Sarah Bechstein’s desire to carve out a career in dermatology began with the severe acne she experienced in her teens. Taste remains its north star-Formo is working with Michelin-starred chef Ricky Saward to develop European specialities such as mozzarella and ricotta. “Precision fermentation is used to make highly specialized compounds, not bulk ingredients like milk, so we’re investing in large facilities to brew milk on a big scale,” says Wohlgensinger. ![]() Now, Formo’s focus is on scaling production at its microorganism dairies, bringing products to market by 2023, and, by 2030, replacing 10 percent of Europe’s dairy consumption. Lionheart Ventures, Happiness Capital, and Albert Wenger pitched in to raise €42 million-the largest ever venture funding round in European foodtech. “Through precision fermentation, our rewired microorganisms make nature-identical dairy ingredients, reducing the need for industrial dairy and removing some of the most damaging elements of our food system,” says Wohlgensinger. “It’s attracting global talent, with a nice quality of living and international mindset.”Ī pioneer in lab-grown cheese (which actually tastes good), Formo was founded by Raffael Wohlgensinger and Britta Winterberg in 2019 and became Europe’s first cellular agriculture company by using milk proteins to produce animal-free dairy products. “Berlin is becoming a leading climate-tech hub in Europe,” he says. Julien Fredonie, head of strategic venture partnerships in Europe and Africa for Honda’s Xcelerator program, notes Berlin’s transition from an ecommerce and app powerhouse to a serious deeptech hub: Think hardware, AI, Web3, space, new materials, energy, and biotech. “Now we have a solid base of angels, investors, and scaled startups that are churning out experienced future founders or C-levels.” With many major valuations, such as N26 and Contentful, and new investors on the scene, Berlin is more vibrant than ever. “We are finally reaping the fruits from an ecosystem that was slow in developing,” says Bettine Schmitz, angel investor and founder of Auxxo, a VC fund that focuses on female founders. It’s been a constant upward trajectory too, with investment increasing 150 percent year-on-year since 2017. Berlin remains one of Europe’s starriest tech hubs, with Atomico’s 2021 State of European Tech report ranking the city second only to London in capital investment, after its startups collectively raised $7.1 billion (roughly €7.3 billion) in 2021 alone.
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