Leifeng Network news, on January 10, the domestic synthetic biology track company Bluepharmaceutical Microbiology (Bluepha) announced the completion of the B3 round of financing, so far the total financing of the B series has reached 1.5 billion yuan.
The B3 round of financing was jointly led by Genesis Capital and the Mixed Ownership Reform Fund (Mixed Reform Fund) of China State-owned Enterprises, with Zhongping Capital, Jiangsu Huanghai Financial Holding Group and Zhongzhou Blue Ocean co-investment, and the existing shareholders Fengrui Capital, Country Garden Venture Capital, Hillhouse Venture Capital and Sany Innovation Investment continued to make additional investments, and Taihe Capital continued to serve as the exclusive financial advisor.
Previously, Blue Crystal Microbials received a cumulative B1 round and a B2 round of financing of nearly 700 million yuan in February and August 2021, respectively; the B series financing funds will be used for the construction and operation of large-scale production facilities for biodegradable materials PHA, the development and deployment of the Industry 4.0 synthetic biology R&D platform SynBio_OS, and the research and development of new product pipelines such as regenerative medicine materials and engineering probiotics.
Founded in 2016 by Dr. Haoqian Zhang of Peking University and Dr. Teng Li of Tsinghua University, Bluepha is an enterprise engaged in molecular and material innovation based on synthetic biotechnology, dedicated to the design, development, manufacture and sales of new bio-based molecules and materials, helping B-end customers in many industries such as consumer goods, food, medical, agriculture and industry to differentiate their competition in the industry.
On January 1, 2022, the 25,000-ton-per-year "Gigafactory" of the first product line of blue crystal microorganisms, the biodegradable material PHA, officially started construction in Binhai County, Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province.
Blue crystal microorganisms in strain research and development, biotransformation, isolation and purification, material modification and other aspects of the PHA-related technology chain have a wealth of technical reserves and intellectual property layout, product performance has passed the verification of a number of fortune 500 enterprise customers, and obtained a number of enterprise orders and intention orders; at the same time, blue crystal microorganisms and a number of partners in the world's major countries and regions signed strategic cooperation agreements to continue to expand the global market of PHA.
Sapphire Microbiome has established an interdisciplinary team composed of senior scientists and engineers in different fields such as robotics, software development, mechanical and electrical, big data and synthetic biology, etc., and has developed a synthetic biology R&D platform SynBio_OS, and has deployed three parts: flexible automated experimental platform (BlueArk), ultra-high-throughput fermentation platform (AutoFarm) and intelligent cloud data system (CyberFarm).
It is expected that in the next 3 years, SynBio_OS will be able to shorten the complete development cycle of a single product of blue crystal microorganisms by 70% compared with the existing level.
Dr. Li Teng, co-founder and president of Blue Crystal Microbiology, revealed that in addition to the existing technology, Blue Crystal Microbiome is developing an engineered strain that can use biological waste as raw material, efficient synthesis of PHA and supporting biotransformation and separation and purification processes; the company will rely on the unique geographical location advantages, green energy advantages and resource advantages of biological raw materials in Yancheng Binhai to create a demonstration synthetic biology "zero carbon industry chain".
In addition to PHA, sapphire microorganisms are rapidly promoting the research and development of new products around the application directions of regenerative medicine materials, new beauty ingredients, new food additives, and engineering probiotics, and exploring new paths in business models to build an innovative ecosystem that grows together with partners.
Different forms of PHA, powder, grain, tablet, membrane (from left to right)
So far, the "T-shaped strategy" of blue crystal microorganisms has been revealed, "horizontal" is the SynBio_OS of synthetic biology research and development platform, "vertical" is biodegradable material PHA and other product pipelines that achieve land transformation through the research and development platform. This means that Sapphire Microbiome has taken another step towards the development goal of the "1 SuperLabus + N Super Factories" innovation complex, opening a new stage of continuously empowering partners upstream and downstream of the synthetic biology value chain to jointly realize sustainable development value propositions.
Peng Zhijian, founding partner of Yuansheng Capital, said: The underlying technology of the biological industry is undergoing rapid iteration, under the general trend of "carbon neutrality", Yuansheng is optimistic about biotechnology companies that are committed to solving global problems such as resource shortage and environmental pollution; Blue Crystal Microbial is a leading synthetic biology company in China, and its large-scale production of PHA degradable plastics has made significant progress, and at the same time built a characteristic high-throughput automation platform, which is based on platform molecules to expand to skin care and beauty, consumer goods, medical and health and other fields.
The Mixed Reform Fund said: Synthetic biomaterials is a track with long slopes and thick snow, and it is expected to grow rapidly. Blue Crystal Microbiome is committed to the development, manufacture and sale of new bio-based materials, while providing customers with synthetic biotechnology solutions. The planning and layout of its main product PHA materials in the field of bio-based molecules and materials is in line with the national "plastic ban order", "carbon peak carbon neutrality" and "green manufacturing" and other policies, as well as "new material industry development" and other strategies.
Dr. Wu Bin, CEO and founding partner of Zhongping Capital, said: "Sapphire microbes have a lofty vision of profoundly influencing social life through the synthetic biology industry, creating an efficient and scientific full-stack research and development platform, building a rich strain pipeline, and attaching importance to industrialization. At the critical point of the current PHA production capacity construction, we are optimistic about the team led by Haoqian and Li Teng, practicing the values of professional perfection and always starting a business, and achieving the world's leading cost advantage in the coming period.