Forbion BioEconomy Fund I reaches €200 million ($215 Million) hard cap, making it one of Europe’s largest dedicated bioeconomy funds.
Focused on biotechnologies and green chemistries that drive industrial decarbonization across food, agriculture, materials, and environmental technologies.
Backed by major institutional investors including KfW Capital, Novo Holdings, Rentenbank, Aurae Impact, ABN AMRO Bank, and EIFO.
Forbion Expands Its Biotech Footprint into Planetary Health
Forbion, a leading European life sciences venture capital firm, has closed its Forbion BioEconomy Fund I at a hard cap of €200 million. The fund, launched in 2024 with an initial target of €150 million, builds on Forbion’s biotech expertise to invest in companies developing scalable technologies that advance industrial sustainability and climate resilience.
Positioned at the intersection of biology and climate innovation, the BioEconomy Fund I is designed to back growth-stage ventures that use biotechnology and green chemistry to decarbonize traditional value chains. With this close, Forbion has established one of Europe’s largest dedicated bioeconomy vehicles, signaling deepening investor confidence in science-led sustainability.
Global Investors Back Shift to Science-Led Climate Solutions
The fund drew strong commitments from institutional investors across Europe and North America, including public investment banks and mission-driven funds such as KfW Capital, Novo Holdings, Rentenbank, Aurae Impact, ABN AMRO Bank, and Denmark’s EIFO.
According to Forbion General Partner Alexander Hoffmann, the response reflects a shift in how investors view the convergence of biotech and sustainability. “Biotechnology is moving beyond healthcare to tackle global challenges in food, materials, and resource efficiency,” Hoffmann said. “The strong demand for Forbion BioEconomy Fund I reflects growing confidence that science-led solutions can deliver both environmental and financial value.”
Fellow General Partner Joy Faucher added, “Capital is shifting from software to science. With strong backing from institutional and strategic partners, we are building a portfolio that leverages biology and chemistry to deliver commercially viable sustainable solutions for the planet.”
Targeting the Next Generation of Bio-Based Industries
Forbion’s BioEconomy Fund I will invest in 12–14 companies across Europe and North America, focusing on Series A and B stages. Its mandate centers on biology-based business-to-business solutions that can replace incumbent technologies at cost parity or better. Each target company must demonstrate a clear proof of concept and potential for large-scale industrial application.
The firm estimates that biotech-enabled alternatives could represent a multi-trillion-euro commercial opportunity over the next decade, as industries seek pathways to meet climate targets and circular economy objectives.
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Portfolio Spanning Food, Agriculture, and Materials Innovation
So far, the fund has invested in five companies spanning its four strategic sectors: Food, Agriculture, Materials, and Environmental Technologies.
eeden – developing textile-to-textile recycling through green chemistry depolymerization.
Genomines – using plant biotechnology to extract valuable metals in a sustainable, cost-efficient manner.
SOLASTA Bio – creating peptide-based, bio-safe alternatives to chemical pesticides.
Novameat – advancing scalable production of plant-based protein cuts that mimic animal textures.
PACT – leveraging biomaterials for cost-effective, collagen-based coatings, starting with textile applications.
Each portfolio company reflects the fund’s focus on replacing high-emission industrial inputs with biologically derived solutions that can be scaled without premium pricing.
Implications for Investors and Industry
For institutional investors, the Forbion BioEconomy Fund I represents growing alignment between biotechnology innovation and sustainable finance mandates. As global policy frameworks—such as the EU Green Deal and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)—push for measurable decarbonization, funds like Forbion’s are positioned to fill a critical financing gap between lab-scale innovation and industrial-scale adoption.
The fund also strengthens Europe’s position as a global hub for bioindustrial innovation, complementing national strategies to reduce dependence on petrochemical-derived materials and to achieve climate neutrality by mid-century.
A Broader Vision for the Bioeconomy
Forbion’s latest fund extends the firm’s legacy in life sciences toward a broader planetary health mission—bridging human health, resource efficiency, and industrial sustainability. By channeling capital into technologies that can decarbonize core sectors, the BioEconomy Fund I adds momentum to the bio-based transition now reshaping Europe’s industrial and environmental landscape.
As biotech investors increasingly look beyond traditional pharma returns, the success of Forbion’s raise signals the bioeconomy’s arrival as a major vector for climate-aligned growth—where innovation, environmental performance, and investor returns converge.
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