Paris-based Standing Ovation Raises €30 Million To Scale Precision Fermentation Dairy Proteins

The round includes €25 million in equity, led by Ecotechnologies 2 (managed by Bpifrance under the France 2030 initiative) and Crédit Mutuel Innovation.

Existing investors such as Astanor, Bel Group, Seventure Partners, GoodStartUp, and Big Idea Ventures also participated, alongside new investors including Danone Ventures, Angelor, Newtree, and Noshaq. An additional €5 million in non-dilutive financing was provided by Bpifrance and a banking syndicate.

Founded in 2020, Standing Ovation is a French protein company using precision fermentation to develop alternative proteins with enhanced functionality. Its patented ingredient, Advanced Casein®, is designed to deliver low CO₂ emissions and efficient use of water and land, while maintaining the nutritional, taste, and functional qualities of animal-derived protein.

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The company targets the rapidly growing global protein market, expected to require an additional 250 million metric tons by 2050. It also highlights food security concerns, noting that France’s milk self-sufficiency could be at risk by 2027.

Standing Ovation aims to reduce reliance on global supply chains by using local circular resources and developing more sustainable protein production solutions.

According to the company, its technology protected by eight patent families addresses these challenges by upcycling agricultural sugars and milk whey, which are typically used for fertiliser or biogas, into high-quality casein. Standing Ovation describes casein as the “queen” of milk proteins, representing 80% of total milk protein.

The process also delivers environmental benefits, with the company claiming a 74% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and up to three times lower water usage compared to animal-derived casein, based on an ISO-certified life cycle assessment.

With this new funding round, following a €16 million Series A, Standing Ovation plans to accelerate the commercialisation of its casein. The company has chosen to partner with specialist fermentation manufacturers instead of building its own production facilities.

“Consumption of dairy products is growing every year in Europe, while global warming and declining livestock populations suggest that milk production will decrease or even stagnate. Through its production of casein via precision fermentation, Standing Ovation perfectly solves this challenge, making a significant contribution to decarbonising the dairy sector and adding value to key co-products. With this first investment in the agri-food sector, Crédit Mutuel Innovation reaffirms its ambition in the broad life sciences sector,” said Laurianne Garcia-Ordonez, Director of Investments at Crédit Mutuel Innovation.

Yvan Chardonnens, CEO, and Romain Chayot, co-founder and Managing Director of Standing Ovation, said, “Our ambition is to pioneer a new, circular, and sustainable approach to protein production to meet rapidly growing global demand. By combining technological innovation with the dairy industry’s expertise, we are bridging the gap between the agri-food industry and deep tech. Backed by strong technological barriers to entry, we are accelerating our rollout and helping to strengthen European food sovereignty.”