Investment in Clean Food Group Funding Round

Seed Innovations Limited

14 April 2026

 

Seed Innovations Ltd / AIM: SEED / Sector: Closed End Investments

 14 April 2026

SEED Innovations Limited

("SEED" or the "Company")

Investment in Clean Food Group Funding Round

SEED Innovations Ltd (AIM: SEED), the AIM-quoted investing company, announces that it has participated in a £4.5 million financing of its portfolio company, Clean Food Group ("CFG"), led by Clean Growth Fund and New Agrarian Company Limited ("New Agrarian"). The financing is structured via a convertible loan note ("CLN") and is intended to support CFG's commercial scale-up.

Jim Mellon, Non-Executive Chair of SEED, commented: "Our strategic focus remains firmly on robotics and AI. However, we retain a number of legacy investments, which we will continue to support selectively where we see compelling opportunities. Clean Food Group is making good progress, and this further investment enables SEED to maintain exposure to that momentum alongside leading sector investors."

DETAILS

CFG's Financing and SEED's Participation in the CLN

CFG has completed a £4.5 million financing, structured via a CLN, led by Clean Growth Fund and New Agrarian. As part of this financing, SEED has committed to invest £260,000 via the CLN, which carries a coupon of 12% per annum and matures in August 2027.

The CLN is convertible prior to maturity at a 20% discount to the price of a future equity fundraising or, in the event of a sale of CFG, at a 20% discount to the lowest price per share implied by the transaction. If not previously converted, the CLN will convert at maturity at a price of 16.5 pence per share, being the price of the last equity raise. The CLN ranks as an unsecured creditor prior to conversion and, upon conversion, will convert into preference shares ranking ahead of ordinary equity.

SEED's investment of £260,000 will be satisfied from its existing cash resources of approximately £2.7 million.

The Clean Growth Fund is a venture capital fund investing in early stage UK businesses that are focused on making measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions or improvements in resource efficiency.

New Agrarian is an investing company part-owned by SEED's Non-Executive Chair, Jim Mellon, who also serves as Co-Chair of CFG. Mr. Mellon is also the Co-Founder and Executive Chair of Agronomics Limited, a leading London-listed company focusing on investment opportunities within the field of clean food.  Together, New Agrarian, Agronomics Limited and Mr Mellon have a combined stake of approximately 36% in CFG. Mr Mellon's pre-conversion holding in CFG is approximately 5.3% on a "look-through" basis.

Valuation and Accounting Treatment

SEED holds 7,161,336 ordinary shares in CFG, representing approximately 4.5% of CFG's issued share capital on a fully diluted basis. As the investment is structured as a CLN, SEED's current equity interest in CFG remains unchanged. As the CLN does not imply an equity valuation for CFG unless and until converted, SEED does not consider that this transaction has any impact on the carrying value of its existing shareholding. SEED's holding of 7,161,336 shares in CFG was valued at £1.7 million in the Company's 2025 Interim Report.

Following completion of the investment, SEED's aggregate exposure to CFG, including both its equity holding and CLN participation, will be approximately £1.98 million, compared to a total invested cost of £647,000.

CFG is a pre-revenue company, which has raised approximately £13 million in funding to date. In the year to 31 December 2024 CFG reported a loss of c.£1.4 million and had Net Assets of £3.1 million.

CFG's full announcement is set out below and available at: https://cleanfood.group/news-insights.

Clean Food Group

('CFG' or the 'Group')

£4.5 million investment led by Clean Growth Fund and New Agrarian

Funding to accelerate scale-up of world-leading Knowsley fermentation facility

Clean Food Group, a leading UK biotech manufacturer pioneering sustainable oils and fats through fermentation, is pleased to confirm a £4.5 million investment led by Clean Growth Fund and New Agrarian, two specialist investors dedicated to fostering sustainable growth in food technology. CFG has also successfully secured a £700,000 non-dilutive grant from Innovate UK which further improves the Company's financial position.

Following the transformational acquisition of CFG's one million-litre fermentation manufacturing facility in Knowsley, Liverpool in September 2025, this latest funding, announced today at its in-cosmetics Global debut in Paris, provides the necessary capital to complete the scale-up of the Knowsley facility, expand production capacity and accelerate commercialisation of the Company's high-performance oils and fats.

The Knowsley site acquisition positions CFG as the world's largest manufacturer of yeast-derived oils and fats, enabling the Company to meet growing global demand for sustainable, locally produced alternatives to traditional agricultural and tropical oil supply chains. The global sustainable food market was valued at US$315 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach US$524 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 6.7%.^[1]

CFG's proprietary fermentation platform supports the manufacture of high-performance oils and fats that can deliver both sustainability and functionality at commercial scale, helping industries transition toward cleaner, more resilient ingredient systems across food, cosmetics and pet nutrition markets.

The Group continues to appreciate the support from its existing shareholders including institutional investor SEED Innovations and industry partner Döhler Group, one of the world's leading ingredient companies who are also supporting CFG's commercial scale up.

Tom Ellen, Chief Financial Officer of Clean Food Group, said: "We are extremely pleased to have the continued support of Clean Growth Fund and a new partner in New Agrarian, two highly respected specialist investors in sustainable food and industrial biotechnology.

"Their support, together with the Innovate grant, represents a strong endorsement of Clean Food Group's significant progress and the scale of the opportunity ahead. The capital raised will enable the Company to bring on stream the world's largest yeast-derived oils and fats facility and to deliver on our long-term vision for sustainable food manufacturing."

Rodrigo Hortega de Velasco, Managing Partner at Döhler Ventures, the strategic investment arm of Döhler Group, commented: "We are pleased to support Clean Food Group in this latest funding round and proud to have been part of the Company's scale-up journey to date. CFG has consistently demonstrated both the strength of its technology and the commercial potential of its sustainable oils and fats platform. The acquisition of the Knowsley facility marks a significant milestone, enabling production at a scale that brings these innovative products closer to widespread commercial reality. We look forward to continuing our collaboration as CFG advances towards full-scale market deployment."

Jim Mellon, Chair and Founder of New Agrarian, added: "Supply chain fragility is one of the defining risks of our time. War, climate volatility, and trade disputes are presenting a huge challenge to manufacturers; the ingredients we assumed would always be available are no longer guaranteed. Clean Food Group is addressing this problem head-on, using scalable science and technology to build genuine resilience and sustainability into the way we produce and source key ingredients used in everything from food to cosmetics. For me, this sits at a rare intersection: a compelling investment case and a genuine solution to one of the most pressing challenges of our generation."

Building the future of sustainable oils and fats

Clean Food Group's mission is to enable a more sustainable and resilient global food system by producing essential oils and fats through fermentation, using food waste feedstocks and scalable microbial production.

The Company is focused on reshaping how key ingredients are made, supporting the transition toward localised, low-impact manufacturing that reduces reliance on environmentally damaging supply chains, while meeting the needs of global consumer and industrial markets.

Ends

For further information on SEED please visit: www.seedinnovations.co or contact: 

Lance de Jersey	SEED Innovations Ltd	E: [e-mail]
James Biddle  Roland Cornish	Beaumont Cornish Limited,  Nomad	T: (0)20 7628 3396
Isabella Pierre  Damon Heath	Shard Capital Partners LLP  Broker	T: (0)20 7186 9927
Ana Ribeiro Isabel de Salis	St Brides Partners Ltd,  Financial PR	E: [e-mail]

NOTES 

Seed Innovations Ltd 

SEED Innovations Ltd (SEED.L) is an AIM-quoted investing company focused on providing access to high-growth robotics and AI ventures typically beyond the reach of everyday investors. The Company also oversees a legacy portfolio in wellness and life sciences, with a medium-term strategy to unlock its full value.

Nominated Adviser statement

Beaumont Cornish Limited ("Beaumont Cornish"), is the Company's Nominated Adviser and is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Conduct Authority. Beaumont Cornish's responsibilities as the Company's Nominated Adviser, including a responsibility to advise and guide the Company on its responsibilities under the AIM Rules for Companies and the AIM Rules for Nominated Advisers, are owed solely to the London Stock Exchange. Beaumont Cornish is not acting for, and will not be responsible to, any other person for providing the protections afforded to customers of Beaumont Cornish, nor for advising them in relation to the arrangements described in this announcement or any matter referred to herein.

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[1] https://www.datamintelligence.com/research-report/sustainable-food-market

 

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