Astanor

Next week, on October 15th & 16th, Arne Hautekiet, Investment Associate at Astanor, will be attending the Next Bite by EIT Food event in Rome.   Arne will be joining an insightful panel discussion on October 16th, from 10:00 to 10:45, exploring the topic: "Disrupting the Food Chain: How Startups, Investors, and Corporates view AI and Robotics in Food Production and Distribution"   🔍 Key discussion points: Will AI disrupt the food industry? How startups are ahead of the trend in AI and robotics. How investors and corporates view the future of food tech.   Arne will be speaking alongside experts like Nick Poels (Foodpairing) and Petronio Michela (Barilla Corporate Venture Capital), moderated by Yulia Bodnar (EIT Food).   Following the panel, there will be exciting pitches from startups driving innovation in food tech.   🗓 Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with Arne if you’re attending! He’s looking forward to meeting startups, investors, and food tech enthusiasts.   Let’s drive innovation in the food system together! 💡

🚀 Exciting News from Holobiome! Thrilled to share that Holobiome, an Astanor portfolio company, has successfully closed an oversubscribed $9M Seed round! This funding will propel their lead program—a next-gen probiotic targeting depression biology—into human testing. Holobiome is on a mission to map how the gut microbiome impacts our health. Their groundbreaking Microbiota Vault will become the most comprehensive collection of human gut bacteria, unlocking new possibilities in health, food, and medicine. Congratulations to Philip Strandwitz and the entire Holobiome team on this transformative journey!

🌍📖 We're excited to announce that Leslie Kapin, Partner and Director of Impact at Astanor will be taking part in Invest Europe's training course this week on building a successful ESG report, focusing on actionable ideas and strategies. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from Leslie and other industry experts —register now to secure your spot! 📆 #ESG #ImpactInvesting #Sustainability #Astanor #SFDR

We’re excited to announce that Laetitia de Panafieu, Investment Principal at Astanor, will be taking part in a dynamic panel discussion at the Foodtech Festival by Startup Palace in Paris on October 10th! 🎤✨ The panel, titled "Learning to work together to meet the challenges of the protein of the future", promises to be an insightful conversation featuring Laetitia alongside: Romain Chayot, CEO of our portfolio company Standing Ovation Anne Pitkowski, PhD, R&D Director of Bel Group 🌱 Laetitia will also serve as a jury member for the innovative startup pitch session to close out the day, highlighting cutting-edge ideas in the foodtech space. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and exchange ideas on the future of food innovation. Make sure to join the conversation and feel free to get in touch with Laetitia. Looking forward to seeing you there! 👏

🌾 Ending the week on a high note with a throwback to the insightful panel discussion our Partner, Christina Ulardic, participated in at the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit in London earlier this week. During the session, Christina and other great industry experts took a deep dive into the lessons learned from years of agri-investing, highlighting how much innovation is shaping the future of agriculture. One standout example discussed was Monarch Tractor—a company we believe has immense potential to redefine sustainable farming and give us great confidence in the future of agri-tech.🚜🌱 A huge thank you to the event organisers and to the fellow panelists! Let’s continue to invest in a brighter, more sustainable future for global agriculture. #AgriTech #Innovation #SustainableFarming #InvestingInTheFuture

🌍 Reflecting on an impactful New York Climate Week 🌱   Astanor was proud to be part of New York Climate Week, where governments, key opinion leaders, investors, and startups come together annually to accelerate the transition toward a more sustainable future. This year was particularly exciting for us, as Food- and AgTech took center stage in the discussions, marking a pivotal moment for the industry.   Together with our portfolio companies, including Monarch Tractor, Plantible Foods, and Notpla, we demonstrated how traditional industries can be transformed—maintaining quality and cost efficiency while shifting towards sustainable, regenerative practices. A major highlight was hearing from Alexander De Croo, Belgian Prime Minister, and Karen Ross, Secretary of Agriculture for California. Their message was clear: the future of farming and food production lies in regenerative solutions, not the extractive methods of the past.   This is a global challenge, and Astanor’s transatlantic approach is vital. Scaling solutions across Europe and the US is essential to driving real change, as exemplified by Monarch Tractor’s recent move into Europe, celebrated at the Belgian Consulate in New York.   We leave Climate Week more inspired and committed than ever to fostering innovation that can scale globally, making a real impact in the fight for a sustainable future. 🌾 It was a real pleasure to interact will all of you Alexander De Croo, Filip Vanden Bulcke, Karen Ross Capricorn Investment Group Praveen Penmetsa Food Tank, Courtney Thompson, Danielle Nierenberg, Andrea Serra, Monarch Tractor, Plantible Foods, Notpla Blue Hill At Stone Barns   #NYClimateWeek #Sustainability #FoodTech #AgTech #RegenerativeAgriculture #Astanor

🌍🌱 Exciting news! Laure Peronnin, Impact Associate at Astanor, will be attending the World Living Soils Forum on October 8th and 9th, 2024, in LUMA Arles, co-organized by Moët Hennessy and ChangeNOW.   This event highlights the critical role of soils in sustaining ecosystems, agriculture, and our economy. With 40% of the world’s soils degraded, it's time to take action! 🌾   As part of Astanor’s mission to support regenerative agriculture and sustainable food systems, Laure is excited to exchange ideas and explore innovative solutions for soil health, biodiversity, and climate resilience. If you’ll be there and want to discuss Astanor's impact investing approach or just share insights on how to drive the regenerative transition forward, reach out to her! Let’s connect and create meaningful change together. 🤝

A look back at The Drop side event we organised last week in Malmö last week. What a great way to start the day and bring people together. Well done to all the runners! 💪 Thanks again to our partners Maersk Growth and Mission One Capital.

🚜 Monarch Tractor in NYC ! For the next few days, be sure to stop at 512 W 22nd St to see the Monarch Tractor on display! The lobby serves as a public gallery during the day, and this is a unique chance to check out the latest in sustainable agriculture technology. Feel free to spread the word and invite anyone who might be interested. The tractor will be there for a limited time, so don't miss out!

🤩 Exciting news from our portfolio company, Notpla! We're happy to share that they have successfully closed their Series A+ funding round. Securing over $25 million in new funding, Notpla will expedite its mission to replace single-use plastics with their natural, seaweed-based alternatives. Since launching in 2014, London-based Notpla have been responsible for eliminating over 16 million single-use plastic items across Europe. From their seaweed-lined takeaway food containers, to their famed ‘Ooho’ - a unique, edible liquid bubble - Notpla are true innovators in this space and driven to find true solutions. With this new capital, it’s anticipated that they will dramatically increase their impact, with plans to replace over 100 million units annually within the next 2 years. We’re excited to be part of their journey and support them as they expand their manufacturing capabilities, accelerate product development, and establish a strong foothold in new international markets, with the US next in their sights. Join us in congratulating Pierre-Yves Paslier, Rodrigo García González and the entire Notpla team on this milestone - we look forward to seeing what they accomplish next.