đŻ Executive Summary
Whatâs been going on at ValueGrain lately?
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 Raised our pre-seed round with strategic partners & business angels in April
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Achieved the best prototype output to date
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Won the start-up award at GrĂźne Woche đ
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Launched the MVP of our new website
Whatâs Next?
âĄď¸ Building our final prototype in partnership with BrauKon
âĄď¸ Running trials and pilots for different food applications
âĄď¸ Expanding outreach through events and conferences
âĄď¸ Advancing R&D and process development (incl. packaging & logistics)
đ Highlights in Detail
Weâve been keeping busy over the past monthsâ here are some of the most exciting milestones and updates weâre happy to share with you:
đŚÂ Pre-Seed Round raised
Weâre excited to announce that we have raised our pre-seed round backed by strategic industry partners BrauKon, Maisel and Fristam, along with Ohana and a group of dedicated business angels. A huge THANK YOU to all investors who put trust and funding in us. We are thrilled to have such a committed and supportive backing.
đŹÂ Prototype Breakthrough
Weâve made significant progress with our prototype: the third trial batch exceeded expectations, enabling us to lock in the final prototype setup earlier than planned. Notably, the process required no additional water â a major win for both product quality and overall unit economics. Around 200 samples were produced, with several already used in food production trials with different partners. The batch is also currently being analyzed by the Fraunhofer Institute to gain deeper insights for future optimization.
đąÂ GrĂźne Woche Award Winner
Weâre still buzzing from winning the Startup-Days Award 2025 at GrĂźne Woche! We were honoured to be selected as one of ten impact start-ups to be present at the GrĂźne Woche start-up days in Berlin â including a booth in Hall 27 and the opportunity to pitch in front of a distinguished jury. Tim pitched our vision in three minutes and answered questions on business model, use cases, and long-term goals. Our win was announced on stage at the evening event, where the team had the honors to receive the award from Federal Minister Cem Ăzdemir.
đ New Website â Live!
Weâve launched the MVP of our new website. Itâs still a work in progress, but if you remember the old version⌠well, youâll notice the difference. Expect more content, improved design and mobile optimization tweaks over the coming weeks.
đ Whatâs Next?
With strong momentum and fresh funding, we’re now focused on turning plans into action. Hereâs whatâs coming up next at ValueGrain:
đ§Â Final Prototype Construction
Final technical documentation and specification for building the final prototype has been shared with BrauKons Technical Department. The pumps, and mills are on their way and our final mobile prototype is in the making. It will power pilots, showcases and early recurring production.
đ¨âđłÂ Traction, traction, traction
Weâre in pilot talks with two regional bakery chains in Brandenburg and Baden-WĂźrttemberg, and in early conversations with Dr. Oetker. The food start-up Snaxi has tested ValueGrain in their energy ballsâand promptly asked for more samples!
đ Further build momentum
In the past weeks, weâve been very active at events across Germany. At Hamburg Zebra Night, we had a great pitch followed by great conversations and connections â including the one that ultimately brought Ohana on board as an investor. Our CEO Tim also joined a founder panel at Cradle to Cradle in Berlin and gave a speech at Cheftreff in Hamburg, sharing our vision for a circular food system. Next in line are iba in DĂźsseldorf and Sustainable Foods Summit in Amsterdam. Do get in touch if you want to meet up.
đŹÂ Product Development & R&D
Weâre in discussions with TTZ Bremerhaven to explore food applications of ValueGrain. In parallel, weâre excited to work with a brillant food technologist to develop the necessary processesâcovering production, packaging, and logisticsâfor industrial-scale use. First focus areas include flour blends and meat alternatives.
Stay tuned â more next month. đ