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Edible coating solution company Startchy raises seed round from global logistics giant Maersk and Döhler Ventures.

Startchy is a Lebanese-American company that creates an all-natural, edible coating solution that can be applied to fruits and vegetables to extend shelf life. The coating is made of natural food ingredients, which slows ripening and moisture loss.

Startchy has been testing its solution extensively. Recently, they have finished a successful pilot with a major US producer of apples and pears, more than doubling the marketable shelf-life of their apples.

Maersk Growth and Döhler Ventures have both invested in Startchy. This enables Startchy to access the global network of Maersk, the world’s largest transporter of food and meet global demand with the production expertise and footprint of Döhler, a global producer of natural ingredients with 180 years of experience. The new funding will allow Startchy to scale up its operations and expand its technology portfolio to support new partnerships.

“We are excited to scale and further develop our coating solution and look forward to benefiting from the support of these two experienced partners who are well-aligned with our vision of fighting food waste through natural means”, says Richardos Lebbos, CEO and founder of Startchy.

Startchy is a FoodTrack by Maersk graduate. FoodTrack is an intensive, one-month venture program focused on tackling the problem of global food loss.

About Startchy

Startchy was founded in 2017 by Richardos Lebbos. Startchy’s mission is to reduce food spoilage and eliminate reliance on plastics and synthetic chemicals by using natural bio-based technologies. As an alternative to wax, Startchy can be applied using industry-standard coating equipment. The team participated in the Agrytech acceleration program of 2017. Find out more here: http://startchy.com/

About Maersk Growth

A.P. Moller – Maersk is an integrated logistics company working to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains. As the global leader in shipping services, the company operates in 130 countries and employs roughly 76,000 people. Growth is Maersk’s launchpad for new ventures and is part of Maersk’s overall efforts to drive the transformation of the transport and logistics industry and shape the future of trade through connecting start-ups and ideas with operational expertise and world-class infrastructure. For more information, visit https://growth.maersk.com/

About Döhler Ventures

Döhler is a global producer, marketer and provider of natural ingredients, ingredient systems and integration solutions for the food and beverages industry. The company is active in over 130 countries, with more than 6.000 employees. Döhler Ventures is a long-term oriented and entrepreneurial investor empowering early-stage startups in the Nutrition & Technology ecosystem. For more information, visit: https://www.doehler-ventures.com/

Contact

For all inquiries, please contact: richardoslebbos@startchy.com