AFYREN, a French greentech company offering manufacturers biobased, low-carbon ingredients through a unique fermentation technology based on a circular model, received €7 million in additional financing for its subsidiary AFYREN NEOXY. This was obtained through the release of the second tranche of the Sustainability-linked loan secured in December 2024 and the New Industry Loan obtained in November 2024. AFYREN reports a cash position of approximately €35 million as of year-end 2025.
“After several months of tests and trials, our teams have now a good control of our process and its critical steps. I welcome their resilience and determination to meet the challenges related to the unique and innovative nature of our process. Based on these achievements, we are very confident in our ability to ensure the start of continuous production of AFYREN NEOXY in 2024, and to make AFYREN a leading player in industrial green chemistry worldwide”. To say it is Nicolas Sordet, Chief Executive Officer of AFYREN, the greentech company that offers manufacturers bio-based, low-carbon ingredients produced using unique fermentation technology based on a completely circular model. The French company provided an update on recent activity of its AFYREN NEOXY plant during a visit organised for individual and institutional shareholders, and confirmed its target to start continuous production in 2024.
The circular bioeconomy is innovation, the result of the skills and passion of researchers and managers able to create value and new high-qualified jobs, reconciling economy, society and the environment. At the end of 2014 Il Bioeconomista launched a new initiative: The 10 Most Innovative Bioeconomy CEOs.
We have asked a panel of world bioeconomy experts to tell us the Chief Executive Officers that have stood out as the most innovative during the last year.
Now we ask you to choose the most innovative CEO responding to our survey (open till December 13 at 7 am, Western European Time).
The most innovative CEO 2016 was Ken Richards (CEO of Leaf Resources, Australia)
The most innovative CEO 2017 was Tony Duncan (CEO of Circa Group, Australia)
The most innovative CEO 2018 was Jürgen Eck (CEO of BRAIN AG, Germany)
The most innovative CEO 2019 was Alex Michine (CEO of MetGen, Finland)
The most innovative CEO 2020 was Simão Soares (CEO of SilicoLife, Portugal)
The most innovative CEO 2021 was Jennifer Holmgren (CEO of LanzaTech, USA)
This is the result of 2022 (in alphabetical order)
Catia Bastioli, Novamont (Italy)
Dominique Boies, Enerkem (Canada)
Mathieu Flamini, GFBiochemicals (France)
Jennifer Holmgren, LanzaTech (USA)
Philippe Lacamp, SkyNRG (The Netherlands)
Matt Lipscomb, DMC Biotechnologies (USA)
Eric A. McAfee, Aemetis (USA)
Christophe Schilling, Genomatica (USA)
Nicolas Sordet, Afyren (France)
Tom van Aken, Avantium (The Netherlands)
“Simplification of the European regulatory framework could also go a long way toward accelerating and promoting the circular bioeconomy surge.“ Nicolas Sordet, founder and CEO of AFYREN, talks to Il Bioeconomista. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in France, AFYREN collected more than €70 million funding in 2019, which allows the company to grow from a pilot stage to industrial-scale production.
Interview by Mario Bonaccorso
IL BIOECONOMISTA 