Astanor Ventures

Sustainable food systems for a sustainable future

Their Good Harvest Ventures I fund is the largest of its kind in Europe and invests in disruptive technologies for a better global food system.

The fund was established in 2018 and is headquartered in Brussels. Astanor invests in technology-driven early-stage companies with solutions for new sustainable food production, alternative protein sources and the fight against food waste.

Astanor invests globally with a main emphasis on Europe, and has chosen Norway as a strategic focus area for, among other things, aquaculture. The fund’s mission is to build a nourishing, regenerative, scalable and trusted food system.

Crucial to change our approach to food

To be able to reach the climate goals we need to change our approach to food. A new report from the EU reveals that a third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the food system. Food production is threatened by climate change, and at the same time today’s agricultural production contributes to the destruction of forest areas and increased emissions of greenhouse gases. With a growing population and more mouths to feed, it is absolutely necessary that we find more sustainable ways to distribute and consume food.

Fortunately, there are many technologies and solutions out there that can make the world’s food systems more sustainable. By combining strong domain knowledge in areas such as food, technology and growth with capital, Astanor identifies and develops companies that offer scalable solutions to challenges across today’s food value chains.

A team of experts

Astanor puts great emphasis on potential investment objects’ contribution to solving environmental challenges within the world’s food systems, and a positive contribution to the UN’s sustainability goals is a deciding factor when the fund considers which companies to invest in.

To find the best technologies, Astanor collaborates with an international team of investment partners and advisors consisting of industry leaders and experts from sectors such as food, agriculture, biotechnology, big data and AI. The Norwegian gourmet chef Christopher Haatuft is one of the advisors actively scouting for investment opportunities

as part of the fund’s strategy to focus on Norway as a strategic target area.

Norway is already leading the way in many areas within the food value chain, especially aquaculture. Astanor’s presence can help strengthen this position, at the same time as Norwegian companies gain access to growth capital, valuable networks and the opportunity to expand internationally.