R&D collaboration with Better Nature Ltd.

Prizewinner of the 2019 competition organised by TWB, “Pitch me your biotech start-up!”, the start-up Better Nature Ltd (formerly Tempeasy), specialists in the fermentation of tempeh, a natural meat substitute, benefited from a €50,000 grant enabling it to exploit tailor-made services on the TWB technological platforms.

Thanks to these services and the expert support provided by TWB, the start-up was able to achieve its goal, improve the nutritional quality of its tempeh, and thus accelerate the development of its patent portfolio.

Better Nature Ltd

Better Nature Ltd is a start-up specialising in the field of tempeh fermentation. The process makes it possible to transform almost all beans, nuts, cereals and legumes into nutritious, natural and aromatic meat substitutes. Tempeh has several advantages, including a high concentration of protein and vitamin B12 and a low fat content.
Better Nature Ltd produces plant-based meat substitutes, in ready-to-eat form, available on their website.

A successful collaboration

Tailor-made services, particularly in fermentation and analytical assays, were carried out on TWB technology platforms according to the needs of Better Nature Ltd. The results: the company was able to quickly validate and improve its fermentation processes to naturally enrich its tempeh with vitamins. This is a welcome acceleration for Better Nature Ltd which by filing new patents is securing its technological base.

“TWB is an ideal partner because it has modern facilities and skilled experts to help companies like ours to conduct experiments tailored to our needs. Our research collaboration with TWB has enabled us to accelerate our development by reaching technical and commercial milestones more quickly. Thanks to processes that have now been validated, we can look forward to the upcoming commercialisation of our new product”, says Amadeus Ahnan, co-founder of Better Nature Ltd.

Contest “Pitch me your biotech start-up!”

Olivier Rolland, Executive Director of TWB with Christopher Kong, co-founder of Better Nature Ltd, at the award ceremony of the contest “Pitch me your biotech start-up” on 12 February 2019.

Every year, TWB supports an innovative biotech start-up by organising the contest “Pitch me your biotech start-up! “during its TWB START-UP DAY event.
Thus, since 2018, three start-ups have been lucky to be winners: Dust Biosolutions, Better Nature Ltd. (e.g. Tempeasy) and Octarine. Within the framework of the contest, TWB offers a promising start-up company personalised services to respond to its various issues.Each year, several European start-ups are given a 5-minute pitch to present their concept, activities and ambitions before a jury of investors and major players in industrial biotechnology. Then, the prizewinner and TWB determine the precise needs of the start-up to implement tailor-made solutions.

Picture caption: Olivier Rolland, Executive Director of TWB with Christopher Kong, co-founder of Better Nature Ltd, at the award ceremony of the contest “Pitch me your biotech start-up” on 12 February 2019.

To be continued: Upcoming contestes in the framework of TWB START-UP DAY 2021 (2&3 February 2021)

Download the press release.