Here’s Terra Oleo! This Singapore-based biotech company creates sustainable alternatives to palm oil derivatives and cocoa butter. They just emerged from stealth and raised $3.1M.

• They were also selected to join Breakthrough Energy’s 2025 Fellows Program, which supports early-stage companies that build tech to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at gigaton scale. 

Investor check. ADB Ventures, The Radical Fund, Elev8, Better Bite Ventures, a strategic corporate investor from the palm oil industry, and other investors funded the round. 

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🥥 The big challenge

Palm oil and cocoa supply chains are strained. In 2024, cocoa stocks fell 26%, while futures prices reached record highs. 

• Global palm oil exports also dropped amid rising demand and production constraints. 
• Producers and consumer goods companies need alternatives—and that’s where Terra Oleo comes in. 

More context. Palm oil derivatives and cocoa butter are commonly used ingredients in personal care, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food. 

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🌴 The ABCs of Terra Oleo

Their platform uses precision fermentation to turn agro-industrial waste into sustainable palm oil ingredients and cocoa butter alternatives. 

• They can deliver tailored lipid profiles, while eliminating energy-intensive refining steps and toxic byproducts of conventional processes. 
• Terra Oleo claims that at full scale, their tech could eliminate up to 900M tons of carbon dioxide across the palm oil and cocoa supply chains. 

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🛢️The growth plan

They’ve already signed product testing deals with several global and regional leaders in oleochemicals, food, personal care, and cosmetics. 

• Terra Oleo will scale from lab to pilot while advancing customer formulation testing and validation.

Next phase. They’re looking out for potential partners in the oleochemicals and specialty fats sector to sample ingredients or co-develop customized lipids.