Maia Ventures, an agrifoodtech investor specialising in early-stage transactions, announces the launch of its first fund with an initial allocation of €55 million. The goal is to support 20 to 25 companies, with initial investments ranging from €500,000 to €1.5 million. . The fund is fully operational with six investments made to date and aims to close in the coming months.
The pool of limited partners brings together institutional investors, including the European Investment Fund (EIF) and CDP Venture Capital, alongside private investors, including leading Italian companies in the food sector and their family offices, such as Teseo Capital, Cereal Docks through its CVC, Grey Silo Ventures, and Andriani.
Maia, an SFDR Article 8 fund, aims to pursue both financial and impact objectives, helping to build a healthier, more efficient and resilient food system. The fund positions itself as a value-added partner, capable of bridging the gap between the traditional agri-food industry and the most promising start-ups from leading accelerators, universities and the wider Italian and global agrifoodtech ecosystem.
“Increasingly, scientific research and entrepreneurial talent are converging on the transformation of the agri-food supply chain, addressing structural issues such as the development of resilient supply chains and the intersection between food and health. As an early-stage partner, we aim to be among the first institutional investors to support founders, helping them connect with industry leaders and lay the foundations for large-scale growth,” says David Bassani, founding partner of Maia Ventures, in a statement.
The Maia Ventures team is composed of former founders, investors, industry professionals and scientists, and is supported by a technical committee that includes representatives from academia and the corporate world.
Maia believes that the current downturn in agrifoodtech funding is creating a unique window of opportunity for investors looking at global structural changes and addressing the most pressing challenges in the sector. Within these opportunities, Maia places particular emphasis on the convergence of food, health and sustainability, supporting innovations that can ensure both individual well-being and system resilience.
“By combining in-depth knowledge of the sector with a solid industrial network, Maia is in the best position to identify and invest in solutions to real problems, rather than solutions in search of a problem. We believe that this is the real driver for tangibly accelerating the now necessary evolution of our industry,” says Andrea Galassi, founding partner of Maia Ventures (pictured with Bassani).
“We invested in Maia Ventures because it connects the excellence of the Italian agri-food industry with the most promising innovations in AgriFoodTech. Thanks to the team’s in-depth expertise and solid network, Maia identifies high-impact deeptech solutions at the intersection of nutraceuticals, nutrition and health, generating long-term value and systemic resilience,” says Claudia Pingue, head of CDP Venture Capital’s tech transfer fund.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ©