CDTI Innovación invests, together with Mondragón and UNIRISCO, in Néboda

CDTI Innovación, through its Innvierte investment vehicle, invests alongside Mondragón Fondo de Promoción II and UNIRISCO GALICIA S.C.R., S.A. in Néboda to scale sustainable indoor vertical farming of high-value crops

Néboda, a startup specialized in indoor vertical farming, has developed its own technological platform that enables the sustainable and scalable cultivation of leafy greens and aromatic herbs—such as basil.

By applying engineering, automation, and scientific knowledge, the company has quadrupled its yield per square meter over the past three years, achieving production levels that are among the highest globally.

Néboda combines hydroponics, automation, and computer vision to optimize every stage of the process, delivering fresh, flavorful, long-lasting, organic, pesticide-free basil—at costs competitive with traditional agriculture.

Thanks to its lean manufacturing approach and proprietary technology, Néboda has multiplied its yield per square meter by four in the last three years, while reducing water usage by over 90% and minimizing its environmental footprint. Its system is replicable anywhere in the world, enabling local production, ensuring product freshness from farm to consumer, and reducing logistics costs.

The company is currently in a pre-industrial phase, operating a 200 m² plant in Vigo with an annual production capacity of 8,000 kg. Its entire output is currently sold through leading fruit and vegetable distributors across the Iberian Peninsula.

With support from investors, Néboda aims to validate its production cost and performance KPIs to offer products with superior attributes compared to traditional agriculture (longer shelf life, consistent quality, and stable supply) at equivalent prices. In the medium term, the company aims to become the European market leader in basil and ready-to-eat packaged salads.

Néboda, founded in 2019 by Iván García Besada and Roberto Estévez Quintela, was created with the ambition of offering a real solution to the key challenges facing agriculture: labor shortages, climate change, and pressure on natural resources. With a scientific and industrial approach, its value proposition combines profitability, sustainability, and quality—positioning it as a standout company within Europe’s new generation of AgriFoodTech startups.

CDTI Innovación, through Innvierte, has just completed an investment in Néboda together with Mondragón Fondo de Promoción II and UNIRISCO GALICIA S.C.R., S.A., totaling €500,000.

Mondragón Fondo de Promoción II, FCR

This fund is managed by Clave Capital and aims to invest in technology-based companies aligned with the interests of the more than 150 cooperatives within the Mondragón Group (including industrial, automotive, B2B solutions, healthcare, etc.). The goal is to generate synergies between portfolio companies and Mondragón’s cooperatives. Investment tickets range from €250,000 to €2,000,000, assuming the risks typical of seed-stage ventures. The combined assets of Mondragón Fondo de Promoción I & II amount to €21 million, with an investment horizon of 10–12 years.

UNIRISCO GALICIA S.C.R., S.A.

Unirisco is the first venture capital firm in Spain focused on university spin-offs. It invests in pre-seed and seed-stage companies and has supported over 40 technology-based startups since 2001. Unirisco contributes to:

Technological development by offering an alternative to traditional tech transfer from universities to society through the creation of tech-based companies.
The creation and retention of qualified employment.

Innvierte

Innvierte is an initiative that promotes business innovation by supporting venture capital investments in technology-based or innovative companies. The program is implemented through the closed-end investment company Innvierte Economía Sostenible SICC S.M.E., S.A., which is self-managed and supervised by the Spanish Securities Market Commission (CNMV). CDTI Innovación is the sole shareholder.

To date, CDTI Innovación has committed €2.661 billion across 61 investment vehicles, which have invested in over 609 companies. Through its co-investment line, it has directly committed an additional €718 million to 190 companies.

Innvierte forms part of the Spanish Strategy for Science, Technology, and Innovation 2021–2027, approved by the Council of Ministers in September 2020. This strategy sets out the objectives, reforms, and measures needed to foster the growth and impact of R&D&I and forms a key pillar of the Spanish Government’s innovation policy.

CDTI Innovación

The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI E.P.E.) is a public agency under the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities. Its mission is to promote technological innovation within the business sector. CDTI’s goal is to ensure that Spanish companies generate and transform scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable, and inclusive growth. In 2024, under a new strategic plan, CDTI provided more than €2.3 billion in support for Spanish companies and startups.