Avrio Capital Inc. has invested in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan based POS Bio-Sciences Inc., the sixth investment of Avrio Ventures Limited Partnership III. Financial terms were not disclosed.
POS Bio-Sciences is a global leader in the creation of value-added products from biological-based raw materials — providing R&D, custom processing, and analytical services to clients on six continents. In operation since 1977, the company has worked closely with entrepreneurs, multi-national corporations and governments in providing innovative solutions in processing and extracting complex proteins, oils, starches and bioactive components from various forms of biomass.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with POS in driving the transition from a predominantly research focused organization to a product-focused platform built on 40 years of expertise in processing and isolating compounds and molecules of interest from various biomass sources,” said Steven Leakos, Managing Director at Avrio.
“As we continue into the next phase of our development, we feel very fortunate to have attracted Avrio to assist in turning our overall business model towards a truly commercial enterprise. We are excited to have added the Avrio representatives to our commercialization advisory committee to drive the transformation of our Company in an efficient and profitable manner,” commented Dale Kelly, CEO of POS.
Avrio Ventures Limited Partnership III closed with total commitments approaching $110M in May of 2016. The fund is actively seeking quality opportunities to deploy $2-$10M in dynamic, growing agricultural and food technology companies seeking growth or expansion capital to address global issues related to health, wellness and sustainability.
The investment focus of Fund III remains in the agriculture and food technology sectors, where the firm has posted industry leading results with investments in companies such as Brookside, and Wolf Trax Inc., transactions that were selected as the Canadian Venture Capital Association (CVCA)’s Deal of the Year for generating outstanding investment returns.