Biotope by VIB welcomes three new startups to its investment portfolio

• Belgian biotech incubator and early-stage investor announces fifth and latest cohort of startups embarking on a tailored support programme

• Selected startups to become seed stage ready in 18 months

• Startups will benefit from €250K cash investment as well as state-of-the-art laboratory and greenhouse facilities

• Biotope’s sixth cohort is open for applications from 15th September to 16th October 2024

Biotopeby VIB, a leading biotech startup incubator and early-stage investor, has announced its fifth cohort of innovative startups. 

Selected from 11 promising teams participating in the three-week basecamp, the winners receive a €250K investment, dedicated support, and access to state-of-the-art laboratory and greenhouse facilities, scientific facilities at VIB and pilot facilities through its partner network.

Launched in 2022 by the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), biotope nurtures early-stage biotech startups in agrifood, bringing them to seed stage readiness within 18 months. For investors, biotope de-risks ventures by ensuring that startups in its programme are scientifically and financially sound, scalable, and equipped with a solid understanding of their regulatory and IP pathway.

The startups chosen for the 2024 Fall cohort are the following:

• Corium Biotech (Portugal) – Corium Biotech develops exotic leather in laboratory via cellular agriculture
• I-Challenge (Belgium) – I-Challenge is developing ways to more accurately and easily predict food shelf life, thereby aiding in food waste reduction.
• Lantana Bio (France) – Lantana Bio produces natural colorants through precision fermentation

Each of the startups presented a strong biotech solution to a demonstrable problem that had significant business and growth potential and aligned well with biotope’s capability to nurture and support. In keeping with biotope’s commitment to supporting diverse founding teams, two of the three selected startups are led by strong female CEOs.

During the 18-month journey, each startup in the cohort receives bespoke, skilled support, tailored to their individual needs, from biotope’s team of scientists, business experts and corporate partners as well as legal, financial and IP experts. The startups also have access to VIB’s cutting-edge R&D facilities including greenhouses, labs and co-working spaces. 

The new cohort will join a portfolio that has thus far secured a total of €20m in external funding permitting them to hire 20 new full-time employees. To date, biotope has aided 13 startups across 7 countries, with biosurfactant manufacturer Amphistar, part of the second cohort, successfully raising €6m in pre-series A earlier this year.

Commenting on the new cohort, Head of Biotope Annick Verween, said: “biotope focuses on potentially impactful solutions which can benefit from a dedicated biotech ecosystem to support them. Our new, fifth, cohort is a perfect reflection of this mission – all of the startups represented are passionate entrepreneurs with groundbreaking biotech solutions that have the power to create lasting change for people and the planet.”

“By combining our high-quality incubation support with targeted investment, we provide the startups with the resources and expertise to develop their proposition and scale rapidly. We’re thrilled to support these visionary founders as they embark on their journeys.”

To drive innovation and sustainability in the biotech space, biotope strives to attract the best entrepreneurs around the world by derisking biotechnology investment through the provision of both scientific expertise and financial security to startups.

Mounir Benkoulouche, CEO of Lantana Bio, said: “Our journey with biotope has been an invaluable learning experience, especially in areas like business development or regulatory challenges. The open and direct dialogue with experts and discussing challenges with peers provided insights we couldn’t have gained from research alone. As a biotope portfolio company, we’re excited to tap into biotope’s network for crucial guidance on regulatory matters and market access, and we look forward to finding the right partners to bring our product to market.”

Sharing Mr. Benkouloche’s enthusiasm, Wendy Ossieur, CEO of I-Challenge commented: “We’re honoured to share that I-Challenge is joining the biotope family! This opportunity will enable us to advance our solutions, helping food companies to better determine shelf-life and fight food waste. We’re looking forward to collaborating with biotope’s passionate team and leveraging their extensive network of experts.”

Maria Maia, CEO of Corium Biotech adds: “We’re delighted to have been selected for the biotope program. The experience so far has been invaluable and the support from biotope is already helping us strengthen our company foundations. We’re confident that this opportunity will play a pivotal role in preparing us for future growth and innovation in the biotech industry.”

The basecamp for cohort six will also take place in Belgium and online from November 26th to December 13th, with applications running from 15th September to 16th October 2024.