Space-tech spin-off nunos raises €570K to turn manure into premium fertiliser
What's the deal? German agri-tech startup nunos has raised €570,000 in a pre-seed round led by NRW.BANK, the state development bank of North Rhine-Westphalia. The Hürth-based company converts cattle slurry and biogas digestate into higher-value fertiliser.
Where the money came from: NRW.BANK invested €300,000 through its NRW.SeedCap programme, with a further €270,000 from German business angels. The bank has backed nunos since 2024, initially via €200,000 in convertible loans that have now been converted into equity.
From space to soil: A spin-off of the German Aerospace Center (DLR)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, nunos adapts technology originally built to recycle nitrogen-rich wastewater in closed habitats such as lunar or Mars stations. The process turns slurry and digestate into a near-odourless, more stable fertiliser that stores better and lets farmers dose nutrients more precisely.
Founded in 2024 by Tim Paulke and Fabian Mielbach, the company added chief technology officer Xenia Steurer in 2025 and installed its first pilot plant at a biogas facility near Cologne that year.
What's the endgame? nunos will use the capital to prepare for market entry, focusing on marketing and sales. It plans two more pilot plants on farms in 2026, further crop trials in 2027, and its first plant sales that same year.
"nunos brings space research into agricultural practice and enables farms to use existing resources more efficiently," said Johanna Antonie Tjaden-Schulte, a member of NRW.BANK's board (translated from German).
The signal: The round is modest by venture standards, but it reflects growing interest in dual-use technology moving from aerospace into practical, resource-efficient agriculture. By cutting nutrient surpluses, the process also targets a persistent problem for groundwater and air quality across intensive farming regions.
Image credit: B4bees
