Nous secures €2.315M seed to advance functional ingredient Koncentra
Nous, the Italian ingredient company that is developing functional ingredients for the food, beverage, and nutraceutical industries, has secured a €2.315 million seed round. The funding will be used to advance the commercialisation of Koncentra, its branded botanical functional ingredient for the energy category.
Koncentra is produced using Nous’ proprietary extraction technology and is designed to support energy, focus, and mood. Its functionality has been assessed through a preliminary comparison with caffeine and a clinical study currently expected to be published by the end of 2026. Nous will use the funding to commission further clinical studies, strengthen its scientific substantiation, and expand its supply chain across Europe and Asia.
The fund was led by dsm-firmenich Ventures, with participation from FoodSeed, foodtech program of CDP Venture Capital’s National Accelerator Network, established by CDP Venture Capital and Eatable Adventures (Accelera Ventures).
The investment comes as food, beverage and nutraceutical companies look for natural ingredients that can address consumer demand for energy and wellbeing products. Nous has established a partnership with dsm-firmenich and is developing a network of commercial partners across Europe.
Lorenzo Pessini, CEO of Nous, said: “This investment is an important milestone for Nous as we move from scientific validation towards wider commercialisation. Support from investors with deep expertise in ingredients, foodtech and market scale-up gives us the resources to strengthen the scientific position of Koncentra, expand our supply chain, and build the next generation of functional ingredients.”
The company is actively developing new functional ingredients by leveraging its proprietary extraction platform, while expanding Nous’ talent acquisition strategy to hire key specialists to drive the next phase of international scaling.
Nous plans to expand distribution of Koncentra into the US market from November 2026. By the end of 2027, the company aims to publish at least three clinical studies and reach an annual production capacity of at least 60 tonnes of Koncentra.
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