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Swiss food-tech start-up Planetary has successfully raised around $28 million to support the growth of its global fermentation platform.

The company, based in Geneva, successfully raised CHF 16 million (approx. $20 million) in a Series A equity financing round, supplemented by CHF 6 million (approx. $7.5 million) in credit. This brings its total funding to CHF 32 million (approx. $40 million).

Radikal Capital and Oetker Ventures led the funding round, with participation from Royal Cosun, Arc Investors, Green Generation Fund, AgriFoodTech Venture Alliance, Astanor Ventures and XAnge.

Planetary operates a full-stack platform spanning bioprocess design, scale-up and industrial manufacturing via its BioBlocks system. The system aims to support partners in bringing fermentation-based food ingredients to market efficiently.

The company licenses its technology to agro-industrial players, particularly sugar companies, to enable conversion of low-value side streams into high-value proteins, fibres and enzymes.

Following the nationwide launch of its mycoprotein fillet with retailer Aldi Suisse last year, at price parity with the retailer’s conventional chicken products, Planetary is rolling out additional launches across Europe under its B2B brand Libre. Innovations span categories including meat and dairy alternatives, meat hybrid products, and fibre- and protein-rich products.

Planetary is also expanding its sugar-to-protein upcycling technology globally, including initiatives to enable ‘ultra-low-cost’ mycoprotein production – below $1 per kg – through partnerships with agri-food players in sucrose-rich and protein-deficient regions.

Industrial-scale production is already operational in Aarberg, Switzerland, and the company is actively welcoming new partnerships to join its growing pipeline of collaborators.

David Brandes, CEO and co-founder of Planetary, said: “Raising capital outside AI and defence now requires far more focus and resilience than it did just a few years ago. Yet, recent geopolitical turmoil and commodity volatility only strengthen the case for a sovereign, circular, and high-quality food system: stay the course and hold the line, nothing worth building comes easy.”