Biotechnology company BCD Bioscience has raised US$12m in an oversubscribed Series A funding round.
The financing will be used to expand the product pipeline, upscale production capabilities and obtain regulatory approvals for lead products.
The company seeks to exploit the functional and health benefits of oligosaccharides obtained from natural sources, including food waste material.
Oligosaccharides are a type of carbohydrate that sits between simple sugars (monosaccharides) and starches (polysaccharides).
BCD Bioscience CEO, Steve Watkins, said:
“We are extremely pleased to have secured the financing needed to convert our promising lead prebiotics into high-value products and commercial opportunities.
“I am also delighted that our ability to deliver during our seed phase in creating our prebiotic library, screening platform, and pipeline gave such confidence to our investors.”
The funding round was led by Acre Venture Partners, with existing investors Seventure Partners and iSelect Fund upping their commitments for the round.
New investors, Collaborative Fund and Skyviews Life Science also joined.
Gareth Asten, Managing Partner at Acre Venture Partners, said:
“We are thrilled to have partnered with Steve and the entire BCD team. Their unique platform and precision prebiotics will be critical in advancing public health, as well as contributing to reducing waste in our food systems.
“As this space continues to evolve, BCD will play a critical role, not only in functional foods and medical nutrition, but also in therapeutics.”
BCD Bioscience is assembling a large set of purified oligosaccharides, produced from selected natural materials.
Each natural material produces a unique pool of oligosaccharides that reflects the structure of the carbohydrates found in that natural product.
The company was founded in 2019 as a spin-out from UC Davis.
