Growing up as a company is normally meant metaphorically, as startups move from young entrants to more mature businesses. But for YASAI, growing up also has a literal meaning. The Swiss agtech startup is redesigning the way food systems work by integrating vertical farming methods into herb production. Now they’ve launched a crowdinvesting campaign to double their production capacity.

Meet Yasai

YASAI’s Founder and CEO Mark Essam Zahran became interested in vertical farming – the practice of growing crops in vertically stacked layers in a climate-controlled environment – after stumbling upon a book about the method in his twenties. Leaning on his training as an architect, he decided to join forces with an ecological engineer and a banker to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time: feeding a growing global population on a planet with shrinking natural resources.

Together, the trio founded YASAI in 2020. Headquartered in Zürich, the company’s mission is to cover the food value chain holistically, from farm to fork, in a hyperlocal and traceable manner. The team has already funded and built their first vertical farm – already in operation as the first automated facility of its kind in Switzerland. Based on 100% renewable energy, their system is both economically and ecologically viable. Now the plan is to replicate this approach by scaling up with further hydroponic, vertical farming facilities. 

The story so far

In 2021, the company was generating a €-1.14m loss pre-revenue. However, YASAI’s initial market launch in January this year proved a great success, with their vertically farmed herbs now available in 80 locations at Switzerland’s largest grocery retailer, Coop.

Today, demand from prospective customers already exceeds the farm’s estimated current maximum output capacity by 2.8 times. In order to continue to offer a robust alternative to food imports in the country and expand to farming leafy greens, the company requires additional funding.

What’s next?

YASAI is crowdfunding to raise the money it needs to scale. Conventionally, investing in startups requires significant funds and is therefore limited to venture capitalists and angel investors, with contributions of six figures and above being the norm. Crowdinvesting allows for more conventional earners to invest in companies they care about. 

“Investing in a start-up shouldn’t be a privilege for only a handful of people. This is why we chose to invite supporters to crowdinvest. Everyone should be able to invest in vertical farming as a contribution to more resilient food systems” – Yasai Founder & CEO Mark Essam Zahran

Vertical farming has the potential to increase yields by up to 200 times per square metre and uses 95% less freshwater – something that is particularly pertinent as much of Europe is afflicted by drought. YASAI hopes that opening up their latest funding round to a wider demographic will allow those who care about the future of farming to put their money where their mouth is.

And the team seems to be right. Pre-registered users got priority access from August 15 and at the time of publication Yasai had secured €1,225,750 from 183 investors – already exceeding their initial €850,000 target. As of August 23, the campaign is public and open to everyone.

Next steps for the company, besides scaling up their farming facilities, include opening a branch office in Singapore and continuing to develop their presence in the European market.

Find out more about Yasai’s crowdinvestment round on Crowdcube.  

About YASAI

YASAI build and manage vertical farms based on a circular economy to transform food systems. Their mission is to contribute to local food production, independent of climate circumstances. They grow more with less fresh water, less fertiliser, and less land. They achieve more yield per square metre with zero pesticides all year round right at your doorstep.

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MIRAI FOODS – a Swiss company at the forefront of cultivated meat production – has entered into a strategic partnership agreement to develop cultivated beef production in Singapore and accelerate regulatory approval.

MIRAI FOODS has entered into a partnership agreement with Gaia Foods, a company specializing in cultivated red meat technology in Singapore and a subsidiary of Shiok Meats, the first cultivated seafood company in SE Asia.  The collaboration will enable the two innovators to exchange know-how and supplies to bring cultivated beef to Singapore. 

MIRAI FOODS will supply Gaia Foods with its one-of-a-kind bovine muscle and fat stem cells – the essential raw material for producing cultivated beef. These are natural, highly pure, non-genetically modified cells collected from premium cattle breeds, which are hard to come by in Singapore.

A growing appetite

“We are excited to partner with one of the world’s leading cultivated seafood producers and their subsidiary cultivated meat company to extend the culinary choice for Singaporean consumers to premium, Swiss quality cultivated beef”, shares Christoph Mayr, CEO at MIRAI FOODS. “Partnering with a Singaporean company is particularly interesting for us given the country’s strong distribution and partnership network across the Asia Pacific region, which has been showing a growing appetite for safe, high-quality beef”, he adds.

Shiok Meats will provide MIRAI with its advanced regulatory information and know-how, gained from being located in the first country in the world to approve the sale of cultivated meat and home to the largest cultivated meat facility in Asia. MIRAI’s regulatory dossier filing in Singapore will be a first crucial milestone for the Swiss company to enter markets outside of its home ground. 

Sandhya Sriram, Group CEO at Shiok Meats and Gaia Foods, reveals that “this partnership is the result of a strong relationship we have been building with MIRAI. We already started working with MIRAI’s stem cells and are very happy with their performance. Whilst we will leverage our regulatory status and expertise to help MIRAI accelerate its market entry in Singapore, we are also looking at the potential production and distribution of our seafood products in Switzerland, a high purchasing power market with a strong first adoption mindset.”

About MIRAI FOODS

MIRAI FOODS is a Swiss deep tech food company and one of the fastest moving 2nd generation cultivated meat start-ups, focusing on non-GMO, premium beef. Since its inception in 2019 the company has developed ground-breaking technologies that enable the cost-efficient and scalable production of natural, highest quality, 100% cultivated beef that is tasty, nutritious, and healthy. The unique combination of its patented technologies allows the company to produce whole cut filets and steaks. MIRAI has raised six million USD in seed equity, received three million USD in non-dilutive research grants and filed three defensible patents.

About Shiok Meats and Gaia Foods

Shiok Meats is a cultivated meat and seafood company – the first of its kind in Singapore and South-East Asia. “Shiok” in Singapore and Malay slang means fantastic, delicious, or simply put – pleasure. Shiok Meats owns SEA’s first cultivated red meat company, Gaia Foods. Their mission is to bring delicious, sustainable, and healthy seafood and meats to the table, using their technology to grow meat from healthy cells instead of animals. Currently, Shiok produces crustaceans like shrimps, crabs, and lobsters and are the first in the world to do so using cellular agriculture technology. Their meats are real meat, delicious and nutritious. Their meats are ethical and environment-friendly. Gaia Foods specializes on textured red meat like beef steaks.

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ALDI SUISSE is the first Swiss retailer to become a member of the Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley. By taking this step, ALDI strengthens its commitment to innovating to drive a more sustainable food system.

A new partnership for even more sustainable innovation

ALDI SUISSE is the first retailer in Switzerland to become a member of Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley. This move demonstrates its commitment to even more sustainability along its supply chains and driving innovations in agriculture and the food industry. The Swiss retailer believes that scientific and technological solutions will play a key role in shaping a more sustainable future.

Celebrating their membership, Jérôme Meyer, Country Managing Director at ALDI SUISSE said: “Healthy and sustainable nutrition is an essential part of our lives. That’s why agriculture and food affect everyone. There is still great potential here. We are therefore very pleased to be the first Swiss retailer to become part of Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley’s extensive network and we look forward to discovering, promoting and supporting exciting agricultural and food innovations.“

Major distributors play a key role in shaping a more sustainable food industry

Large distributors play an essential role in shaping more sustainable food systems. By becoming a Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley member, ALDI SUISSE makes an important contribution to driving a more future-focused food industry.

Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley Managing Director, Christina Senn-Jakobsen said: “Retailers play a vital gatekeeping role in driving more sustainable food systems. They shortlist the products that make it onto our dinner plates – shaping our supply chains from farm to fork and making it easier for consumers to make healthier and more sustainable choices. That’s why we’re thrilled to welcome ALDI SUISSE to the Valley. We look forward to welcoming them to the SFNV family and collaborating to create new programs to accelerate purpose-driven innovation! ”

About ALDI SUISSE

ALDI SUISSE AG is a Swiss company headquartered in Schwarzenbach (SG) and belongs to the group of companies ALDI SÜD, a global retail company. ALDI’s key values are simplicity, consistency and responsibility. In addition to high-quality products and affordable prices, this means ensuring sustainable, environmentally-friendly and animal-friendly production. A large proportion of sales from the ALDI SUISSE standard range of around 1800 products is generated from articles produced in Switzerland. With more than 3,900 employees and 230 branches, ALDI SUISSE has established itself as one of the largest employers in the Swiss retail trade since 2005.

About Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley

Swiss Food & Nutrition Valley (SFNV) is a not-for-profit association that strengthens and promotes food system innovation within Switzerland with global impact. SFNV’s diverse member organizations collaborate to address the most pressing challenges in food, agriculture and nutrition, and co-create innovative solutions that drive better planetary and human health.

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Potiio’s unique water bottle technology and flavor capsules use brain science to revolutionize soft drink consumption. They’re now welcoming investors in their mission to create a circular beverage economy focused on wellness, convenience, and plastic reduction.

The “magic potion” that tricks your tastebuds

Potiio founder, Cédric Sax, constantly sipped his favorite soft drink as a doctorate student at ETH Zurich. The drink helped him stay focused, motivated, and hydrated – but it was also packed with sugar and generated waste with each bottle he enjoyed.  

Cédric wanted to find a way to keep his soft drink habit while reducing all of the sugar and plastic. He realized the brain could be tricked into thinking it was consuming something sweet with a pulsating flow of flavor concentrate on the top of the tongue. This led to the design of potiio (based on the Latin term “potio” for “magic potion”) with the help of co-founder, Alessandro Hofmann. Now Cédric and Alessandro have big plans to shake up the beverage industry.

How the potiio water bottle works

Potiio’s unique reusable water bottle and recyclable flavor capsules use patent-pending pulse technology to create a new kind of soft drink experience. Simply fill the water bottle with tap or sparkling water, insert the flavor capsule, close the lid, and start sipping. Each sip begins by releasing a pulse of flavor from the capsules to give your taste buds a sweet sensation. A flow of water follows shortly after, but by then the brain has been tricked to believe you are still consuming a sweet soft drink even though it’s now mostly water. 

This flavor capsule technology allows potiio to reduce a drink’s sugar content by more than 30% without sacrificing any flavor. A variety of sweet liquids can also be packed into 50 ml containers instead of half-liter plastic bottles, creating eco-friendly flavor options for on-demand refreshment. This closed-loop system of reusable bottles and recyclable capsules can reduce a drink’s carbon footprint by 65% while still keeping hydration exciting and delicious.

Next steps

Potiio is currently seeking investors to support the production of its revolutionary water bottles and flavor capsules. Their crowdselling campaign kicks off on June 27 on Crowdify.net with the goal of selling 500 bottles.

In the future, potiio plans to expand the flavor and function of its own capsules and aims to work with established soft drink producers to bring their drinks to market using potiio technology.

About potiio

Potiio is the first water bottle technology that doesn’t sacrifice real taste and flavor for wellness. Unique bottle and flavor capsule technology helps potiio revolutionize soft drink consumption habits with a circular economy approach, allowing consumers to enjoy low-sugar soft drinks while also reducing plastic waste. 

Follow potiio on Linkedin or view their crowdselling page to learn more.

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