Protealis

TLDR

Protealis is a Ghent-based VIB and ILVO spinoff breeding high-yield European legume varieties to reduce dependence on imported protein crops, with EUR 40M raised.

Overview

Founded in 2019 in Ghent as a spinoff of Flanders Institute for Biotechnology and ILVO (Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food), Protealis is focused on developing improved legume varieties suited to European growing conditions. The company targets crops such as soya, faba beans, and lupins, which can serve as protein sources for animal feed and human food while fixing nitrogen in the soil and reducing dependence on imported South American soy.

Protealis has raised EUR 40M in total, including a EUR 22M Series B in 2024, to accelerate its breeding programs and scale seed production. The company's work addresses a significant strategic gap: Europe currently imports the large majority of its plant protein needs, a vulnerability that both food security policy and sustainability goals are pushing to close.

The VIB spinoff pedigree places Protealis within one of the world's leading plant biotech ecosystems, based at Ghent.

Key People

• Benjamin Laga - Founder and CEO