BOX — Blue Ocean Xlerator

BOX N.V. (trading name: Blue Ocean Xlerator) is a Dutch private incubator and venture catalyst based in Wageningen, the Netherlands, founded in 2018. BOX invests in and accelerates early-stage and growth-stage technology companies in the sectors of agri, food, and life sciences. The organisation operates under the motto “For entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs” and provides portfolio companies with capital, expertise, laboratory access, and structured acceleration programmes. As of 2025, BOX is managed by Bert Tournois and Herman Feil.

BOX shares founding origins with TOP b.v. — Tournois and Feil are co-founders of both organisations — though TOP b.v. and BOX operate as independent entities and no longer have a formal organisational connection.

Company profile

History and background

BOX was established in 2018 by Bert Tournois and Herman Feil, drawing on their shared history at ATO-DLO (Agrotechnological Research Institute, affiliated with Wageningen University & Research) and at TDI B.V., a private incubator for high-tech companies in food, medical, chemical, and biotechnological sectors that Tournois founded in 2000.

Bert Tournois (PhD Chemistry, MSc Biology) was formerly director of ATO-DLO and founded TDI in 2000 after departing academic research. He has co-founded more than twenty high-tech companies across food, medical, and biotechnology domains.

Herman Feil (PhD Polymer Chemistry, University of Twente) directed the Biopolymers and Carbohydrate Chemistry department at ATO-DLO, growing the department from 35 to 70 researchers. He joined TDI in 2001 as co-owner.

The Wageningen location places BOX at the centre of the Netherlands’ Food Valley cluster — a concentration of more than 230 agrifood organisations including Wageningen University & Research, FrieslandCampina, and Unilever — providing direct access to scientific expertise, talent, and industry networks.

Investment model

BOX positions itself as a venture catalyst rather than a conventional venture capital fund. Its model combines:

• Capital: equity investment in early-stage and scale-up companies
• Acceleration programmes: 6–12 month customised programmes offering structured go-to-market support
• R&D infrastructure: affiliated access to laboratory and pilot facilities via TDI B.V.
• Expertise: operational involvement from the BOX team in portfolio companies

The investment thesis focuses on sustainable innovations with potential to address large-scale challenges in food, health, and agriculture — framed around feeding a growing global population and reducing the environmental footprint of food production.

Portfolio

Active portfolio companies

Exited portfolio companies

BOX reports approximately six exits to date:

Portfolio spotlight: Eatch

Eatch B.V. (Amsterdam, founded 2018–2019) develops the Eatch Robotic Kitchen Platform™ — an automated meal production system combining robotics and smart software for central kitchen operation. The system uses tilted rotating pans with internal pegs to execute stir-fry cooking motions, with over 100 sensors per cooking vessel for process control. Automated functions include pan oiling, ingredient dispensing, seasoning, plating, and pan cleaning.

Performance specifications:

The proprietary Meal Creator™ software allows meal customisation at individual scale. Target markets include offices, healthcare, education, travel and leisure, retail, and fast-casual foodservice. A named customer is ISS (facilities and catering services), operating an Eatch kitchen in Amsterdam.

Eatch has raised €4.5 million from investors including Slingshot Ventures, Certitudo Life Sciences Food, EIT Food, and Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland. The company is in discussion with US grocery chains and contract caterers for North American market entry.

Portfolio spotlight: DST Food — Sheartex

Dutch Structuring Technologies B.V. (DST Food, Maastricht, founded 2021) was co-founded by Bert Tournois (BOX) and Julian Lekner (CEO). The company develops Sheartex™, a patented continuous protein structuring technology that converts plant-based or hybrid protein formulations into fibrous meat-like structures without extrusion.

Conventional high-moisture extrusion (HME) — the dominant industrial method for plant-based protein structuring — uses single or twin-screw extruders and cooling dies. Sheartex instead applies high shear forces combined with specialised cooling dies in a continuous process, which DST claims produces greater textural versatility and scalability than extrusion at costs approaching those of conventional animal protein products.

Achievable textures: long meat-like fibres, tuna-like flaky structures, layered slices, whole cuts, shredded fibres, and chunk structures.

Equipment models:

Target applications: next-generation plant-based meat alternatives, hybrid products, whole-cut alternatives, textured vegetable protein replacements, and pet food.

DST Food collaborates with Sobatech Services on commercialisation and continuous mixing, Fuji Europe Africa B.V. on production machinery co-development, and Rockwell Automation (via distributor Routeco Netherlands) for automation. The company received approximately €400,000 in EU subsidy under the OPZuid programme for the “Sheartex to the market” project, running to 2027.