It was pure coincidence, however months earlier than the pandemic took maintain all over the world, IndieBio — a startup accelerator dedicated to startups utilizing biology to unravel massive issues — expanded its remit, including a New York arm to the operations it was already operating out of San Francisco. In fact, it’s due to what the world endured that extra consideration than ever is being paid to life sciences startups, which is why we thought readers may desire a sneak peek on the latest batch of startups that IndieBio NY is getting ready to introduce to traders in roughly one month.
Should you’re a founder or VC or just an trade observer in search of insights into what’s effervescent up in a variety of associated areas, together with agriculture, diagnostics, carbon and methane upcycling, and most cancers therapeutics, take a look at what the 9 groups have been engaged on.
A few of IndieBio’s earlier breakout startups embody the cultivated meat firm Upside Meals (it raised $400 million final yr led by two sovereign wealth funds at a billion-dollar-plus valuation) and MycoWorks, an organization making leather-based out of fungi and that closed a $125 million Collection C spherical final yr at an undisclosed valuation. One other firm in IndieBio’s portfolio to realize traction is NotCo, an outfit now additionally backed by Jeff Bezos and Kraft Heinz that licenses its tech to meals and beverage producers which wish to “veganize” a few of their merchandise.
Right here’s that fast snapshot of every:
***
FREZENT Organic Options
FREZENT says it’s creating a novel class of bispecific antibodies for focusing on dormant most cancers cells which have survived chemotherapy and should trigger recurrence. Its strategy is to dam metabolism in dormant most cancers cells to stop their reactivation and survival. The staff is at the moment centered on monoclonal antibody discovery and proof-of-concept research. Extra right here.
***
Xias Bio Restricted
In response to Xias Bio, the three most essential proteins in skincare and haircare merchandise—collagen, keratin, and elastin—sometimes come from bovine hides, rooster feathers, and meat processing byproducts (blech). Given rising considerations over greenhouse gasoline emissions, water air pollution, and deforestation, a brand new technology of cosmetics shoppers desires to see the trade substitute these animal proteins with sustainable alternate options and Xias Bio is catering to them. Particularly, it has developed a molecular platform for creating multi-functional, animal-free proteins to license. L’Oreal is already shopping for what it’s promoting; later, say the startup’s founders, the concept is to maneuver past cosmetics and substitute animal proteins in a bunch of different areas, together with in prescribed drugs and the meals trade.
***
Earnest Agriculture
Earnest Agriculture says it has designed a microbial consortium that protects crops towards illnesses, pests, and drought whereas bettering soil well being. Utilized as a seed coating, these patented microbes can enhance yields by 7x, scale back artificial chemical use, and make crops extra resilient to local weather change, claims the outfit. Extra right here.
***
BioMetallica
BioMetallica’s pitch is that tens of tens of millions of tons of electronics are discarded yearly, a lot of it incinerated, with billions of {dollars} of recoverable supplies up in smoke within the course of — to not point out the discharge of poisonous fumes. The startup’s eco-friendly resolution for recovering a few of these uncommon metals — palladium, platinum, and rhodium — is thru genetically modified micro organism that produce biogenic chemical compounds that separate palladium group metals (PMGs) from e-waste, together with spent catalytic converters.
***
Afynia
Afynia has created and patented a blood check for diagnosing endometriosis early that returns a end in days and — says the startup — will likely be supplied by clinics and residential assortment kits starting subsequent yr. As with many ladies’s well being startups, the staff’s endometriosis check is only the start, if all goes as deliberate. The concept is to construct a digital platform that can present diagnostics, digital care, and prescription deliveries for endometriosis and different circumstances. Extra right here (notice that the startup was initially named AIMA and hasn’t refreshed its website simply but).
***
Carbon Bridge
To fulfill EU emissions requirements, cargo operators are already ordering methanol-powered ships, however inexperienced methanol can’t compete with oil on value, that means adoption is gradual going. CarbonBridge‘s resolution to the problem is what it describes as a low-heat, low-pressure microbial course of that upcycles carbon dioxide and methane into liquid methanol utilizing a bioreactor. Extra, it says, it might supply the gasses inexpensively from over 16,000 wastewater remedy amenities within the U.S. that usually burn them off.
***
Aequor
Aequor says it has found marine microbes that produce molecules that eradicate bacterial slime in minutes, and that utilized in water remedy amenities, its liquid focus can scale back typical chemical utilization by 90%, decrease power utilization by as much as 15%, and stop slime from clogging filters and inflicting shutdowns. The larger ambition is to cut back the prices and environmental impression of water remedy whereas enabling better entry to secure, inexpensive consuming water. Extra right here.
***
Unibaio
Farmers spend practically$230 billion yearly on herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers designed to extend crop yields, however the unintended penalties are well-documented and, properly, not good. Unibaio says it has a greater different. In response to the corporate, it has developed a pure microparticle that may supercharge organic crop protectants by enabling them to penetrate crops extra effectively and scale back the quantity of typical chemical merchandise wanted by as much as 80%.
***
Terra Bioindustries
Discarded meals accounts for 8-10% of greenhouse gasoline emissions, because the founders of Terra Bioindustries will let you know; it’s why the corporate developed a platform for upcycling brewer’s spent grain, a beer byproduct that’s usually tough to promote. It really works through a low-energy enzymatic course of that separates the grain into edible sugars and proteins which might be then bought to meals producers and precision fermentation firms. By utilizing business tools present in most meals processing amenities, adoption may be cheap, too. Extra right here.
