Participated · Seed · Jul 2024

ByBug develops a platform that expresses recombinant proteins in genetically engineered black soldier fly (BSF) larvae as an alternative to precision fermentation. The company says this approach can lower upstream costs—claiming BSF rearing is 10–20× cheaper than microbial fermentation—due to cheaper feedstock, lower capex, and lower labor. ByBug operates an R&D center in Chile with a semi‑industrial BSF rearing plant and molecular biology lab, and has established a commercial office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its product pipeline includes unpurified high‑protein insect flour containing recombinant proteins and purified recombinant proteins; downstream processing and purification remain under development. The firm also plans to monetize byproducts such as animal‑feed biomass, frass fertilizer, and fatty acids for cosmetics. ByBug has two patent applications pending for a BSF strain transportation system and a genetic‑editing methodology for insects.

Led · Equity · Jul 2023

Caligenia develops BACTERCHAR, a modified biochar produced from organic waste that synergizes with beneficial microorganisms (PGPM) to regenerate degraded agricultural soils and store carbon stably for hundreds of years. The product builds on more than 10 years of scientific research by two scientists and an entrepreneur and achieved laboratory results showing soil recovery in about 20 weeks. The team is developing a platform to predict the optimal BACTERCHAR–PGPM combination for different soils to standardize and optimize outcomes. Greenhouse tests began in 2023 and six-month field trials are planned for 2024 using land and feedstock sourced from large agroindustrial partners. Caligenia projects large-scale impact—targeting the transformation of 1.5 billion hectares of degraded land—and foresees direct land acquisition as part of its business model. Scaling production and deployment require substantial capital investment; the company has received external financing to advance its tests and trials.

Led · Equity · Feb 2023

Future Biome develops a prebiótico (a designed carbohydrate) intended to nourish the gut microbiota so it functions properly and helps prevent intestinal inflammation. The company says in vitro trials finished with positive results, outperforming a reference product in 100% of samples. Its first development will enter a clinical trial in Argentina this year, and with positive clinical results the team plans to file a provisional U.S. patent. Go-to-market strategy is B2B via partnerships or licensing with laboratories in Argentina and Europe, with ambitions to reach the U.S., Europe and broader Americas. A second project line is an AI-based bioinformatics platform to enable personalized microbiota products for niches (for example people over 70); the team aims to design and validate it this year and launch in 2024. Financially, the startup raised US$200,000 from Argentine accelerator GridX, which also helped spawn the company. Founders include CEO Martín Larre and scientists Fátima Viceconte and Soledad Gurovic.

Participated · Seed · Feb 2023

Michroma uses precision fermentation and filamentous fungi as “biofactories” to produce natural food colorants and, later, plant-based flavorings. Its first product, Red+, is a red colorant engineered to be temperature-resistant and stable across the food pH spectrum, surviving pasteurization, cooking and extrusion. Red+ has been prototyped with large food companies and can also be used to color cultivated meat. The company plans to expand its palette from warm colors (orange, yellow) toward blue and white while selling flavorings in combination with its colors. Michroma is negotiating with suppliers and intends to submit petitions to the U.S. FDA and the European Food Safety Authority; the regulatory process is expected to take at least two years. The startup currently has about 15 employees and plans to grow to 35, funded in part by recent seed financing that brought its total venture capital to $7.4M. Michroma develops sustainable, vegan, fungus-based natural colorants intended to replace synthetic petroleum-derived dyes and insect-derived cochineal (red 80). Founded in early 2019 in Argentina, the startup moved to San Francisco in September and is participating in IndieBio's accelerator. Its platform uses a GRAS fungal strain grown in bioreactors to produce intense, stable red, orange, and yellow pigments while reducing water use and carbon footprint compared with crop-derived colorants. The company argues vegetable-based alternatives like beetroot extract underperform on pH and temperature stability and impart flavor, making them difficult for industry use. Michroma says it already can effectively produce red, orange and yellow and is working to optimize and scale production while developing green and blue variants. Financially, Michroma has received early backing and plans further fundraising to accelerate scale-up.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2022

OncoPrecision builds a high-throughput platform that recreates cancer patients’ disease ex‑vivo by combining patient-derived biopsy cells with proprietary engineered cells to mimic the tumor microenvironment. The company miniaturizes these combinations into Patient Micro Avatars that are dosed with single and combinatory drugs and analyzed using flow cytometry and machine-learning models to track responses of distinct cell populations. OncoPrecision plans to offer its Drug Activity and Resistance Test (DART) as a service to help clinicians prescribe appropriate treatments and to partner with biopharma to improve oncology drug-development success rates. It is conducting clinical validation studies with multiple cancer centers for Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and is advancing models for additional hematologic and solid cancers. The company is also engaged in active drug-development collaborations with industry partners. Financially, OncoPrecision closed a $3.3M seed round in April and has raised $4.2M to date to support technology development and validation.