Supported by 21st by CentraleSupélec and AgroParisTech in 2024 and 2025, Edonia has reached a major new milestone in its development with a €15 million funding round. This operation will enable the startup to scale up and accelerate the industrial deployment of Edo®, its spirulina-based protein grain, aimed primarily at the food service and food processing industries.
In 2025, Edonia launched a research collaboration with the CentraleSupélec Biotechnology Chair in Reims to deepen its understanding of spirulina biology and better leverage its properties for its product. This collaboration is currently helping to shape a new project, which could be implemented as early as 2027.
A new approach to alternative proteins
Founded in 2023 by Hugo Valentin,Nicolas Irlinger and Pierre Mignon,Edonia has made a unique choice in the alternative protein market: rather than imitating meat, the startup offers a new, natural, protein-rich, and minimally processed food.
Its flagship ingredient, Edo®, is made from whole spirulina biomass, with no added flavors or texturizers. It can replace traditional protein ingredients (meat, fish, cheese), particularly in crumbled form, or enrich everyday recipes, from bread to prepared meals. All this with a carbon footprint up to 27 times lower than that of meat.
This innovation is based on Edonisation®, a proprietary, patented process developed in partnership with AgroParisTech. It overcomes the organoleptic barriers that have previously limited the use of spirulina in everyday food.
From the Agen pilot to the Brittany plant
Following an initial €2 million funding round in 2024, Edonia set up an industrial pilot in Agen. There, the startup moved from the laboratory to production, structured its supply chain, and fulfilled its first orders for partners such as Newrest and Aliive (Dietbon).
It currently has €30 million in pre-orders, through some twenty contracts signed with industry leaders.
Committed investors for what's next
The funding round is led by SWEN Blue Ocean 2,EIT Food and Asterion Ventures, and supplemented by non-dilutive funding, including support from Bpifrance and bank financing.
These funds will allow Edonia to open its full-scale facility within a year, located at an existing Maison Chancerelle site in Brittany. The startup also plans to expand its B2B model to institutional catering providers in Europe, Japan, and the United States.
👏 Congratulations to the entire Edonia team on this great milestone!
"We have proven that a microalgae-based ingredient can compete with meat in terms of nutrition, price, and taste, at real scale and with real customers. This funding allows us to scale up based on this proof, rather than just promises."
.webp)
.webp)
