Press release
Just labeled “green green tech” by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition, TOOPI Organics is financing its first production unit in South Gironde and is aiming for rapid international development
Bordeaux, France, April 14, 2020. Startup TOOPI Organics, specialized in the recycling of human urine for agriculture, announces that it has raised more than 1 million euros as part of a series A funding round. With a dozen innovation awards within a year, the company will open a first production unit near Bordeaux by the end of 2020, capable of transforming 750,000 liters of urine per year. With this funding, TOOPI Organics also intends to structure its collection network, secure the marketing of its urine-based biostimulants, and accelerate its national and European development.
This series A round was led by an evergreen investment company of international stature and the impact fund makesense Seed I. A historic shareholder, the regional fund Irdi Soridec was also joined by 3 family offices, 4 private investors, and the Allsun group, specialized in the import and trading of fertilizers.
Incubated at UNITEC, TOOPI Organics carried out this first round with the support of the Agence de Développement et d’Innovation de Nouvelle-Aquitaine (ADI), the Fundmeup platform, and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) of Bordeaux.
Founded in February 2019 with the support of the BPI and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, Toopi Organics has patented a microbiological process to enrich human urine with microorganisms of agronomic interest. The urine, which already contains the NPK fertilizing elements (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium), is decontaminated and converted into biostimulants at a lower cost. Studies by Bordeaux Sciences Agro and the Gironde Chamber of Agriculture have shown that TOOPI products are 30 to 110% more effective than traditional mineral fertilizers, and can reduce the water requirement of plants.
“Our ecological objective is twofold. In France, we contaminate over 200 billion liters of drinking water every year with our urine. Our first objective is to preserve the water resource, by collecting 1 to 5% of the total volume of urine produced every year. Our second objective is to free farmers from their dependence on mineral fertilizers, by offering them a true ecological alternative, with a range of biofertilizers that are more effective and cheaper than chemical products. “
Michael Roes, CEO, co-founder, TOOPI Organics
“Two key French distributors of fertilizers are now part of our shareholders. Our efforts will focus in the coming months on strengthening our patent portfolio, obtaining regulatort approval to launch our products on the market, and setting up urine collection and processing units, first in France, then in the Benelux, where partners are waiting for us. “
Dr Pierre Huguier, Scientific Director and co-founder, TOOPI Organics
