Onego Bio

Founded in 2022 as a spinoff from VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, Onego Bio is a Finnish BioTech startup that produces bioalbumen (animal-free egg protein) with cellular agriculture, with a specific precision fermentation process that creates animal-free egg white protein. Onego Bio’s bioalbumen technology was developed and researched at VTT, where they created ovalbumin–egg white protein–in powder form using the fungus Trichoderma reesei ('Tr-OVA'), which is suitable for large-scale industrial production. With the support of water, sugar, and specific minerals, this BioTech technique based on harnessing the microflora Tr-OVA for protein synthesis has the capacity to give considerable environmental benefits to egg white production.

The startup intended to initially offer the product as an ingredient for bakery and confectionery industries as well as a protein supplement for fitness products before moving into the consumer market with its own branded baking and culinary products. In November 2024, Onego Bio opened a 5,000 sq ft commercial headquarters in San Diego, California, which included office spaces, advanced laboratory capabilities, and a test kitchen. The company also plans to launch its first industrial-scale manufacturing facility in the US with a 2-million-liter fermentation capacity.