Verley raises US$38 million Series A to take precision-fermented whey global as dairy strains under demand

French precision fermentation specialist Verley has secured an oversubscribed US$38 million Series A round to accelerate commercialization of its high-performance whey protein ingredients, moving from technological validation into full industrial execution just four years after its launch.

• Verley has raised $38 million in an oversubscribed Series A led by Alven, with participation from Blast, French Tech Seed, Sofinnova, Sparkfood, Captech and Founders Future.
• The company secured self-affirmed GRAS status in 2024 and received an FDA “No Questions” letter in 2025 for its precision-fermented whey protein.
• Funds will support US commercial deployment, production scale-up and continued R&D, with Europe and the Middle East identified as next expansion markets.

The Lyon-based nutrition ingredient company develops functional whey proteins through precision fermentation, with a specific focus on beta lactoglobuline, or BLG. Its ingredients are designed to deliver the nutritional and functional performance expected by food and beverage manufacturers across high-protein applications.

The Series A was led by Alven and included new investors Blast and the French Tech Seed fund managed on behalf of the French government by Bpifrance as part of France 2030. Historical investors Sofinnova, Sparkfood, Captech and Founders Future also participated. Verley confirmed that the round was oversubscribed and supplemented by additional non-dilutive support from Bpifrance.

The raise comes at a time when global protein demand continues to accelerate. After reaching a value of US$31.8 billion in 2025, the global protein market is expected to continue posting record figures in 2026. High-protein nutrition has become a mainstream expectation across food and beverage categories, supported by demographic growth, shifting dietary habits and the expansion of GLP-1 treatments. In 2025, one in eight adults in the USA were taking a GLP-1 drug, increasing demand for high-quality, digestible protein ingredients.

Against that backdrop, conventional whey protein production is facing structural constraints. Dairy-based supply chains are under pressure from resource limitations and environmental considerations, limiting their ability to scale in line with rising demand. Verley has developed its precision fermentation platform to address that gap.

In this context, the company produces functional whey protein ingredients, specifically BLG, designed to deliver both nutritional value and performance in formulation. Verley has built its approach to integrate into existing food value chains, responding to concrete industrial and market requirements. According to the company, its precision-fermented ingredients require only a fraction of the natural resources used in conventional production, addressing a growing demand from manufacturers and consumers for reduced-impact products.

Verley operates exclusively as a B2B ingredient supplier. Its portfolio, marketed under the FermWhey range, consists of functionalized whey proteins engineered for performance in real-world applications, including protein shots, high-protein beverages and ready-to-drink formats. The ingredients are designed to combine high purity with advanced solubility, emulsification and gelling properties, alongside optimized nutritional profiles.

Since its creation, Verley has followed what it described as a methodical development strategy, pairing rapid execution with industrial discipline. In less than four years, the company secured key regulatory milestones, including self-affirmed GRAS status in 2024 and an FDA “No Questions” letter in 2025, confirming that the agency had no further questions regarding the safety of its ingredient under intended conditions of use in the US market.

Alongside regulatory progress, Verley has built an intellectual property portfolio covering both its fermentation processes and proprietary protein functionalization technologies. The company emphasized that these technologies are not limited to replicating dairy proteins but are designed to enhance performance characteristics, opening new formulation possibilities for manufacturers.

The combination of regulatory clearance, intellectual property depth, industrial scalability and early commercial traction remains relatively uncommon in the precision fermentation sector at this stage of maturity. Verley reported that demand for its ingredients already exceeds current production capacity, underscoring what it described as strong product-market fit in a category where many companies have struggled to move beyond pilot-scale output.

Stéphane Mac Millan, CEO & Co-founder of Verley, said, “Verley’s mission is to address the growing global demand for high-quality nutrition while preserving the planet’s natural resources. Verley is now ready to help alleviate the pressure the dairy industry is facing. We are very proud to be building a European champion leveraging decades of know-how in the dairy industry.”

The US$38 million raised will primarily support Verley’s entry into the US market. This includes commercial deployment, early customer scale-up and increased production capacity. The company will also continue investing in research and development to strengthen the performance, efficiency and sustainability of its technologies.

Hélène Briand, Co-founder & Chief Innovation & Commercial Officer, added: “This financing allows us to scale not only our production, but the performance promise behind our ingredients. Our functionalization technologies are designed to meet real industrial constraints and application needs. That focus on performance is what makes precision fermentation relevant and viable at scale.”

Following its planned US launch, Verley has identified Europe and the Middle East as priority regions for further expansion. The company stated that by building scalable protein production capabilities, it is contributing to strengthening food sovereignty in a market increasingly exposed to supply constraints and geopolitical uncertainty.

The Series A marks a transition point for Verley. Having secured regulatory validation and assembled an investor base spanning venture capital, government-backed funds and sector specialists, the company is shifting from proof of concept toward industrial scale and commercial rollout.

With global protein consumption continuing to rise and dairy supply chains facing mounting pressure, Verley is advancing its precision-fermented whey as an additional source of high-quality protein tailored to modern formulation needs. The next phase will test its ability to translate regulatory and technological milestones into sustained commercial scale across multiple markets.