Green Fusyon: local innovation powering alternative proteins
Founded in 2024, the start-up Green Fusyon is transforming by-products from biogas plants to produce chlorella, a nutrient-rich microalga. It is supported and accompanied by members of the Université Paris-Saclay Innovation Alliance, the cluster coordinated by Université Paris-Saclay.
In response to the ecological transition, new ways of eating have been emerging in recent years: edible insects, by-products and algae are finding their way onto plates as alternatives to animal protein. With a background in the insect industry, Jacques de Montigny, co-founder of Green Fusyon, founded in 2024, observed the following after attending several European food trade shows: algae, which form the basis of many products, offer promising nutritional qualities for the food market. Currently marketed mainly in the form of dietary supplements, this raw material is in high demand, but supply remains limited, with nearly 90% of production concentrated in Asia. This led to the idea of developing competitive, low-carbon local algae production.
This marked the starting point of the Green Fusyon project, which took shape following Jacques de Montigny's meeting with an expert in anaerobic digestion, a fast-growing sector in France. This decomposition process transforms organic waste into biogas (methane, carbon dioxide and other gases) for energy production, as well as into a fertilising material. Jacques de Montigny and his partner explored how unused waste from biogas plants could be repurposed by transforming it into feed for cultivating a microalga, chlorella, which forms the basis of many dietary supplements.
Towards local, sustainable and accessible chlorella
Chlorella is currently the second most widely consumed microalga in the world. This is explained by its nutritional qualities: very high in protein, it contains omega-3 fatty acids comparable to those found in fish oil - a rarity in the plant world - and is the only plant-based source of vitamin B12. These attributes make it a highly sought-after, and therefore very expensive, dietary supplement. "For consumers, it can cost up to €150 per kilo, and for manufacturers, it is difficult to find quality chlorella below €60/kg. It is generally chlorella of variable quality imported from Asia," explains Jacques de Montigny.
Although many manufacturers would like to incorporate chlorella into their formulations, high production costs and the absence of local sourcing prevent them from doing so. This is where Green Fusyon comes in: producing quality chlorella in Europe, while reducing production costs. "Thanks to our technology, we expect to achieve 20% of the current price of chlorella," says the start-up's co-founder.
Working from precise industrial specifications, the team developed innovative solutions based on a partnership with biogas plants. In addition to biogas, including CO2, biogas plants also produce a nitrogen-rich liquid that is difficult to transport and repurpose. These by-products, considered constraints, become real resources for Green Fusyon, as these two elements are exactly what chlorella needs to grow. The CO₂ and nitrogen produced are recovered and used as nutrients for chlorella cultivation. This cultivation takes place in a controlled environment on site in large closed stainless steel tanks. "The result is a nutritious, less expensive, local and environmentally friendly microalga. This opens up major development potential for the European food market," adds the co-founder.
Building success: the key role of the members of Innovation Alliance Université Paris-Saclay
In 2024, Green Fusyon won several competitions, including Agrinove, which rewards projects contributing to tomorrow's agriculture, and the Next Startupper Award at the Viva Technology international trade show. Since then, Green Fusyon has established itself within the local and national deeptech landscape, leveraging a number of factors to reach its current level of maturity.
An engineer and graduate of the Master's in Innovation and Performance in Life Science Companies (IPEV), a double degree from AgroParisTech and Université Paris-Saclay, Jacques de Montigny was able to rely on an entire ecosystem to support him at the start of the project. The first decisive support came from AgroParisTech. As a winner of the maturation jury of the “Itinéraire Entrepreneuriat” programme, the young agronomist received initial funding that was essential to launching the project. "Without this prize, we would never have been able to launch our prototype, and the company would probably not have been created so quickly," he explains.
Jacques de Montigny also benefited from the student-entrepreneur status through Pépite PEIPS (Paris-Saclay Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation), a government-approved scheme supporting student entrepreneurial projects. This framework enabled him to complete his six-month internship within his own company. "It gave me the opportunity to dedicate all my time to it, which genuinely accelerated the project's launch."
From a technical and scientific perspective, Green Fusyon is supported by AgroParisTech's Food'InnLab, a programme dedicated to supporting project leaders in the agri-agro sector. "It's a real R&D force and a considerable advantage compared with other companies." The team can also rely on the support of its mentor, Grégoire Burgé, Deputy Director for Innovation at AgroParisTech and coordinator of the school's InnLab. He guides the team, supports the administrative aspects, assists with preparing applications, and provides access to a network of partners in the agri-food industry. In addition, the start-up is supported by CentraleSupélec's accelerator 21st, which helps the team with financing issues such as fundraising, overall strategy and networking. "These two support mechanisms are proving to be particularly complementary in our development," says the entrepreneur.
However, the support does not stop there. On a regional level, Green Fusyon joined French Tech Paris-Saclay, a Innovation Alliance Université Paris-Scalay partner. "It's a free scheme, which is significant for a small company like ours. It is thanks to them that we found our premises at the Ferme du Moulon." The association also facilitates connections with major industrial players. In June 2025, Green Fusyon had the opportunity to present its solution on the Université Paris-Saclay stand at Viva Technology. "This was a real spotlight for us. Together, all the stakeholders on the Saclay plateau help us progress at each stage: technical, business, strategic, financial and networking," summarises Jacques de Montigny.
The company, which established its first production site in Normandy in June 2025, is now preparing to take the next step and gradually move from pilot to industrial scale. Large-scale commercialisation is planned alongside the full opening of the Normandy site, scheduled for 2028. A long road still lies ahead for the team, but it remains driven by its vision, ambition and a committed and proactive ecosystem.