Melt&Marble lands US$7.7 million to scale designer fats for beauty and food markets

Gothenburg, Sweden-based Melt&Marble has secured €7.3 million (US$7.7 million) in Series A funding to scale production of its precision-fermented designer fats and bring its first ingredients to market. The raise formed part of €10 million (US$10.6 million) in total financing over the past year, including EU grants, and marked a significant step as the company prepared to move from development into commercial operations.

The round was led by Swedish deeptech investor Industrifonden, with additional investment from the European Innovation Council Fund, Beiersdorf and Valio, alongside Chalmers Ventures and Catalyze Capital. Last year, Melt&Marble received a €2.5 million (US$2.7 million) grant from the EIC Accelerator, adding to the momentum behind its technology and market strategy.

“This investment marks a major milestone for Melt&Marble as we transition from R&D to commercialization,” said Anastasia Krivoruchko, CEO. “With key scalability milestones already achieved and strategic partners onboard, we’re entering the market with the capabilities and confidence to deliver real impact. Our vision has always been to deliver more sustainable, high-performance ingredients, and this round brings us significantly closer to that goal.”

Industrifonden’s Senior Investment Director, Tobias Elmquist, said the company had reached “an impressive level of technical and commercial readiness for a company at this stage”. He noted that its ability to engineer functional fats through precision fermentation met a clear and expanding need across both food and personal care. “We’re proud to lead this round and support a team combining scientific depth with strong execution to bring sustainable, high-performance ingredients to market,” he said.

Melt&Marble targeted a global oils, fats and lipids market worth more than US$100 billion, spanning beauty and personal care, meat and dairy alternatives, chocolate confectionery, bakery and specialized nutrition. Fats have become a strategic focus for brands working to meet sustainability commitments while maintaining performance. Conventional options, from palm and coconut to animal-derived fats, often face constraints linked to function, environmental impact or volatility in supply. Melt&Marble aimed to address these issues with tailored, animal-free lipid structures designed for specific applications, from improved skin-feel and bioactivity in cosmetics to texture and mouthfeel in food products.

“We’re entering a new era where fats and lipids are no longer seen as commodities alone, but also as precision ingredients that can drive performance, improve health, and support sustainability,” added Thomas Cresswell, CBO. He added that support from investors and commercial partners reflected a shared view that the future belongs to ingredients “that deliver on functionality, impact and cost.”

Beiersdorf and Valio, both strategic investors in the round, said Melt&Marble’s platform aligned with long-term industry needs. “Melt&Marble is addressing an important challenge in the personal care industry, with its advanced innovative precision-fermentation technology,” commented Ascan Voswinckel, Head of Venture Capital at Beiersdorf. “With consumer interest in more sustainable and responsible skincare products growing, Beiersdorf is pleased to invest in Melt&Marble, and support their highly committed, science-driven team as they aim to advance sustainability across multiple industries.”

Valio also highlighted the role of emerging technologies in the future food system. “Food produced through cellular agriculture will be a significant part of our future food system,” said Vice President Susanna Kallio. “To advance cellular agriculture solutions, collaboration between established companies and startups is essential. Melt&Marble’s designer fats, produced via cellular agriculture, are full of potential for developing new, interesting products for the store shelf and injecting dynamic new concepts into our food system. We are excited to support Melt&Marble in developing and scaling their solutions.”

The new capital will be used to take the company from demonstration-scale to market-ready production. Melt&Marble planned to launch its first personal care ingredients in 2026, working with an existing commercial manufacturing partner to expand output without significant capital expenditure. The company was also preparing for food-market entry in the US and exploring opportunities in other regions. Discussions with potential collaborators and distributors were underway, and several co-development projects had already begun.

Chalmers Ventures Investment Director Björn Westman said Melt&Marble demonstrated how science-driven entrepreneurship could help shift global food and personal care systems. “By combining cutting-edge biotechnology with a clear sustainability mission, they are redefining what’s possible in the future of food,” he said.

Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board, added that the round showed strong confidence in the company’s approach. “Melt&Marble’s precision-fermentation approach to designer fats offers sustainable, high-performance alternatives for food and personal care,” she said. “This Series A round is a strong endorsement of their technology. The EIC Fund is proud to support their scale-up and market entry.”

Backed by advances in bioprocess efficiency and strong application testing across categories, Melt&Marble said it was now entering a decisive stage of growth as it worked toward commercializing its precision-designed fats and contributing to more sustainable options for both food and personal care manufacturers.