Utah Startup Melazyme Raises $2M Seed Round to Produce Fermentation-Derived Melanin and Brazzein
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 …
Pacifico Biolabs Closes €7M Series A to Scale Mycelium Protein Through Idle German Brewery Infrastructure
Mycelium fermentation company Pacifico Biolabs has closed a €7 million Series A round to scale production to 200 tonnes per month and begin commercial launches across the DACH region and the Nordics. The round was backed by Stray Dog Capital, Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen (TGFS), Sprout & About Ventures, Simon Capital, FoodLabs, and a regional brewery partner. Repurposing idle brewing capacity The core of Pacifico’s production model involves running its fermentation process …
Investment Climate Podcast: Jonas von den Driesch of SHIFT Invest Shares How to Get Funded in 2026
In this podcast series, Alex Shandrovsky interviews investors about benchmarks for funding Alt Proteins in 2026 and uncovers the investment playbooks of successful Climate Tech CEOs and Leading VCs. Podcast Host Alex Shandrovksy is a strategic advisor to numerous global food tech accelerators and companies, including alternative proteins and cellular agriculture leaders. His focus is on investor relations and post-raise scale for agrifood tech companies. This podcast is syndicated through …
StrainX Bioworks Raises $13M to Scale Precision Fermentation Food Ingredients in India
Indian synthetic biology company StrainX Bioworks has raised $13 million as it exits stealth and moves into commercialization, with plans to supply high-value food and nutritional ingredients to global markets through precision fermentation. The round was led by Prime Venture Partners and Leo Capital, with participation from Good Startup, Sparrow Capital, Sun Icon Ventures, Dholakia Ventures, and WindT (IIT Delhi) Angels. Good Startup, a fund focused exclusively on biology-first deep-tech …
Big Idea Ventures Backs Five Startups Targeting Cost and Scalability in Food Biotech
New York-based foodtech investor Big Idea Ventures has announced 5 new additions to its Global Food Innovation Fund II (GFIF II), with the latest cohort spanning fermentation, plant cell biomanufacturing, cold chain stabilization, bioactive delivery, and enzyme-based extraction. The five companies come from four countries: Argentina, France, Mexico, and the United States, and each receives a $200,000 investment package alongside access to the fund’s accelerator network of mentors, R&D resources, …
Agronomics Backs SuperMeat With $5M as Cultivated Chicken Push Targets Switzerland
London-listed investment company Agronomics has led a US$6 million initial closing of a Series A-4 round in Israeli cultivated meat company SuperMeat, contributing US$5 million of that total through the issue of new Agronomics shares rather than cash. Affiliated entity New Agrarian Company provided the remaining US$1 million in cash, with Milk & Honey Ventures and existing investors also participating. The round is targeting a total of US$10 million. The …
Meatly Secures £10.4M Series A for 20,000-Litre Cultivated Meat Plant in London
UK cultivated meat company Meatly has closed a £10.4 million Series A round to fund construction of a 20,000-litre bioreactor facility in London, which would become the largest cultivated meat production site in Europe. Fit-out begins immediately, with product releases expected in 2027. The round brings total funding raised to £17.4 million, building on £7 million in seed capital from founding investor Agronomics and Pets at Home. Three new institutional …
Montreal Cell-Based Dairy Company Opalia Closes $3.2M Seed Round with Commercial Pilots Already Underway
Montreal-based Opalia has closed an initial $3.2 million CAD seed round to advance its cell-based milk platform, having already secured paid pre-commercial pilot agreements with several established dairy players before reaching market. The round was led by Nàdarra Ventures, with participation from Spring Capital, UCEED, and Anges Quebec, alongside existing backers Investissement Québec, Cycle Momentum, and BoxOne Ventures. Whole milk without the cow Opalia uses mammary cells cultivated in bioreactors …
California Startup Fermeate Closes $2M Seed Round for Light-Based Fermentation Control Technology
California-based startup Fermeate has raised $2 million in seed funding to scale its optogenetics platform, which uses light signals to control gene expression inside microbial cells during fermentation. The round was led by Newfund Capital, with participation from SOSV and Ajinomoto Group Ventures. The technology inserts light-sensitive proteins into microbial strains, enabling manufacturers to activate or deactivate specific genes in real time. A targeted promoter directs which enzyme or protein …
Yeast-Based Ingredient Startup Cosaic Closes $6 Million Round Backed by dsm-firmenich Ventures
Swiss fermentation startup Cosaic has secured a $6 million seed extension to advance its yeast-based ingredient platform toward commercial launch. The round was led by dsm-firmenich Ventures, the venture arm of dsm-firmenich, a global ingredients and nutrition company. Additional participants include a Swiss family office, Swiss deeptech investor Kickfund, and existing backers Navus Ventures and Zuercher Kantonalbank. What Cosaic is building Cosaic is developing a new category of food ingredients …