Food Founders Studio secures US$1.5M to launch plant-based flavour technology
The company’s proprietary process not only improves flavour but also reduces formulation costs, reportedly outperforming existing solutions.
SWITZERLAND – Food Founders Studio has closed its initial funding round, raising CHF 1.2 million (approx. US$1.5 million), and unveiled its first venture: a proprietary plant-based flavour improvement technology developed in partnership with a European university.
The capital will accelerate the studio’s mission to commercialize breakthrough food technologies that remain locked within academic institutions across Europe.
The round was led by a consortium of private investors, anchored by a prominent Swiss family office. The investment will allow Food Founders Studio to scale its venture model, which identifies promising university research and transforms it into commercially viable businesses.
The first project addresses one of the plant-based industry’s most persistent barriers: off-flavours in legumes.
These undesirable notes often limit consumer acceptance and restrict the mass-market adoption of plant-based foods. The company’s proprietary process not only improves flavour but also reduces formulation costs, reportedly outperforming existing solutions.
“This inaugural venture tackles one of the plant-based industry’s most significant obstacles: legumes’ off-flavours that prevent mass market adoption,” said Alexandre Morel, co-founder and CTO of Food Founders Studio.
“The proprietary technology, developed through our first university partnership, offers a scalable, cost-effective solution that significantly improves taste while reducing formulation costs, more than any competing solution we’ve seen so far.”
The venture’s CEO, who will be formally introduced in the coming weeks, emphasized that addressing flavour is critical to expanding the appeal of plant-based products.
“By solving the off-flavour challenge, a problem known to everyone from manufacturers to consumers and yet never truly solved despite many claims, we’re enabling food producers to create products that win on deliciousness, not just sustainability credentials.”
Robert Boer, investment director at Food Founders Studio and former investment director at Blue Horizon, highlighted the uniqueness of the studio’s model.
“What is unique about our venture studio model is the systematic approach to de-risking food tech innovation. This model addresses the fundamental disconnect between breakthrough university research and commercial viability that has plagued food tech for years, in a way that delivers both meaningful returns for investors and scalable impact for our food system,” he said.
With demand for plant-based foods continuing to grow globally, Food Founders Studio positions itself at the intersection of academic research, investment, and commercialization.
Its model aims to accelerate innovation, overcome adoption barriers, and bring transformative technologies to market more efficiently.
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