This Belgian Biotech Just Secured Major Funding to Scale Its Food Revolution

Jan de Vries · 2026-08-25

Alright, let's talk about a move that could really shake up how we think about the food on our plates. MAASH, a fermentation startup based in Brussels, has just locked in a hefty funding package worth about $13.3 million. That's a serious vote of confidence for a company aiming to take its sustainable protein ingredient from the lab to the factory floor. It’s a mix of equity investment and public financing, which tells you this isn't just about private investors seeing a good bet. There's real institutional backing here. Think of it as a green light for industrial-scale innovation. ### Breaking Down the Funding So, where's the money coming from? Let's get into the specifics. - A $6.4 million equity raise from a slate of new investors, including Ambra Capital, InvestPro, Bpifrance, and others. - A $4.7 million grant from Bpifrance's Première Usine program. - A $2.2 million loan from Bpifrance, backed by France 2030. That's not just capital. It's a strategic toolkit for scaling. As co-founder and Chairman Frédéric Van Gansberghe put it, this combination of their expertise and new partners will help them "move quickly through our technical and commercial scale-up." ### The Mycoprotein Mission Founded just a few years ago in 2021, MAASH is laser-focused on one thing: mycoprotein. You might be wondering, what is that? Simply put, it's a protein derived from fungi through fermentation. The company has developed a process called LoCylia, where they meticulously control factors like temperature and oxygen to produce a high-quality, sustainable ingredient. Here’s the cool part—they’re not selling directly to consumers. They're a B2B supplier, working with food companies to blend their mycoprotein into existing products. The goal? To help those companies reduce meat content by 10% to 30% or to create entirely new vegan and vegetarian options. It’s about making sustainable choices easier for everyone, without sacrificing taste or texture. ### Leadership and The Road to Industrial Scale This funding round coincides with a major leadership shift, signaling the company's next phase. Samah Garringer, a veteran with over 25 years in food and ingredients at companies like DSM, is set to become CEO in September 2026. "I am thrilled to join MAASH at this pivotal moment," Garringer said. Her mission, alongside the team, is to deliver the pre-industrial project and build a platform to bring this protein to market at a massive scale. Meanwhile, co-founder Gaspard Gilbert is shifting to Chief Commercial Officer, focusing on partnerships and strategy. He highlighted the journey from acquiring an old industrial site to now having the resources for full-scale deployment. ### What's Next: From Demo to 10,000 Tons So, what does $13.3 million actually buy? Concrete progress. The funding will directly support the launch of their demonstration plant in Carling-Saint-Avold, France. This isn't just a pilot; it's a 424-cubic-foot facility designed to prove the concept works outside the lab. The ultimate target? Scaling up to produce 10,000 tons annually. That’s a massive leap, moving sustainable protein production from a niche idea to a mainstream industrial reality. It's a fascinating case study in how European biotech is building the future of food, one fermentation tank at a time.