Carozzi Ventures made its first corporate investment a year after starting operations, betting on the Chilean startup Frankles, founded by Francisca Schäfer and Matías Henríquez.
The round, led by Südlich Capital and accompanied by Vetercompra, reached US$1 million, marking a milestone for the ecosystem and for the corporate venture capital strategy of the Carozzi group.
Founded in 2020, Frankles was born with the mission of solving one of the least addressed and most impactful challenges in the agri-food chain: the valorization of byproducts that are currently discarded or underused.
Frankles: technology to create new biocomposites
The startup develops a biotechnological process capable of extracting high-value active ingredients and biocompounds with the help of technology, which can be used as fundamental ingredients for new product lines. Its approach combines applied science and circular economy and business together with collaborating companies.
For Carozzi Ventures, this is a strategic investment that not only promises financial return, but also deep alignment with the future vision of the business.
What did they see in Frankles?
- The potential of its biocomposites to enhance the development of new products within the group.
- The opportunity to open new horizons, completely new, allowing Carozzi to address adjacent industries.
- Its ability to attack an unsolved global problem: management and revaluation of agri-food by-products.
- A circular economy proposal aligned with the global demand for sustainable ingredients.
The future of the Chilean startup
Frankles continues to strengthen its scientific team and operational capacity. From Chile, they seek to consolidate the first results with companies that have already shown interest in the products and technology used.
With the support of specialized funds, corporate venture capital and companies from the south of the country, Frankles is positioned as one of the Chilean startups with the greatest projection in biotechnology applied to the food industry.
“We believe that the round really came at the perfect time and with the perfect pairs,” comments Francisca Schäfer, CEO of Frankles.
