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Key people at Arborea.
Arborea is a Lisbon, Portugal-based biochemical company that develops proprietary BioSolar Leaf technology to cultivate microalgae and convert carbon dioxide into sustainable proteins for the global food and beverage industry. Operating as a business-to-business ingredient supplier with an estimated workforce of 10 to 50 employees, the organization utilizes natural photosynthesis to produce vegan food additives that are measurably more land- and water-efficient than traditional agricultural crops such as soy. To commercialize its net-zero cultivation systems, the enterprise has secured approximately $20 million in total financing, including a €3.6 million seed investment utilized to construct a commercial demonstration facility. The company has established strategic pilot projects and received financial backing from notable corporate and institutional entities, including brewing partner AB InBev, Imperial College London, SOSV, and EIT Climate-KIC. Arborea was originally founded in 2015 by Julian Melchiorri.
Arborea is a climate tech startup founded in 2015 that develops sustainable food ingredients using its proprietary BioSolar Leaf cultivation system, which industrializes photosynthesis to grow microalgae and microscopic plants.[1][2][3] This technology produces carbon-neutral proteins and functional ingredients like phycocyanin and astaxanthin for food, beverages, nutrition, supplements, and cosmetics, without requiring fertile land, agricultural feedstocks, or high energy inputs—addressing food security and climate change by sequestering CO2 and generating oxygen at scales 100 times more efficient than forests per acre.[1][2][4] Serving food manufacturers and multinational corporations, Arborea solves the environmental footprint of traditional protein sources like soy or livestock, offering ultra-high-yield, vegan, non-GMO proteins with minimal emissions and land use.[3][4][6] The company has raised about $9.5M in VC funding (including a recent €5M/$5.2M round led by Indico Capital Partners) plus $4.5M in grants, reaching Series A stage with a new round launched in January 2025 to hit profitability; it's building its first commercial-scale facility in Portugal.[1][2][6]
Arborea was founded in 2015 by Julian Melchiorri, an Imperial College London alumnus, in London, UK, with operations also in Portugal.[1][2][7] Melchiorri, drawing from expertise in industrial biotechnology, created the BioSolar Leaf inspired by natural photosynthesis to grow microscopic plants like microalgae, blue-green algae, and diatoms using sunlight and CO2—aiming to produce healthy food with the lowest environmental impact amid global resource constraints.[2][3][4] The team includes scientists and engineers from top institutions like Imperial College, Oxford, and UC Berkeley, with over 50 years of combined industry experience.[3] Early milestones included EU Horizon 2020 grants, a demo facility in Portugal for high-value ingredients, and partnerships with major food corporations; by 2024, it had raised ~$20M total (grants + VC) and entered scale-up with EIC support.[3][5][6]
Arborea rides the alt-protein and climate tech waves, targeting a food system for 10 billion people by 2050 amid shrinking arable land, deforestation, and livestock emissions.[2][4][6] Its timing aligns with surging demand for carbon-neutral, scalable proteins driven by ESG mandates, Scope 3 reductions, and investor focus on resilient supply chains—outpacing soy or animal proteins in yield and footprint.[1][4] Market forces like EU innovation funding (EIC, Horizon 2020) and VC interest in biomimicry favor it, positioning Arborea to disrupt $1T+ food ingredient markets while harmonizing with planetary carbon cycles.[3][6] By enabling manufacturers to "grow differently" on non-fertile land, it influences ecosystems toward net-zero food production and inspires similar photosynthesis-based innovations.[4]
Arborea is primed to launch commercial production in 2026 via its Portugal facility, prioritizing ingredient scaling with multinational partners over new tech development in the next 18 months, while pursuing Series A profitability.[1][5][6] Trends like global protein shortages, stricter emissions regs, and bioeconomy growth will accelerate adoption, potentially expanding to new microalgae strains and markets like pet food or pharma. Its influence could evolve from niche scale-up to industry leader in "food without footprint," redefining sustainable nutrition as collaborations yield data-proven ROI—ultimately proving how industrializing nature's oldest process feeds humanity while restoring the planet.[2][4][6]
Key people at Arborea.
