Maia Ventures launches €55 million fund to power next-generation AgriFoodTech startups

Maia Ventures, a Milan-based early-stage AgriFoodTech investor, has launched its first €55 million (US$59 million) fund to back technologies driving a healthier, more efficient, and more resilient global food system.

The thematic fund, which has already completed six investments, plans to support 20 to 25 startups with initial ticket sizes between €0.5 million and €1.5 million (US$540,000–US$1.6 million). A final close is expected in the coming months.

The fund’s limited partners include a mix of institutional and strategic investors such as the European Investment Fund (EIF) and CDP Venture Capital Sgr, alongside private investors including Teseo Capital sicav-sif, Cereal Docks (through its corporate venture arm Grey Silo Ventures), and Andriani.

An Article 8 fund under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), Maia aims to generate both financial returns and measurable positive impact. Its strategy centers on early-stage ventures leveraging technology and science to solve critical agrifood challenges – from sustainable ingredients and food-as-medicine innovations to climate-resilient supply chains.

“What excites us is the calibre of science and operator talent now converging on topics such as food-as-medicine, innovative ingredients, and resilient supply chains,” said David Bassani, Founding Partner at Maia Ventures. “As an early-stage partner, we aim to be among the first institutional believers, helping founders connect with industry leaders and lay the foundations for scale.”

Maia Ventures describes itself as a value-add investor bridging Italy’s world-class food ecosystem with the most promising emerging startups from accelerators, universities, and research institutions worldwide. The team is composed of former founders, investors, industry operators, and scientists, and is supported by a technical advisory group that includes representatives from leading agrifood universities and corporates.

The fund’s managers believe that the current global slowdown in AgriFoodTech investment is opening an unprecedented opportunity to back mission-driven innovators focused on structural shifts, not short-term trends. Within this context, Maia intends to emphasize the convergence of food, health, and sustainability.

“By combining deep industry know-how with a strong industrial network, Maia is best positioned to identify and invest in solutions to problems that matter, instead of in solutions in search of a problem,” said Andrea Galassi, Founding Partner at Maia Ventures. “This, we believe, is the key to tangibly accelerate the much-needed evolution of our industry.”

Institutional investors see the same opportunity. “We invested in Maia Ventures because it connects Italy’s world-class food industry with breakthrough AgriFoodTech innovation,” said Claudia Pingue, Head of the Tech Transfer Fund at CDP Venture Capital. “The team’s deep expertise and robust network enable them to identify high-impact deep-tech solutions at the intersection of nutraceutical, food and health, where long-term value and systemic resilience are established.”

The fund is managed by Luxembourg-based Praesidium S.A. and advised by Maia Advisors SRL.

With its first portfolio already underway and a strong base of strategic backers, Maia Ventures is positioning itself at the crossroads of Italy’s agrifood heritage and the science-driven startups reshaping how the world grows, processes, and consumes food.

(Main picture shows David Bassani [left] and Andrea Galassi, Founding Partners at Maia Ventures)