Edinburgh-based biotechnology start-up MiAlgae has secured additional funding of £2.3m to assist drive the following stage of its development journey.
Established in 2016, the agency says it has created an answer to producing a sustainable supply of Omega-3 for animal and human consumption – one thing which is presently produced by extracting the oil from billions of untamed caught fish.
Championing the round financial system, the corporate has developed a novel biotechnology platform which makes use of low-value coproducts from the foods and drinks business as a feedstock to initially develop microalgae wealthy in Omega-3 oils.
Plans are already in place to commercialise different high-value compounds and pigments by growth of the platform.
The Conduit Affect Fund managed by Ascension led the spherical, investing £900,000, with new investor SIS Ventures placing ahead £350,000.
Having already beforehand invested, Fairness Hole, Outdated School Capital and Scottish Enterprise all dedicated to extra funding, totalling over £1m. The funding builds on the £850k of grant funding not too long ago secured from Zero Waste Scotland and Scottish Enterprise.
The £2.3m funding will help the corporate in its development plans which embody the completion of a business demonstrator facility close to Stirling which can drive MiAlgae’s increasing business traction.
Initially the corporate is concentrated on the pet meals sector with a watch on growth into the aquaculture sector within the close to future. Aquaculture is the most important shopper of fish oil produced globally which is utilized in fish feed.
The funding will even assist develop the group at MiAlgae and enhance its experience. Ten new posts, together with a Head of Engineering and Industrial Director, shall be created.
Douglas Martin, Managing Director at MiAlgae, mentioned: “It’s extremely thrilling to know that our buyers see worth within the biotechnology platform we’ve developed to deal with the manufacturing of omega-3 oils in a commercially viable manner.
“Our course of is championing the round financial system and the funding we have now secured shall be transformational in serving to MiAlgae scale rapidly each domestically and overseas.
“Our business demonstrator plant, on account of be accomplished early in 2023, will assist us enhance meals safety globally, whereas our analysis division continues to drive the event of thrilling, commercially viable biotech improvements.”
Hadley Diest, Funding Supervisor on the Conduit Affect Fund, mentioned: “MiAlgae’s round financial system method to producing algae wealthy in Omega-3 solves key ache factors on the availability (Scotch Whisky distilleries) and demand (pet meals and fish feed producers) sides – to each get rid of Scotch byproducts sustainably and enhance the availability of sustainably sourced, price-competitive, Omega-3 into the broader market.
“Douglas and his group have labored tirelessly to carry this imaginative and prescient to life and the Conduit Affect Fund is proud to assist help MiAlgae of their subsequent stage of business development.”
Rob Halliday, Senior Funding Supervisor at SIS Ventures mentioned: “MiAlgae is a superb addition to our multi-award profitable portfolio of revolutionary mission pushed companies. We imagine in MiAlgae’s mission to develop into a world chief in biotechnology for good, and, by enhancing meals safety and decreasing the impression of humanity on the planet by sustainable omega-3 manufacturing MiAlgae, will ship essential societal and environmental impression aligned to 3 of the United Nations Sustainable Growth Targets – life beneath water, good well being and wellbeing, and accountable consumption and manufacturing.
