Cargill joins Seventure Partners’ US$298m fund to advance microbiome solutions and immunity
23 Nov 2020 --- Cargill is making a “significant investment” in Seventure Partners’ Health for Life Capital II fund. With the investment, Cargill hopes it can accelerate product innovation and gain insights into the latest technologies and trends in the digestive and immune health space.
Cargill joins a network of other strategic investors in the fund, including Danone, Novartis and Lesaffre, and will serve as a limited partner with a member appointed to the fund’s Advisory Investment Committee. ADM Ventures, ADM’s corporate venture capital arm, also recently invested in the Health For Life Capital Fund II.
“The fund has overcome its initial targets and has now reached almost €250 million (US$298 million),” Isabelle de Cremoux, CEO of Seventure, tells NutritionInsight.
“Combined with the co-investment of purely financial funds that Seventure is managing, it corresponds to a €320 million (US$380 million) fund capacity supporting the microbiome revolution and digitalization in the areas of health, nutrition. This is the biggest fund in the world with this investment strategy,” De Cremoux says.
Potential for digital technologies
Seventure Partners specializes in venture capital, actively funding companies within digital technologies and life sciences. Its Health for Life Capital II fund supports the microbiome revolution in the areas of health and nutrition.
The fund has overcome its initial targets and is now almost €250 million (US$298 million).
“We’re happy to invest with Seventure Partners, given its deep expertise and knowledge of the rapidly evolving microbiome ecosystem,” notes Chuck Warta, president of Cargill’s health technologies business.
“Together, we will expand the existing suite of health solutions available to consumers and bring more relevant products to market in the functional food arena,” he says.
Advancing microbiome research
Cargill says that decades of research have helped the company understand the vital interactions – and interconnectedness – between the microbiome, immunity, gut integrity and a host of indication-specific issues in humans and animals.
“Microbiome innovations are now impacting many industries such as food, pharma, healthcare, retail and agriculture, as well as animal feed and health, providing great opportunities for growth,” De Cremoux explains.
“In addition to the classic financial investors, our funds also include strategic corporate investors. Cargill joining our fund will accelerate our mission to transform science into great products, improving people’s lives,” she says.
Immunity and personalization
Immunity and the microbiome are intimately linked, says De Cremoux. “This is one of the most promising applications of the microbiome revolution.”
“The microbiota educates the immune system of the infant and children when it is maturing, resulting in its adult immunity profile. Finding new ways to modulate the microbiome of the mother, infant, children and help them develop a healthier immunity system is one of the ways to advance microbiome solutions,” she says.
Isabelle de Cremoux, CEO of Seventure.Modulating the microbiota of the adults and their interaction with the rest of the body is another means. This is by acting on the epithelial barrier, modulating metabolites in addition to modulating the micro-organism ecosystem, she explains.
“Personalized nutrition and prebiotics or postbiotics are an additional way to advance this space,” De Cremoux says, speaking of the move’s significance.
A collective of experts
As part of the agreement, De Cremoux will join four other experts on an internal Cargill advisory board tasked with providing strategic guidance and insight as Cargill continues to grow its health technologies portfolio.
The advisory board already includes Dr. Bruce German, a professor at UC Davis and co-founder of a start-up focused on infant nutrition; Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders, a 30-year veteran probiotic industry consultant who was the founding president of the International Scientific Association of Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP); and Scott Bush, a probiotics commercial leader with more than 30 years of experience.
“Bringing the outside in is critical as we grow in this emerging field,” says Warta. “Our advisory board members bring a critical mix of commercial and scientific expertise to challenge our assumptions and broaden our thinking.”
Cargill’s move into the digestive and immune health space began in 2017 with its acquisition of Diamond V, a leading animal nutrition and health company, and investment in Delacon, a pioneer in phytogenics health solutions.
Looking ahead, the company sees health ingredients as one of the fastest-growing segments in nutrition and is concentrated on growth opportunities for both animal and human application.
Cargill also announced that it is partnering with BioGaia for digestive and immune health following a US$25 million investment. The anchor investment gave Cargill an initial minority stake in the Sweden-based company and was part of BioGaia’s direct issue of 2.86 million class B shares, raising proceeds of SEK 1.1 billion (US$127 million).
By Kristiana Lalou
