Yeasty is a technology company.
Yeasty has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round.
Yeasty has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Yeasty is a French foodtech startup founded in 2021 that upcycles brewer's yeast—a byproduct of beer production—into a high-protein, nutrient-rich super-ingredient for sustainable food applications[1][2][3][5]. The company processes unused yeast to remove its bitterness, creating a flour high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which serves the agri-food industry in products like meat alternatives, sports nutrition, medical nutrition, pet food, protein-rich starches, alternative cheeses, eggs, and bread[1][2][3][6]. Targeting sustainable protein needs, Yeasty has raised about €1.4 million ($1.45M) in pre-seed funding and is scaling from lab to industrial production, with a pre-industrial unit planned for 100 tons/year soon and a larger plant targeting 5,000 tons/year by early 2026[1][2][4][5].
(Note: Yeasty has rebranded to Onima, but operates under its original identity in most recent coverage as of late 2025.)[1]
Yeasty was founded in 2021 in Evry, France (near Paris), by Nikola Stefanovic and Mathieu Durand, food scientists from AgroParisTech (part of Paris-Saclay University), with Juan Londono joining as CEO bringing business and data science expertise[2][4][5]. The idea emerged from their shared involvement in a student beer brewing association at AgroParisTech, where they shifted from brewery ambitions—deterred by France's 2,000 existing breweries—to valorizing brewer's yeast waste, an abundant byproduct with untapped protein potential (up to 2.5 million tons globally yearly)[3][4][7]. They took a gap year to develop processes at the Génopole biotech lab, overcoming the key challenge of bitterness removal while keeping costs and environmental impact low, achieving early traction through this R&D[4]. Pivotal funding came in 2022 with a €1.4M pre-seed round from Asterion Ventures, Caméléon Invest, Satgana, and business angels, fueling sample production and scaling[2][5][6].
Yeasty rides the alternative protein wave, addressing global demand for sustainable, affordable proteins amid rising vegetarian/flexitarian diets, climate concerns, and food security pressures—tackling how to produce more protein without more emissions or arable land[2][5][6][7]. Timing aligns with foodtech's shift from plant-based hype to precision fermentation and upcycling, where yeast-based innovations (like competitors NextFerm or Yeap) gain traction for their completeness and low impact[6]. Market forces favor it: breweries generate massive yeast waste, regulations push additive reduction, and investors back circular economy plays, positioning Yeasty to influence sustainable food supply chains by democratizing yeast proteins and enabling cleaner labels in a $XXB alt-protein market[2][3][6].
Yeasty's near-term path centers on operationalizing its pre-industrial unit for customer samples, securing orders, and launching the 5,000-ton plant by early 2026, potentially expanding to 20,000 tons based on demand[4][5]. Trends like regulatory support for upcycled ingredients, AI-optimized fermentation, and global protein shortages will propel growth, with possible internationalization in five years[4][6]. Its influence could evolve from niche upcycler to ecosystem enabler, powering mainstream sustainable foods and redefining byproducts as super-ingredients—accelerating the food transition one yeast batch at a time[2].
Yeasty has raised $1.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Yeasty's investors include DN Capital, Satgana, Seedcamp, Russ Heddleston.
Yeasty has raised $1.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $1.0M Seed in November 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 1, 2022 | $1.0M Seed | DN Capital, Satgana, Seedcamp, Russ Heddleston |