NextFerm

What NextFerm does

NextFerm is an Israel-based food-technology company founded in 2013 in Yoqne'am Illit that develops improved microorganisms using a proprietary non-GMO platform, with its flagship application being fermentation-derived astaxanthin production. The company's core technology produces astaxanthin through industrial fermentation as a sustainable alternative to traditional algae-based or synthetic production methods, targeting the health, nutrition, and sustainable marine ingredient sourcing markets. The platform is described as cost-efficient relative to incumbent algae-derived and synthetic production routes, positioning NextFerm as an eco-friendly supplier in the high-value carotenoid/pigment value chain.

NextFerm is publicly listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under ticker NXFR and operates with a small headcount of 11–50 employees, consistent with a development-stage-to-early-commercial ingredient producer. The company has secured outside capital across multiple funding events, including a $5,000,000 round in May 2016 and a strategic investment from Arancia International in September 2022, indicating ongoing investor interest in scaling the fermentation platform. Leadership consists of co-founder and CEO Boaz Noy, co-founder and SVP of R&D and Business Development Tzafra Cohen, and Chairman Yossi Peled — a founder-led team with deep R&D and commercialization ownership.

The company's revenue model is ingredient sales into B2B channels (nutraceutical, aquaculture feed, and specialty nutrition formulators), though specific pricing, customer, distribution, and segment data are not disclosed in available sources. Reported financials in the input data appear inconsistent with the company's size and could not be reliably triangulated; no GTM motion, marketing channels, or sales mechanism details are available to characterize commercial execution. As a result, the most defensible read of NextFerm is a small, founder-led, public fermentation-biotech with a differentiated non-GMO production platform targeting the sustainable astaxanthin market, with significant uncertainty around current commercial scale.

Name

NextFerm

Website

https://nextferm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NextFerm is an Israel-based public food-tech company that uses a proprietary non-GMO fermentation platform to produce sustainable astaxanthin for the health, nutrition, and aquafeed industries as an alternative to algae-derived or synthetic production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nutraceutical Ingredients

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Fermentation-Derived Alternative Proteins Manufacturing (Precision Fermentation) (AFAKAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Biological Formulation, Fermentation & Scale-Up Manufacturing (AFABAEAM)

Keywords

• Fermentation-derived ingredients
• Microbial fermentation technology
• Astaxanthin production
• Food-tech biotechnology
• Nutraceutical ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Yoqne`am `illit

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain

Core offering

NextFerm develops improved microorganisms using a unique non-GMO proprietary technology platform, applying fermentation processes to produce sustainable ingredients such as astaxanthin for the health and nutrition industry. The company offers an eco-friendly alternative to algae-derived or synthetic astaxanthin, targeting nutraceutical, supplement, and food manufacturers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fermentation-Derived Astaxanthin

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Geltor: Geltor uses precision fermentation to produce animal-free proteins and bioactive ingredients for food and personal care. It shares NextFerm's core production technology (microbial fermentation for high-value ingredients) and target buyer profile (B2B ingredient customers), though its product mix differs.
• Perfect Day: Perfect Day uses precision fermentation to produce whey and casein proteins as alternatives to dairy. While its products are proteins rather than carotenoids, it shares NextFerm's precision fermentation technology stack, B2B ingredient model, and target of replacing conventional or animal-derived inputs with fermentation-derived alternatives.
• Motif FoodWorks: Motif FoodWorks applies precision fermentation and bioprocessing to develop alternative protein ingredients. It shares NextFerm's fermentation technology stack, B2B ingredient model, and focus on enabling next-generation sustainable food products, making it a useful scale-stage comparable.
• Cyanotech: Cyanotech produces natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis algae cultivation, directly competing with NextFerm's fermentation-derived astaxanthin in the same nutraceutical and feed markets. Both target the same end-buyers seeking non-synthetic astaxanthin, though via different production organisms.
• Remilk: Remilk applies precision fermentation to produce dairy proteins as animal-free alternatives, paralleling NextFerm's precision fermentation platform and B2B ingredient strategy. Both companies operate in the broader food-tech precision fermentation category serving sustainable ingredient demands.
• AstaReal (Fuji Chemical Industries): AstaReal, owned by Fuji Chemical Industries, is one of the largest commercial producers of natural astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis. It competes directly with NextFerm in nutraceutical-grade astaxanthin and shares the same value proposition of natural over synthetic alternatives.
• Algatech (DSM-Firmenich): Algatech, now part of dsm-firmenich, is a leading producer of algae-derived astaxanthin sold under the AstaPure brand. It is a direct competitor in natural astaxanthin supply for nutraceuticals and aquafeed, with substantially greater scale and a global commercial footprint.

Emerging players

• Equinom: Equinom is an Israeli food-tech company developing non-GMO plant proteins and ingredients using proprietary breeding and bioprocessing technology. It shares NextFerm's Israeli base, non-GMO positioning, and B2B food/feed ingredient focus, though it operates upstream in seed/protein rather than via microbial fermentation.

Broad incumbents

• JX Nippon Oil & Energy: JX produces synthetic astaxanthin for the aquafeed market and competes primarily on cost. While not a natural-source peer, it sets the price floor that NextFerm's fermentation route must navigate to gain share with cost-sensitive salmon feed producers.
• BASF: BASF is a major producer of synthetic astaxanthin (Lucantin) used widely in aquaculture feed pigmentation. It competes with NextFerm on price rather than positioning, and represents the low-cost incumbent that fermentation-derived routes must undercut or differentiate against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NextFerm