Barcelona-based startup Mafer AI has raised €2 million in a pre-seed funding round to accelerate the development of its AI-native platform for research and development teams operating in formulation-driven industries.
The round was backed by Kfund, 4Founders Capital, Masia, and Lavanda Ventures, alongside a group of angel investors and industry experts from organisations including MIT, Google, Bain, BCG, Samaipata, Shakers, and Happy Robot.
Bringing AI To Formulation Industries
Founded in late 2025 by Fernando Oliver Jané and Marc Montalbo Burges, Mafer AI is developing MaferOS, an AI operating system designed specifically for R&D teams working across industries such as cosmetics, food, fragrances, chemicals, and nutraceuticals.
The company is tackling a longstanding challenge within formulation-based sectors, where decades of scientific knowledge, formulations, laboratory results, regulatory documentation, and technical expertise are often scattered across disconnected systems, spreadsheets, PDFs, and individual employees.
According to the company, this fragmented data environment slows innovation, increases development costs, and creates significant risks as experienced professionals retire or leave organisations.
Advertisement
Turning Historical R&D Data Into Competitive Advantage
MaferOS uses artificial intelligence to organise, structure, and analyse historical research data while maintaining strict customer-specific data separation and security.
The platform includes specialised modules that support laboratory analysis, data management, formula recommendations, regulatory workflows, and technical decision-making.
By transforming fragmented knowledge into structured intelligence, the company aims to help R&D teams shorten development cycles, improve collaboration, and accelerate the launch of new products.
Preserving Institutional Knowledge
As formulation industries face increasing pressure to innovate faster while managing complex regulatory requirements, Mafer AI sees the preservation and utilisation of institutional knowledge as a major competitive advantage.
The company believes advances in AI now make it possible for businesses to train proprietary models using their own historical data, unlocking insights that were previously inaccessible.
The newly raised capital will be used to further develop the platform, expand the team, and strengthen partnerships across formulation-intensive industries.
“Formulation industries have spent decades accumulating an incredibly valuable asset: their technical R&D history,” said Fernando Oliver Jané.
“Until now, there has been no effective way to leverage that knowledge at scale. Today, AI allows companies to transform their historical data into proprietary intelligence that can dramatically accelerate innovation and product development.
We believe a unique opportunity exists to build this category from Europe, and we intend to lead it.”
About Mafer AI
Mafer AI is a Barcelona-based startup developing AI infrastructure for formulation-driven industries. Its platform helps R&D teams organise technical knowledge, automate workflows, accelerate product development, and preserve institutional expertise across sectors including food, cosmetics, chemicals, fragrances, and nutraceuticals.
