ÄIO Information

We are ÄIO, a deep-tech startup from Estonia with a mission to transform fats and oils into sustainable, climate-positive functional ingredients. Our proprietary precision fermentation platform uses robust yeast strains to upcycle wood and food industry side-streams into functional microbial oils. By leveraging local biomass and industrial residues, we offer alternatives to palm, coconut, and animal fats, without depending on arable land, seasonal crops, or deforestation-prone agriculture. Founded in 2022 as a TalTech spin-off, ÄIO has rapidly scaled from lab experiments to 300L pilot production in 2024 and 10,000 L in 2025. 100,000L scaling is planned for Q4 2026. The first commercial cosmetics product was released in April 2026 in cooperation with Estonian cosmetics brand tilk! Our ingredients: Encapsulated oil, Fermira™ RedOil, and ZymaLipid Complex, are designed for applications in food, feed, cosmetics, and green chemistry. Join us as we build one of Europe's leading biotech companies, redefining value chains and delivering scalable, circular solutions to global challenges. ÄIO's co-founders are Dr. Nemailla Bonturi and Professor Petri-Jaan Lahtvee. We are preparing for A investment round in Q4 2026.