Engineering Biology

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Engineering Biology

The UK is a world leader in Engineering Biology research.

It’s time to leverage these capabilities and support companies on their journey to commercialisation. We invest in businesses who are tackling the biggest environmental and societal challenges we face today.

Managed by: Oliver Sexton

“Engineering biology allows us to build highly novel and highly functional products using sustainable manufacturing. Applicable to the very big and very real environmental and social challenges we’re facing today it is a powerful technology set in which the UK is world leading. UKI2S is backing those commercial and academic groups bringing these world class solutions to market. We provide financial support, but also strategic guidance, extensive network access and solid expertise to propel companies towards the commercialisation of their ideas on a global, multi-market scale.”

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Why are investors excited about Engineering Biology?

Multi-market

EngBio innovations have a huge global market, with applications in multiple verticals from manufacturing to healthcare.

Economic Potential

The UK is a world leader in Engineering Biology (EngBio) research. We must capitalise on our strengths, to drive the nation’s economic growth.

Solution-led

Investors back innovations which solve genuine, real world problems.

Key Dates:

2017 UKI2S invests in seed round

2018 $10M Series A raised

2019 Editing platform released

2020 $29M Series B

2022 Genus and Tropic extend trait development collaboration for porcine and bovine genetics

2023 Tropic’s non browning edited bananas approved in the Philippines

Entry valuation:

£2.8m

Prevailing valuation:

£53m (2020)

Uplift:

18.9x

Capital raise to date:

£52m

Tropic Biosciences

Tropic is developing novel crop traits that are naturally resistant to pests, showing improved yields and improved nutritional qualities.

Working on its proprietary tropical crop varieties including bananas (the most widely consumed fruit across the globe), coffee and rice. Tropic also has partnerships with the world’s largest agricultural companies via which it is working on major western food crops including corn, soya and sugar beet. With its first product approved, Tropic is enroute to being a major crop supplier.

UKI2S backed Tropic Biosciences at the seed round, and introduced a key board member. The company has gone on to raise £60M from other investors and employs over 100 skilled staff in Norwich.

Related case studies

Standing on the shoulders of giants.

Read on to find out who we have helped scale into successful startups…

Synthace

Biology will change the world. With it, we can feed, heal, and fuel people for generations to come. But enroute to these novel products, the research and development is complex, risky and costly. It requires highly skilled scientists and sophisticated equipment. Synthace maximises the productivity of both.

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Guy Levy-Yurista, CEO of Synthace said:

“At Synthace we want to give scientists the tools they need to spend time on what matters most; the science. With Synthace, we can help scientists to optimise experimentation, and bring promising, viable solutions to complex challenges faster. We’re thankful for the help we’ve had from UKI2S, offering us not only financial support, but the connections, resources, and expertise needed to bring our innovative technology to the global market."

Related news articles

Learn from the experts. Read on for the latest news, advice, opinions and tech emerging from the EngBio world.

UKI2S Backs HutanBio, Further Recognising Biology’s Role in Tackling Climate Change

Adamo Foods Nets $2.5M to Bring Groundbreaking Clean-Label Mycelium Steak to Market

MoD spin-out Presymptom Health raises £1.5m to develop AI-driven sepsis and infection tests for the NHS

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Engineering Biology