nextProtein - Afrikan Heroes

From Tunisia to the US: Agritech Startup NextProtein Gains FDA Approval To Commercialize Its Fly-Based Products

April 11, 2023

NextProtein, a Tunisian agritech startup, has achieved a significant milestone in its journey towards global expansion. The company has received authorization from the US Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its products in the United States, marking its next bus stop in its quest for expanded growth. This achievement follows its authorization in 2020 to sell its products in the European Union, making it the first insect breeding company outside the EU to obtain clearance to sell its products in the region.

Syrine Chaalala and Mohamed Gastli, NextProtein founders

In 2020, NextProtein raised $11.2 million in funding, the largest early-stage food technology funding in Tunisia to date. A group of investors led the funding round, including Blue Oceans Partners, Telos Impact, RAISE Impact, Mirova, Althelia Sustainable Ocean Fund, Kepple Africa Ventures, and Aucfan Incubate Inc. The latest investment would help NextProtein build its second production facility, hire more personnel, and accelerate research and development. The company plans to scale production to 100,000 tonnes per year by 2025, representing an estimated 10% of the total insect protein market globally.

Founded in 2015 by Tunisian couple Syrine Chaalala and Mohamed Gastli, NextProtein uses EU-approved organic waste to raise black fly larvae for animal feed, focusing initially on the aquaculture industry. Basically, NextProtein focuses on transforming insects, specifically the black soldier fly, into protein-rich food products for animals. The company aims to provide sustainable solutions to societal challenges such as population growth, food waste, and environmental impact. Insect protein provides solutions to these issues as it is a raw material that can be used in animal feed and organic and natural fertilizers for agriculture.

With the FDA’s approval to market its products in the US, NextProtein’s next bus stop is set to expand its reach globally and impact more lives positively. The latest move also highlights the potential for African startups to tap into the global market and compete with established players in the industry.

Game-Changer for African Startups: UAE’s $816K Tax Threshold Opens Doors for International Expansion

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard

Tunisian Startup nextProtein Raises $11.2 million To Increase Production Of Insects In Tunisia

May 28, 2020

nextProtein chief operating officer Syrine Chaalala

nextProtein, a Franco-Tunisian startup working on new ways to produce animal feed and insect-based fertilizers, has raised $ 11.2 million in funding, the largest early-stage food technology fund-raise in Tunisia to date.

“Insect protein provides solutions to major societal problems: a growing population with a higher demand for fish and meat, and a degrading environment,” said nextProtein chief operating officer Syrine Chaalala — a former UN Food & Agriculture Organization emergency officer who co-founded the company with Mohamed Gastli, a chemical engineer and entrepreneur.

Here Is What You Need To Know

This round of funding was led by a group of investors brought together by Blue Oceans Partners, including Telos Impact and RAISE Impact. Additional support came from Mirova and Althelia Sustainable Ocean Fund, along with Japan’s Kepple Africa Ventures and Aucfan Incubate Inc (since its founding in 2015, nextProtein has also secured funds from investors including Kima Ventures and angels Khaled Helioui and Cyril Grislain.)
The latest investment will help nextProtein in building its second production facility, making new hires, and accelerating R&D. The company plans to scale production to 100,000 tonnes per year by 2025, or an estimated 10% of the total insect protein market globally.
nextProtein’s new investors will be overseeing the second facility’s construction in the months ahead, and they seem to be brimming with optimism: the company, according to Christian Lim of Blue Ocean Partners, “has developed the most scalable insect farm model to date.”
In 2017, the Paris and Tunis-based startup raised €1.3M in a funding round featuring Kima Ventures, along with angel investors — Jerome Lecat, Khaled Helioui, (who also backed Uber and Deliveroo), Sylvie Ganter, Christophe Cervasel, and participants from the Anaxago financing platform and AngelSquare.

Why The Investors Invested

“We are convinced that it is our mission, as investors, to support women and men who have a positive vision of our environment, and who put their energy at the service of building a more equitable world. . We are all the more proud to make this investment in the current environment. This Covid-19 crisis reveals the resilience of impact businesses that combine utility and meaning, by addressing real, structuring and long-term needs. nextProtein embodies a more sustainable business model that we need. The production of insect proteins represents an alternative to the production of animal proteins with a strong impact on the environment. nextProtein is likely to bring about a systemic change in its sector and we are here to support it in this direction,’’ said Aglaé Touchard-Le Drian and Eric Coisne, associate directors at RAISE Impact.

*Tunisia ‘s Startup Act has encouraged nextProtein, and other startups to thrive.*

Read also: New Report Ranks South Africa, Kenya and Rwanda As Africa ’s Top Startup Ecosystems — Here Is Why

A Look At What The Startup nextProtein Does

Founded in 2015 by Syrine Chaalala and Mohamed Gastli, nextProtein has specialized in the breeding of insect larvae which it transforms into components dedicated to animal feed, as well as organic and natural fertilizers for agriculture.
Created to help fight the shortage of resources, the startup uses these insect proteins as a raw material intended mainly for players in aquaculture and animal feed. The founders want to provide sustainable solutions to three societal challenges: population growth, food waste and the environmental footprint.
By using EU approved organic waste to raise black fly larvae for animal feed, nextProtein will first target the aquaculture industry. The choice of the black soldier fly is far from being unorthodox for insect startups.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer