Celery – a company specialized in advanced and innovative nutrition and food solutions – has signed a capital increase agreement that will enable the start of production and commercialization of its first products. The development plan is financed by Siryo SpA, an investor specialized in the Human and Environmental Health sector.
After more than 15 years of research led by Professor Carlo Giuseppe Rizzello – Full Professor of Food Microbiology at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” – the collaboration with Celery has resulted in a pipeline of products aimed at offering technologically advanced nutritional solutions.
Celery has patented an innovative fermentation process of plant-based matrices, capable of producing a yogurt-like beverage made from legumes and cereals. The product is organic, gluten-free, lactose-free, and contains no added sugars or fats. It is a fermented platform product, suitable in various formats (liquid, powder, creamy) and applications (artisanal and industrial ice cream, spoonable and drinkable yogurt-like products, shakes, etc.).
Based on the developed fermentation process, the company is working on a pipeline of highly innovative products in both the food and biomedical fields, with the potential to revolutionize the current market offering from both a functional and qualitative perspective.
The patented technological platform has been positively evaluated by Siryo SpA – an investor specialized in disruptive technologies in the Human and Environmental Health sectors – which has supported the project since the company’s founding in December 2019, by providing an initial funding round necessary for the development of the technology and product pipeline.
“With the €2.5 million capital increase, Celery will be able to strengthen the development of its operations, specifically by building its first production facility, supporting R\&D activities, and launching the commercialization of its first products (artisanal ice cream, yogurt-like products, and shakes) through the opening of branded retail outlets, in line with the 2022–2024 Business Plan.”
Domenico Centrone CEO and Founder
“This operation lays the foundation for a highly promising future and comes at a time of significant growth in the demand for healthy, sustainable, and functional nutritional solutions. It marks a major step forward in the value growth of the project, and we are truly proud of it.”
Vito Emanuale Carofiglio CTO and Founder
For Siryo, this operation represents a significant opportunity to finance the development of a promising innovative start-up as part of a targeted strategy focused on selecting cutting-edge projects related to technology transfer, which reflect the excellence of our country’s sector-specific research. Siryo positions itself as a new player in the venture capital sector, investing in early- or mid-stage translational development, with a focus on disruptive technologies in the field of Human and Environmental Health (ONE HEALTH). The operation was carried out by Siryo through its holding company “Holding S1 SpA,” by funding a substantial and well-structured development plan.
“Supporting translational pathways,” explains Prof. Alessandro Sannino, President and scientific driving force of the Siryo SpA team, “is a strategic goal for both the company and our region, which certainly possesses the technological and financial tools, a uniquely rich set of natural resources, and now also the awareness that it can play an important role in high-tech industrial development, not only on a European level. There is far more money than good ideas, and Siryo aims to add another building block to the local valorization of this scarce and precious resource – the result of investment in education that many young people undertake with seriousness, competence, and determination in Southern European research centers..
We firmly believe in the strength of this project, which is built on solid scientific foundations and driven by a team of excellence. In addition to the two founders, Dr. Vito Emanuele Carofiglio and Eng. Domenico Centrone, the team benefits from the valuable collaboration of Prof. Carlo Giuseppe Rizzello and the addition of new strategic figures with outstanding international managerial experience.”.
