Melazyme, a precision fermentation startup based in Utah, has closed a $2 million seed round led by SeaX Ventures, with additional participation from Stellaris Venture Partners and Plug and Play Ventures. The capital will go toward platform development, production scale-up, and early commercial deployment.
The company was founded in 2025 by Perumal Gandhi, co-founder of Berkeley, California-based Perfect Day, and Bonney Oommen, formerly of Perfect Day, where he served as Chief Product and Strategy Officer. Melazyme’s focus departs from the dairy protein space associated with Perfect Day, instead targeting high-value biomolecules for cosmetic, industrial, and environmental applications.
A platform built on functional control
Melazyme’s two primary focus molecules are melanin and brazzein. Brazzein is a heat-stable sweet protein being advanced with commercial partners for food and beverage applications. Melanin is positioned as a multi-sector material combining broad-spectrum UV absorption, chemical stability, and selective affinity for metal ions. Those properties open potential applications across UV protection and pigmentation in cosmetics, advanced filtration, heavy metal sequestration, and rare earth element recovery.
Consistent, application-ready supply of melanin has historically been difficult to achieve through conventional methods. Melazyme says its fermentation platform produces the molecule with over 99% purity, compared to roughly 70-80% for melanin extracted from cuttlefish and around 75% for chemically synthesized material. The platform uses patent-pending proprietary technology and is designed to produce molecules with tunable functional properties engineered for specific end uses.
“Our platform is built around the ability to tune molecular function for specific applications. With melanin, that means the same underlying material can be engineered to solve entirely different problems across industries,” said Perumal Gandhi, CEO of Melazyme.
Near-term commercial activity is concentrated in cosmetics, where early engagement with global manufacturers is already underway.
Investor rationale
SeaX Ventures, the Bangkok-based deep-tech fund, led the round. Managing Partner Dr. Kid Parchariyanon pointed to the founding team’s background as a key factor, while also citing the commercial scope of Melazyme’s platform across consumer, industrial, and environmental markets.
“Perumal and Bonney bring rare experience building and scaling precision fermentation companies. Melazyme is targeting molecules where fermentation delivers immediate, differentiated value, and a platform whose application space extends well beyond any single market,” he said.
