European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF), Qbic III and Flanders Future Tech Fund (FFTF) have joined forces to provide a significant boost to Ghent-based start-up AmphiStar. The funding round, led by ECBF, raised €6 million. This will allow AmphiStar to accelerate the industrialization of its biosurfactants range and strengthen its team. To manage this accelerated transition, Pierre-Franck Valentin joined the team as CEO. As AmphiStar gears up for full commercial deployment, the company is laying the groundwork for future expansion with plans for the construction of a 1.000 tonnes (100% active) per annum launch plant.
Surfactants are everywhere, from our cleaning products to cosmetics, but current production methods rely on unsustainable resources and harsh chemicals. AmphiStar is changing the game with biosurfactants made from food waste using safe biological processes. These high-performing, eco-friendly alternatives can seamlessly replace traditional surfactants, significantly reducing the environmental impact of various industries. AmphiStar offers a comprehensive portfolio of biobased, biologically produced, and biocompatible glycolipids, such as sophorolipids, to brand owners of cleaning- and cosmetic products seeking genuinely sustainable, high-performing, and affordable alternatives. These biosurfactants come in various forms and purities, serving as perfect drop-in replacements for existing formulations while significantly reducing the carbon footprint of finished products.
The infusion of €6 million in new capital from ECBF, Qbic III and FFTF will empower AmphiStar to kickstart commercial biosurfactant production in collaboration with external partners. The investment will also be used to enhance R&D efforts to further refine and optimize its biosurfactant platform, complete the regulatory and certification dossiers and engineer its own state-of-the-art production facility.
Sophie Roelants, AmphiStar, expressed her excitement for the future of the company: “AmphiStar will revolutionize the surfactant market. We have developed a unique platform technology and are the only company in the (bio)surfactant space successfully combining a set of different key technologies: waste- and side stream technologies, synthetic biology, bioprocessing, purification and scaling expertise. With this capital injection and extended support of these prominent investors we will bring our unique waste based biosurfactant products to market and aim to make biosurfactants mainstream. We are looking for more sustainable partnerships and are open to collaborate.”
Jowita Sewerska, Investment Director European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF) commented on the funding: “There is a clear market need for a better biosurfactants’ offer from the producers – in terms of performance, sustainability and price points. AmphiStar has great cards to play here and is now at an exciting point of accelerating the commercialization of its products.”
