Aussie VC invests in world-first food waste tech

Australian investment firm, Tundra Capital, has led a $2.4 million Series A raise for deep-tech company, N&E Innovations. The Singaporean company turns discarded food waste into an edible antimicrobial that can help fresh produce last up to four times longer.

N&E Innovations' patented technology called ViKANG99 that takes agricultural waste, including discarded cashew nut husks, and extracts naturally occurring compounds that fight bacteria and mould.

Those compounds are then turned into an edible, food-grade ingredient that can be applied directly to fresh produce or built into products such as food packaging and cling wrap, as well as hand sanitiser and cleaning products.

N&E already counts high-profile customers including Singapore Airlines and leading Singapore supermarket chain Sheng Siong.

The company’s KeepWell hand sanitiser was also selected for inclusion in the official 2026 Singapore National Day Parade fun pack, putting N&E’s home-grown antimicrobial technology into the hands of participants at one of Singapore’s biggest national celebrations.

The funding comes as the company accelerates its international expansion across Australia, the UK, Germany, Vietnam and Taiwan, where its products are already being used by restaurants and foodservice operators and its consumer range is preparing to launch through IGA supermarkets.

N&E was co-founded in 2020 by biomedical scientist Didi Gan, who set out to solve two major global challenges – reducing food waste and finding safer, more natural ways to keep fresh food fresher for longer.

Gan’s solution was to look at the waste itself. N&E's patented process breaks down agricultural by-products such as cashew nut husks at a molecular level to extract active antimicrobial compounds, which are then refined into a food-grade ingredient.

One of its first applications is The Orange Wrap – what the company is calling “the world's first antibacterial cling wrap”.

Unlike conventional cling wrap, which creates a physical barrier around food, The Orange Wrap incorporates ViKANG99 into the material itself, allowing it to actively inhibit bacterial growth and help food stay fresher for longer.

Gan said the Series A would allow N&E to accelerate commercialisation of the technology internationally.

“Food waste is usually seen as something we need to get rid of. We see it as a resource,” she explained.

“We can take something like a discarded cashew nut husk, extract the compounds that naturally fight microbes and turn them into an ingredient that can help protect food.

“The exciting part is that ViKANG99 isn't limited to one product. It can be incorporated into packaging, used on fresh produce or formulated into cleaning products, which gives the technology enormous potential.”

Australian VC backs global expansion

N&E's Series A was led by Australian agrifood investment firm Tundra Capital, with SGInnovate, Singapore's government-owned deep-tech investor, also backing the round along with The Radical Fund, Archipelago VC and SG7 Group. Existing investors Cercano, SEEDS Capital, Elev8 Capital and Qian Hu Corporation also continued their support.

The funding will be used to accelerate ViKANG99 across its three core markets of active antimicrobial food packaging, plant-based cleaning and post-harvest agriculture, while supporting international expansion, regulatory programs and growth of the company's team.

Timothy Hui, managing partner at Tundra Capital, said Tundra’s investment reflects the fund’s focus on technologies capable of solving major challenges across the global food system.

“N&E Innovations is one of those startups that ticks every box – their technology transforms agricultural waste into a valuable ingredient, their antimicrobial active ingredient is applicable at various points across the food value chain, and they have demonstrated customers globally love their product,” he said.

Australia becomes a key growth market

Australia is emerging as an important market for N&E, with the company establishing distribution across both consumer and commercial channels.

Kinoya was appointed exclusive Australian distributor of N&E's KeepWell range in June, with selected IGA supermarkets in Sydney lined up as an initial retail entry point.

KeepWell's plant-based cleaning and hygiene products are already being trialled by Australian hospitality businesses including M Bar Thai Eatery, Show Nom Dessert and Show Neua Thai, with operators reporting strong cleaning performance alongside the benefits of a plant-based product.

N&E's The Orange Wrap has also entered the Australian foodservice market through Perth-based distributors Familiar Goods and Ward Distribution, with the product now being used by established Australian food retailers.

Among them is Perth's The Re Store, a family-owned Italian delicatessen business established in 1936, specialising in smallgoods, cheeses, imported groceries and catering. With stores in Northbridge and Leederville, the business is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year and is operated by third-generation family members.

The Re Store owners Lorenzo and Moreno Berti said The Orange Wrap had impressed them with its quality and durability when handling premium deli products.

“At The Re Store, we handle prosciutto, salami, mortadella and more every single day, so the wrap we use matters as much as the produce itself,” they said.

“The moment we tried The Orange Wrap, the thickness and quality stood out straight away. It's a completely different wrap to what we were using before, and we love the strength of the packaging too.

“When you're handling the products that we do daily – such as meats, cheeses and pasta – you need something that will be reliable and protect the integrity of the product, and this does exactly that.”

According to Kieran King, owner of Familiar Goods, the antibacterial properties of the wrap were a significant point of difference for hospitality businesses.

“The antibacterial properties are what really set The Orange Wrap apart. It gives operators who care about food safety and hygiene real confidence in a busy kitchen,” King said.

“For our customers, it's about a genuinely better alternative that doesn't compromise on performance while helping to extend shelf-life, reduce waste and get more value out of every roll.”

N&E is also launching into agricultural markets later this year, applying ViKANG99 directly to fresh produce through its Post-Harvest Wash and Post-Harvest Guard systems.

The technology can be applied after fruit and vegetables are harvested to suppress mould and microbial growth, helping produce last longer through storage, transport and retail and providing a natural alternative to conventional post-harvest treatments such as chlorine and wax.