Climate tech venture capital fund Icos Capital, in partnership with Bühler Group, brought together a diverse group of biotech start-ups, investors, and corporate leaders at the “Accelerating Sustainability Summit” held on March 28, 2025, at Bühler’s CUBIC Innovation Campus.
The summit aimed to catalyze sustainable innovation within the biotech sector by fostering strategic collaborations and leveraging the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address some of the food industry’s most urgent challenges.
“At Icos Capital, we aim to uncover and invest in cutting-edge innovations to drive sustainability forward,” said Nityen Lal, Founding Partner at Icos Capital. Since 2006, Icos has backed breakthrough ventures in food tech, chemical tech, decarbonization, and sustainability, emphasizing a balanced return across financial, social, and environmental dimensions. “This year, we focus on biotech and AI since we’ve seen many companies applying these technologies to optimize production and increase efficiency,” he added.
This marks the third consecutive year that Bühler has hosted the event at its innovation hub. Ian Roberts, CTO at Bühler, emphasized the company’s commitment to collaborative innovation: “We’re delighted to play a role in strengthening this collaborative venturing approach to scale impactful innovation.” As a global solutions provider to the food, feed, and mobility industries, Bühler works closely with partners like Icos to accelerate sustainable transitions and support industry-wide adoption of novel technologies. “With established supply chains and market access, corporates can play a crucial role in helping start-ups scale both their businesses and their sustainable impact,” Roberts noted.
The summit also addressed the pressing challenges facing the biotech industry, including decreased funding, rising costs, and the data demands of AI model development. AI, however, is proving to be a powerful enabler, particularly in sectors such as alternative proteins, dairy, seafood, and even personal care. Start-ups from Europe and North America showcased how AI can dramatically accelerate innovation, from R&D to commercial-scale manufacturing.
Among the participants was BioRaptor, a bioprocessing data analytics platform. “This is an exciting time for biotech—companies are turning science fiction into reality,” said Ori Zakin, Co-founder and CEO. “BioRaptor accelerates the path from R&D to scaled manufacturing with AI-driven bioprocess optimization. Our platform streamlines data collection, enables instant analysis, and accelerates process development.”
Corporate leaders also see value in the agility and disruptive mindset that start-ups bring. Wolfgang Heinzl, Director of Business Development at PHW Group, a traditional poultry business expanding into alternative proteins, emphasized the importance of collaboration: “Start-ups are run by very ambitious people that take high risks and aim to go beyond borders. That’s what we need in corporates. Their speed and agility benefit everyone.”
Triplebar, a rising biotech firm, drew attention for its work in generative AI (GenAI) for protein production. “Our models create precision fermentation strains that would have taken years and millions to develop manually,” said Sarah Bolmer, Vice President of Product. “Events like this allow us to connect with partners who can help bring our innovations to market.”
The Accelerating Sustainability Summit exemplifies how venture capital, start-up ingenuity, and corporate infrastructure can converge to unlock transformative, AI-driven solutions for a more sustainable food future.
Find out more at: https://www.icoscapital.com/