Pitch: Israeli startup cultivating whole plant cells to deliver natural bioactives.
Source: Novella
ID card
- HQ: Israel
- Founded: 2022
- Funding: $600k
- Last Funding: $600k pre-seed (10/22)
- Corporate investors: Ø
- Partnerships: Metaphor Foods (innovation arm of Hela APAC)
- Innovations: AuraCel “precision cultivation” platform growing whole plant cells in closed bioreactors
- Competitors: UK-based startup Green Bioactives developing plant cell culture-derived bioactives
- Regulation: Ø (nothing disclosed)
More insights
- Novella selects fruit cells at peak potency and cultivates them in closed bioreactors through its AuraCell platform, claiming to preserve their natural structure and bioactives to enhance stability and bioavailability.
- It launched its first product, Novella Strawberry, a clean-label, water-soluble powder, containing a mix of alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolic acids.
- The ingredient is suitable for gummies, powders, capsules, and beverages, and demonstrated antioxidant activity up to 100× higher than conventional strawberry extract.
- It targets nutraceutical and functional food applications such as beverages, bars, and dairy alternatives, and is developing additional bioactives from tomato and hops.
- It also partnered with Australia’s Metaphor Foods, the innovation arm of Hela, to commercialise natural antioxidant and antimicrobial preservatives using its AuraCell technology, aiming to extend food shelf life.
For Symrise
Why did we select the startup?
Novella introduced an innovative approach to produce plant-cell ingredients rather than relying on isolated extracts.
Why now?
With the recent commercial launch of its strawberry-based bioactive and a partnership with Metaphor Foods on natural preservatives, Novella is emerging as a first mover in whole-cell plant bioactives.
Source: Novella