The funds is set to enter the thriving U.S. market in the second half of 2026, after gaining self-affirmed GRAS status in 2024 and receiving an FDA “No Questions” letter in 2025.
In parallel, the company will advance regulatory pathways and strategic partnerships in Europe, the Middle East and selected Asian markets, with expansion planned in the coming years.
Stéphane Mac Millan, CEO and co-founder of Verley, said the successful round is proof that Europe is “a competitive player in the key future food technologies of tomorrow, combining scientific excellence, industrial rigor and market relevance”.
“Verley’s mission is to address the growing global demand for high-quality nutrition while preserving the planet’s natural resources,” she said, adding that the firm is now ready to help alleviate the pressure the dairy industry is facing.
The funds will additionally be invested in R&D to further strengthen the performance, efficiency and sustainability of its technologies.
Addressing a growing gap in protein supply
This milestone comes at a critical time, as global protein demand accelerates and dairy production comes under pressure.
The global protein market was valued at approximately $56.25 bn in 2025 and is projected to reach $108.76 bn by 2034 (Towards FnB), largely driven by the US market where 86% of Americans say they’re actively trying to add more protein to their diets (RepData research).
“High-protein nutrition has become a mainstream expectation across categories, while demographic growth, evolving dietary habits and the rapid expansion of GLP-1 treatments are further increasing demand for high-quality, digestible protein ingredients,” Mac Millan said.
In fact, the global GLP-1-friendly hydration drinks space is forecast to reach USD 3.48bn by 2033, a CAGR of 12.8% from 2025 to 2033 (Data Intelio).
As such, global dairy players expect demand to ramp up further as consumers search for ‘nutrient efficiency’ and ‘strength maintenance’, with bone health and muscle loss front of mind.
At the same time, conventional whey protein production is facing a number of constraints, including environmental regulations, rising costs, and climate volatility, limiting its ability to meet demand.
“As environmental standards tighten and carbon pricing mechanisms expand, production costs are increasingly reflected in market pricing,“ Mac Millan added.
Taken together, rising demand and structural supply constraints are creating sustained upward pressure on global protein markets.
“Verley’s model can contribute to greater price stability by decoupling protein production from some of the structural volatility affecting conventional agriculture,” she said.
Improved functionality
The ingredients are not only more sustainable, stable and digestible than more traditional forms of protein, but also offer enhanced nutrition benefits, with 11% more leucine than native whey protein isolates and 50% more than soy protein.
“Verley enhances whey proteins by producing purified beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) directly through precision fermentation, rather than extracting it from milk,” explained Mac Millan. “This allows us to reach very high levels of purity and compositional consistency that are impossible to achieve through conventional dairy processing.“
That purity translates into improved digestibility, a controlled amino acid profile, and stronger formulation performance.
Beyond purity, the firm has developed and patented functionalization technologies, including MicroFactor and GelFactor, enabling the fine-tuning of properties such as thermal stability, acid resistance and gelling capacity.
“This gives food manufacturers access to dairy proteins that perform reliably in demanding applications while supporting cleaner-label formulations with fewer additives,” added Mac Millan. “Our ambition is not simply to replicate whey, but to deliver proteins with enhanced nutritional precision and industrial functionality.”
The firm’s full range of powdered protein ingredients includes: FermWhey Native (95%+ protein) for compact formats or high protein products such as those in the sports nutrition category; FermWhey MicroStab, a micro-stabilized whey protein engineered for enhanced heat and acid tolerance for use in UHT beverages and fresh dairy products; and FermWhey, with advanced thermo-acid gelling properties ideal for yogurts.
