US-based biotechnology company Arzeda has secured $38m in an oversubscribed funding round to expand its production capacity for proteins.
Arzeda received new investments from Sofinnova Partners, Fall Line Capital, Sucden Ventures, Silver Blue, and the venture arm of W.L. Gore & Associates.
Existing investors, including the venture arm of the Continental Grain Company, Bunge Ventures, and Lewis & Clark Agrifood, also participated in the financing round.
Arzeda intends to use the funding to expand the production of its ProSweet Enzymes and ProSweet RebM to address the market demand for better-tasting stevia.
It will also advance the marketing of additional products in its pipeline.
The biotechnology company has teamed up with several industrial partners to bring the products to the market, including Unilever, AAK, and WL Gore & Associates.
Sofinnova Partners partner Michael Krel said: “This funding will enable Arzeda to accelerate the commercialisation of its industrial biotech products, including new designer proteins and enzymes that have the ability to reduce GHG emissions.
Arzeda’s Intelligent Protein Design Technology is transformational to many industrial verticals and they are one of the few companies that have been able to translate this promise into commercial products that solve real- world problems and create value for the customer.”
W.L. Gore & Associates external ventures SVP Ed Rubin said: “We are impressed with the progress Arzeda has made in developing next-generation materials that have superior performance with a reduced environmental footprint.”
Arzeda leverages its Intelligent Protein Design Technology, which combines physics-based protein design and AI algorithms, to create, validate, and produce new proteins and enzymes.
The company designed the technology based on large datasets of high-quality protein designs related to experimental results.
Also, the technology leverages advances in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to design and manufacture higher-performing proteins and enzymes for large-scale production.
Arzeda’s proteins and enzymes provide an alternative to existing products in food, personal and home care, agriculture, chemicals, materials, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostics industries.
Arzeda co-founder and CEO Alexandre Zanghellini said: “Our designed proteins and enzymes will touch every aspect of our lives in the future. I am thrilled to see Arzeda delivering on its mission.
“The field of protein design has experienced explosive growth in recent years but has faced challenges in translating these advances into products. Where we excel is in developing solutions that can be manufactured sustainably at scale.”
