Portuguese startup PFx Biotech has raised €2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Buenavista Equity Partners, with support from EIT Food and Beta Capital. The company has also secured a €2.5 million grant from the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), taking the total amount it has raised to €5 million.
PFx Biotech is focused on producing highly functional bioidentical human milk proteins through precision fermentation. The aim is to provide sustainable, non-GMO, and allergen-free nutritional solutions for all life stages, including infants, athletes, and the elderly.
The new capital will be used to fund bespoke lab facilities, an expanded team, and the pre-industrial scale-up of PFx Biotech’s lactoferrin. On LinkedIn, the startup says it is now open to strategic partnerships in R&D, scale-up, and commercialization.
“Defining moment”
PFx Biotech is among several companies worldwide that are working to produce alternatives to human milk. For example:
- Checkerspot has developed a human breast milk fat analog using microalgae fermentation.
- Yali Bio and The Live Green Co have both produced human milk fat analogs using yeast.
- Helaina raised $45 million last year to commercialize precision-fermented human lactoferrin.
- TurtleTree has also developed precision-fermented lactoferrin, receiving FDA clearance for the ingredient last month.
- Nūmi is developing cultivated breast milk.
“This is a defining moment for PFx Biotech,” said Ali Osman, founder and CEO of PFx Biotech. “We’re proud to be backed by mission–aligned investors to help us unlock the potential of lactoferrin in a more sustainable nutrition model. As we enter this new growth stage, we are actively exploring strategic collaborations across R&D, scale-up, and go-to-market opportunities.”
