Nortian, a biotech company pioneering the production of ultra-pure collagen through a proprietary and vertically integrated process, announced it has raised $41 million in a funding round (one of the largest in the collagen space) to launch its U.S. manufacturing operations and accelerate commercialization. The funding round was led by AJ Hollander, one of the world’s largest hide processors and traders. Hollander features unmatched scale and security in hide sourcing, processing over 10,000 hides daily across five U.S. facilities.
Additional participation came from Hubbard Ingredients, the owner of Integrated Proteins, a Midwest-based supplier to the global animal protein industry; XPTO, the family office of XP’s founding partners; and several prominent family offices from Texas and the Midwest. Together, these investors bring deep operational expertise and industrial alignment, ensuring Nortian is positioned for long-term growth and supply chain resilience.
With a post-money valuation of $100 million, Nortian is now prepared to activate its state-of-the-art U.S. manufacturing hub — the largest in the country — in St. Joseph, Missouri. And the production facility spans over 90,000 square feet on a 24-acre site, with an initial capacity of 600 tons per month and plans to scale up to 1,000. The project is expected to create 138 new jobs in the region, supporting local economic development alongside national production goals.
Nortian’s proprietary process transforms hides — which are typically discarded in the meat industry — into highly purified collagen with 99% purity and 98% protein concentration, among the highest in the global market. And so the company is also tackling a longstanding environmental challenge: animal waste. By reclaiming and upgrading this byproduct, Nortian offers a scalable model for upcycling animal byproducts into high-value ingredients, bridging industrial food systems with modern biotech to drive impact across health, nutrition, and manufacturing.
Before launching Nortian, founder and CEO André Albuquerque built and sold Suplax, one of Latin America’s largest supplement contract manufacturing companies. And he later founded an ingredient manufacturing company, which was acquired by an investment fund in 2024. With over a decade of experience in the food, supplements, and ingredients sectors, Albuquerque brings a proven track record of scaling category-defining businesses. Nortian’s leadership team includes alumni from Morgan Stanley, UBS, and leading biotech companies, and is supported by a board of seasoned operators and strategic investors.
KEY QUOTES:
“Eighty percent of collagen sold in the U.S. is still imported, often with limited quality control. We’re building the most advanced and reliable high-protein ecosystems in the world. Fully made in the U.S. and optimized for next-generation health and nutrition.”
Andre Albuquerque, Nortian’s Founder & CEO
“Nortian combines American manufacturing muscle with biotech-level precision. This team knows how to scale, and they’re doing it with the right partners, in the right place, at the right time.”
Benjamin Ganz, Founding Partner of AJ Hollander
