Purely coincidentally, IndieBio, a startup accelerator dedicated to utilizing biology for solving significant challenges, expanded its operations by establishing a New York branch just months before the global pandemic unfolded. The pandemic has heightened interest in life sciences startups, prompting us to offer a preview of the upcoming startups set to be introduced to investors by IndieBio NY in approximately one month.
Whether you’re a founder, venture capitalist, or simply an industry observer eager for insights across various sectors like agriculture, diagnostics, carbon and methane upcycling, and cancer therapeutics, delve into the innovative projects of the nine teams.
IndieBio boasts previous breakout successes such as Upside Foods, a cultivated meat company that secured a $400 million funding round last year, and MycoWorks, a fungi-based leather company that closed a $125 million Series C round in the same period. NotCo, another standout in IndieBio’s portfolio, has gained traction and now boasts backing from Jeff Bezos and Kraft Heinz.
Let’s take a quick look at each of the featured startups:
FREZENT Biological Solutions:
FREZENT is developing a novel class of bispecific antibodies to target dormant cancer cells post-chemotherapy, aiming to block metabolism and prevent their reactivation.
Xias Bio Limited:
Xias Bio addresses concerns about animal proteins in skincare and haircare products by developing a molecular platform for creating multi-functional, animal-free proteins, with applications extending beyond cosmetics.
Earnest Agriculture:
Earnest Agriculture has designed a microbial consortium as a seed coating to protect crops against diseases, pests, and drought, boasting the potential to increase yields, reduce synthetic chemical use, and enhance crop resilience.
BioMetallica:
BioMetallica focuses on an eco-friendly solution for recovering rare metals from discarded electronics, utilizing genetically modified bacteria to produce biogenic chemicals that separate metals from e-waste.
Afynia:
Afynia has patented a blood test for early diagnosis of endometriosis, with plans to build a digital platform offering diagnostics, virtual care, and prescription deliveries for endometriosis and other conditions.
Carbon Bridge:
Carbon Bridge proposes a low-heat, low-pressure microbial process to upcycle carbon dioxide and methane into liquid methanol, aiming to meet EU emissions standards and source gases inexpensively from wastewater treatment facilities.
Aequor:
Aequor has discovered marine microbes producing molecules that eliminate bacterial slime, offering a liquid concentrate to reduce conventional chemical usage in water treatment facilities, ultimately cutting costs and environmental impact.
Unibaio:
Unibaio provides a natural microparticle as an alternative to traditional herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers, claiming to enhance the efficiency of biological crop protectants and reduce the need for conventional chemical products.
Terra Bioindustries:
Terra Bioindustries addresses food waste and greenhouse gas emissions by upcycling brewer’s spent grain through a low-energy enzymatic process, separating the grain into edible sugars and proteins for sale to food manufacturers and fermentation companies.
