision-fermented dairy proteins to market at scale. Stephan shares how Vivici navigated regulatory approval with a “no questions” GRAS letter from …

Egg Alternatives

South Holland Invests €1 Million to Develop Plant-Based Egg Alternative

April 18, 2025

The EGGcellent project, focused on developing a sustainable vegan alternative to chicken eggs for the bakery industry, has received €1 million in funding from the Province of South Holland. The subsidy was presented on April 11 at Planet B.io in Delft by Meindert Stolk, the Regional Minister for Economy and Innovation. The project is a collaboration between Vivici, Proeon, Applikon, and Planet B.io. The funding is part of the “Kansen voor West III” program, supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). EGGcellent addresses the rising demand for alternatives to chicken egg protein, driven by increasing prices, supply chain disruptions, and environmental and animal welfare concerns. Meeting the need for egg alternatives Global demand for egg alternatives has risen due to economic and ethical factors. …

Fermentation

Vivici Launches Animal-Free Dairy Protein in the US Active Nutrition Market

March 4, 2025

Ingredients startup Vivici has introduced Vivitein™ BLG, a precision-fermented dairy protein, to the US market. The beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) protein, produced without the use of animals, is positioned for use in the active nutrition sector, which was valued at $28.4 billion globally in 2023. Vivici, founded in 2023 and backed by dsm-firmenich and Fonterra, specializes in precision fermentation technology. The company’s flagship ingredient, Vivitein™ BLG, is self-affirmed as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) in the US and is available for B2B customers developing products such as protein beverages, powders, and bars. According to Vivici, the ingredient offers functional benefits, including improved solubility in water-based drinks, rapid absorption in protein powders, and a texture comparable to traditional dairy-based protein bars. Vivici CEO Stephan van Sint Fiet stated …

Topics:

Protein Powder

Vivici Secures €32.5M to Expand Its Precision Fermentation-Derived Dairy Proteins

February 25, 2025

Dutch ingredients startup Vivici has secured €32.5 million in a Series A funding round led by APG (on behalf of one of the world’s largest pension funds, ABP) and Invest-NL. The round also saw participation from InnovationQuarter, along with existing shareholders dsm-firmenich and Fonterra. The news comes after Vivici secured its first customer offtake agreements for dairy proteins made with precision fermentation. The funding will be used to expand into new international markets, launch a second dairy protein ingredient, and establish long-term manufacturing capabilities. Through its proprietary protein platform, ViviteinTM, Vivici hopes to complement the protein production of the dairy industry. The company’s first ingredient, ViviteinTM BLG, is targeted at consumers in the active nutrition category. It is suitable for use in products such as …

Topics:

Animal-free dairy

Precision Fermentation

Fermentation

7 Fermentation Companies Paving the Whey to a Cow-Free Dairy Industry

June 10, 2024

Following our recent summary of producers making alternatives to casein protein, below is a roundup of the companies using cutting-edge technology to make whey proteins with microbes; bypassing cheesemaking to retire cows from the dairy business. Whey proteins, derived from the whey or the liquid portion of milk that separates during cheese production, are known for their rapid absorption and high branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which play an essential role in muscle growth and recovery. They have been widely used in the last decades as ingredients in protein powders and bars targeting athletes. Whey proteins include β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin, immunoglobulins, bovine serum albumin, bovine lactoferrin, and lactoperoxidase. Precision fermentation companies mainly produce a bio-identical version of the most abundant of them, β-lactoglobulin, to craft the next …

Topics:

Precision Fermentation

whey

Protein

Vivici Launches Nature-Identical Whey Protein Made Using Fermentation

February 19, 2024February 19, 2024

Vivici, a Netherlands-based producer of animal-free dairy proteins, has commercially launched its nature-identical whey protein made using precision fermentation. The protein is an isolate of beta-lactoglobulin, the major whey protein in cow’s milk. It contains all amino acids required by the human body and has high levels of leucine and branched-chain amino acids. The protein is also free of lactose, cholesterol, hormones, and antibiotics, and is said to be rapidly absorbed in blood plasma. In the US, the product has self-affirmed GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status. It provides a more sustainable alternative to conventional whey protein, with a neutral color and taste ideal for use in protein beverages, powders, and bars. “Nutritionally, Vivici’s beta-lactoglobulin isolate is superior to plant protein isolates, even outperforming whey …

Topics:

whey

Vivici Partners with Ginkgo Bioworks to Expand Portfolio of Sustainable Dairy Proteins

November 27, 2023

Vivici, a Dutch B2B ingredients startup utilizing precision fermentation, and Ginkgo Bioworks, a cell programming and biosecurity platform, have announced a strategic partnership to advance the production of sustainable animal-free dairy proteins. Focusing on meeting the increasing global demand for sustainable and appealing proteins, Vivici utilizes precision fermentation techniques to create animal-free dairy proteins with microorganisms. Ginkgo Bioworks is set to enhance the partnership with its protein production services and generative AI platform. The company’s strategic role involves creating a comprehensive library, where it will screen and cultivate top-performing strains and then deliver them to Vivici for final evaluation. Stephan van Sint Fiet, CEO at Vivici, commented, “We are thrilled to collaborate with Ginkgo. Ginkgo’s scale and AI-driven approach to designing strains for protein expression …

Topics:

Animal-free dairy

Fermentation

Vivici Achieves Scaling Milestone to Produce Animal-Free Beta-Lactoglobulin

October 5, 2023

After raising capital to produce animal-free proteins, Dutch precision fermentation startup Vivici announces it has successfully scaled its platform to produce a beta-lactoglobulin — the major whey protein in milk. After this milestone, Vivici plans to introduce its flagship product in early 2024. As a B2B company, it will supply leading F&B brands searching for sustainable whey ingredients to meet the growing demand for sustainable products. The company is working on multiple applications to support its future clients with formulations using these novel proteins. Novel dairy proteins Beta-lactoglobulin is a versatile ingredient that is nutritionally superior to most proteins, explains Vivici. It offers gelling, foaming, and emulsification properties, improving the mouthfeel and texture of foods and enhancing beverages. According to Vivici, its Beta-lactoglobulin is naturally identical …

Topics:

Microbial Protein

Fermentation

Netherlands-Based Vivici Closes Seed Round to Bring Animal-Free Dairy Proteins to Market

August 14, 2023

Newcomer Vivici B.V., a Dutch B2B ingredients company, announces it has successfully closed its seed funding round to bring to market animal-free animal-free dairy proteins made with precision fermentation, with strategic support from founding investors dsm-firmenich Venturing and Fonterra. Headquartered at the Biotech Campus Delft and a dairy protein application lab in the Food Valley at NIZO food research, leveraging the Netherlands’ network and access to scale-up facilities and talent, the company draws on the founders’ experience in developing and scaling bioprocesses. Fonterra Chief Innovation & Brand Officer Komal Mistry-Mehta, says: “Vivici is an exciting opportunity to combine dsm-firmenich’s world-leading precision fermentation expertise with Fonterra’s world-leading dairy science and technology.” Vivici was incorporated in December 2022 to bring animal-free dairy proteins to …

Topics:

Animal-free dairy

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The vegconomist-newsletter
information for decision-makers