In a meeting signaling growing foreign investor interest in Tunisia’s sustainable sectors, Mohamed Gastli, CEO and co-founder of the insect protein startup nextProtein, was received at the headquarters of FIPA-Tunisia on December 22, 2025.
The session, led by FIPA Director General Jalel Tebib and the agency’s agri-food promotion team, focused on investment opportunities in Tunisia, the country’s improving business climate, and state incentives designed to support innovative, high-value-added projects.
Director General Tebib reaffirmed FIPA’s commitment to guiding both foreign investors and members of the Tunisian diaspora through every stage of their projects. He emphasized that 2026 is poised to be a particularly attractive year for investment and economic development in the country.
The meeting followed significant momentum for nextProtein. Gastli announced the recent finalization of a major €18 million funding round. The raise was led by SWEN Capital Partners and British International Investment (BII), with continued support from Mirova and RAISE Impact, setting the stage for an expansion in early 2026.
This strategic investment will primarily fund the opening of nextProtein’s second production site in Tunisia. The new facility is expected to boost the company’s total annual production capacity to 12,000 tonnes of insect-based ingredients.
The capital will also accelerate the company’s core mission: to provide sustainable, reliable, and competitive alternatives to traditional animal feed sources.
Founded in 2015, nextProtein operates on a circular economy model, transforming organic waste into sustainable insect protein. It has grown to become one of Europe’s leading insect protein scale-ups, forging partnerships in aquaculture and agriculture while proving the industrial-scale competitiveness of its products.
The company’s existing Tunisian site already employs over 30 engineers, with a clear roadmap for further capacity development in the coming periods.
TunisianMonitorOnline (BRC)
