Maia Ventures Launches €55M Fund To Link Italy’s Food Industry With Innovation

Its Limited Partners include institutional investors like the European Investment Fund (EIF) and CDP Venture Capital Sgr, along with private investors such as Teseo Capital sicav-sif, Cereal Docks (via Grey Silo Ventures), and Andriani.

“What excites us is the calibre of science and operator talent now converging on topics such as food-as-medicine, innovative ingredients, and resilient supply chains. As an early-stage partner, we aim to be among the first institutional believers, helping Founders connect with industry leaders and lay the foundations for scale”, said David Bassani, Founding Partner at Maia Ventures.

The launch of Maia Ventures’ first fund comes at a dynamic time for Europe’s AgriFoodTech scene in 2025. Recent deals include Proba (Netherlands, €1M) for agri-food decarbonisation, ODOS (Spain, €680K) for data-driven sustainability, and KOA Biotech (Spain, €2M) for aquaculture biosensors.

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Larger rounds are also emerging, such as Ecorobotix (Switzerland, €90M Series D) in precision farming, feld.energy (Germany, €10M+) in agri-PV, and Fungu’it (France, €4M) in fermentation-based ingredients.

Earlier this year, Nordic Foodtech VC announced a €40M first close for its second fund slightly smaller than Maia Ventures’ €55M launch, yet equally focused on early-stage innovations reshaping food and agriculture.

By bridging Italy’s strong food industry with emerging innovations in food, health, and sustainability, Maia Ventures aims to drive new momentum in Italy’s AgriFoodTech ecosystem.

“By combining deep industry know-how with a strong industrial network, Maia is best positioned to identify and invest in solutions to problems that matter, instead of in solutions in search of a problem. This, we believe, is the key to tangibly accelerate the much-needed evolution of our industry,” said Andrea Galassi, Founding Partner at Maia Ventures.

Founded in 2024 by Andrea Galassi and David Bassani, Maia Ventures supports alternative investment funds in the AgriFoodTech sector. Acting as the exclusive advisor to Praesidium S.A., the firm assists in sourcing, structuring, and managing investments.

Currently fully operational with six investments completed, the fund is aiming for a final close in the coming months. The Maia Ventures team includes former founders, investors, operators, and scientists, backed by a technical advisory group from leading AgriFood universities and corporates.

“We invested in Maia Ventures because it connects Italy’s world-class food industry with breakthrough AgriFoodTech innovation. The team’s deep expertise and robust network enable them to identify high-impact DeepTech solutions at the intersection of nutraceutical, food and health, where long-term value and systemic resilience are established,” said Claudia Pingue, Head of Tech Transfer Fund of CDP Venture Capital.

Maia pursues both financial returns and positive impact, striving to build a healthier, more efficient, and resilient global food system. Positioned as a value-add partner, the firm connects Italy’s established food industry with high-potential startups from leading accelerators, universities and the wider AgriFoodTech ecosystem.

Amid the current AgriFoodTech funding slowdown, Maia sees a strategic opportunity to back innovations addressing structural global shifts and critical industry challenges particularly those at the intersection of food, health, and sustainability.

About Maia Ventures

Maia Ventures is an early-stage VC supporting visionary AgriFoodTech entrepreneurs, investing in innovative solutions that enhance health, efficiency, and resilience, and drive sustainable, transformative impact across the agrifood value chain.