Cell Based Tech Weekly – Next Steps for OPTi-OX, BIOMILQ Raises $3.5M, Bühler Backs Big Idea Ventures

Categories Weekly Report
source:bit.bio

OPTi-OX, the technology out of Cambridge University spin out company, Bit Bio (founded by Dr. Mark Kotter), enables the reprogramming of any type of stem cell to become a more specialized cell type such as those in the liver, brain or immune system. OPTi-OX is MAKING MOVES:

  • Dutch cell based meat company, Meatable, licenses OPTi-OX for reprogramming animal cells and just raised an additional $6,756,300 as part of a Seed 2 financing round. Agronomics [ANIC] co-led the round with an investment of $1.1 million. Additional investors are undisclosed at this time. https://cellbased.link/nvj 
  • Bit Bio, the owner of OPTi-OX, raised an impressive $41.5 million in a Series A funding round to commercialize OPTi-OX for reprogramming human cells for use in research, drug discovery, and cell therapy. The Series A round was led by life sciences investors, Rick Klausner, Bob Nelsen, and Jim Tananbaum with additional investors including Foresite Capital, Blueyard Capital and Arch Venture Partners. https://cellbased.link/rq9 

Cultured Breast Milk

North Carolina based BIOMILQ raised $3.5M to bring cultured breast milk to market. Investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Blue Horizon Ventures, Purple Orange Ventures, and famed entrepreneur Shazi Visram (founder of Happy Family Brands) https://cellbased.link/vrg 

How it works: By culturing mammary epithelial cells, BIOMILQ is able to stimulate the cells to produce breast milk compounds including human casein and lactose. 

Why We Care: BIOMILQ’s technology is unique in its ability to streamline downstream processing by eliminating the need for purification or separation of desired compounds and media components — a major bottleneck to scaling fermentation or other cell based systems. 

Bühler x Big Idea Ventures

Swiss food multinational, Bühler joins the roster of strategic investors (Tyson Ventures + Temasek) backing Big Idea Ventures, New Protein Fund — a global venture accelerator investing in early stage plant based and cell based companies. 

Background: Bühler has an extensive background in processing plant based proteins and has been accelerating various processing technologies for the production of plant analogs through:

  1. A joint partnership with Givaudan to create an extrusion and processing facility for novel plant based food products based in Givaudan Woodlands site in Singapore;
  2. The Food Application Center in Minneapolis [LINK]. 

Start-ups at Big Idea Ventures (which operates in New York and Singapore) will be able to benefit from Bühler’s manufacturing facilities and extensive food processing knowledge.

If you’re interested in learning more about OPTi-OX and Bit Bio, check out this interview with Dr. Mark Kotter: https://cellbased.link/x2u