ÄIO turns 4: from a scientific idea to an industrial reality

Reaching a fourth birthday may sound modest outside the startup world. Inside it, it is a milestone worth celebrating.

Globally, only around 50% of startups survive beyond their fourth year. In deeptech and biotechnology, where development cycles are long, capital intensity is high, and regulation adds complexity, the odds are even tougher. Making it to year four means a company has moved beyond an idea, beyond early experiments, and into a phase where technology, team, and trust have been proven.

From a research idea to a registered company

ÄIO was officially registered on January 17, 2022, by co-founders Dr. Nemailla Bonturi and Prof. Petri-Jaan Lahtvee. What began as years of scientific research in microbial fermentation and lipid metabolism became a shared decision to build something bigger: a company capable of changing how fats and oils are produced.

The idea was simple in principle, but ambitious in execution:
to replace unsustainable agricultural and animal-based fats with fermentation-derived alternatives, produced from low-value side-streams and designed for industrial scale.

Founders with deep scientific roots

ÄIO’s foundations are firmly scientific.

• Dr. Nemailla Bonturi, co-founder and CEO, is a Brazilian-born biotechnologist with over 20 years of experience in fermentation, bioprocess engineering, and lipid research. An alumna of UNICAMP (Universidade Estadual de Campinas), one of Latin America’s leading engineering universities, she was named Distinguished Alumni of the Year in 2024. Today, she leads ÄIO’s strategy, scale-up, partnerships, and international presence as a scientist-turned-CEO.
• Prof. Petri-Jaan Lahtvee, co-founder and COO, is a professor at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and a leading expert in metabolic engineering and yeast biotechnology. His academic work laid the scientific groundwork for ÄIO’s proprietary yeast platform and fermentation processes.

Together, they represent what ÄIO stands for: science first, scale second, impact always.

Built in Estonia, designed for the world

ÄIO is proud to be built in Estonia, one of Europe’s most dynamic startup ecosystems.

Despite its small size, Estonia consistently ranks among the countries with the highest number of startups and unicorns per capita. It is often called the Silicon Valley of Europe for a reason: fast company formation, strong digital infrastructure, founder-friendly regulation, and close collaboration between universities, startups, and the public sector.

ÄIO itself is a TalTech spin-off, benefiting from Estonia’s strong support for science-based entrepreneurship. From day one, the company has been international, reflecting both its mission and its team.

The ÄIO team today

From two founders in 2022, ÄIO has grown into a highly international team of over 20 people from whom 23% of the team holds a PhD and over 50% hold an MSc degree.
Expertise spans fermentation, bioprocess engineering, downstream processing, cosmetics development, food applications, regulatory affairs, and commercial strategy. This depth is essential in deeptech. Building sustainable fats and oils requires not only innovation, but precision, safety, and repeatability at scale.

Four years of progress: key milestones

Over its first four years, ÄIO has moved steadily from research to reality:

• Development of a proprietary yeast platform capable of converting side-streams into lipids
• Creation of three product categories: RedOil, ZymaLipid Complex, and Encapsulated Oil
• Validation of applications in cosmetics, food, and oleochemical sectors
• Collaboration with 100+ partners globally for testing, formulation, and validation

2025: a breakthrough year

If the first years were about building foundations, 2025 was about scale and visibility. Key highlights include:

• scale-up from 300 L pilot scale to 10,000 L demo scale, with preparation underway for 100,000 L production
• validation of downstream processing at industrially relevant volumes
• securing over €2 million in R&D grants to accelerate development
• submission of a novel food dossier in Singapore, marking a major regulatory milestone
• expansion of cosmetic collaborations and active sample testing with manufacturers
• participation and pitching at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield and Web Summit
• representation at COP30, contributing to discussions on sustainable food systems
• hosting the President of Estonia at ÄIO’s facilities, highlighting national recognition
• multiple international nominations and awards across deep tech and sustainability

Building industrial biotechnology is not possible alone. ÄIO is grateful for the continued support of its investors, public funding bodies, and partners who share the long-term vision of sustainable ingredient production. Their trust has enabled the company to invest in science, infrastructure, and people at the pace deep tech requires.

What comes next

Turning four is not a finish line. It’s a checkpoint. Looking ahead, ÄIO is focused on:

• Commercial sales for the cosmetics industry
• Continued scale-up toward 100,000 L and beyond
• Advancing regulatory pathways for food applications
• Preparing for a Series A investment round in Q3 2026
• Expanding partnerships with manufacturers who want resilient, traceable, and sustainable lipid solutions

The name ÄIO comes from Estonian mythology. Äio is the god of dreams. We believe dreams matter, but only if you do the work to make them real. Four years in, we’re still running the marathon. With more science, more scale, and more impact ahead.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey so far.