NovoNutrients develops microbes that convert carbon dioxide into protein for use in human food and animal feed. The company employs fermentation in looped thin‑cylinder bioreactors designed to lower the energy required to mix gases, differing from large brewery‑style tanks. It tailors microbial strains to digest varied waste gas mixes, using synthetic biology to improve stability and efficiency for some products and non‑GMO evolution for others. NovoNutrients is building a pilot plant in the San Francisco Bay Area that will use much of the same equipment as a future commercial plant to validate designs and strains. The company intends to pursue a capital‑light path to market by selling microbes along with licenses to build, operate, and maintain facilities, and by supporting marketing and business development for products. To support the pilot, NovoNutrients has raised funding to advance construction and generate the data needed for commercial investment. NovoNutrients engineers bacteria and bioreactors to convert carbon dioxide, hydrogen and a nitrogen source into a dry protein powder that can be refined into food and feed ingredients for people, animals and farmed fish. The company has surveyed literature, discovered previously unknown strains and engineered/adapted microbes to improve performance—one adapted strain grew three times faster after an eight-month fermenter run on cement-plant gases. Its bioreactor platform supports mixed-strain cultures to boost output and tailor nutritional profiles. NovoNutrients plans to license its biology and hardware, sell microbes, provide training and support, and collect technology-license royalties rather than owning commercial-scale plants. Partner industrial emitters will own the facilities and choose end products, while NovoNutrients helps arrange off-take agreements and works with EPC firms on plant construction. The company is advancing to a pilot-scale plant enabled by an external technology and investment deal to test its thesis at scale.

Total raised

$21M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Jul 2024