Top Stories

Europe’s First Cell-Cultured Fish Biotech Company Bluu Biosciences Secures €7M in Oversubscribed Seed Round

German biotech firm Bluu Biosciences, the first company in Europe to specialize in the development and production of cell-based fish, announces it has closed a seed funding round at 7 million euros, less than ten months after its foundation. Bluu Biosciences is working to produce high-quality, sustainable fish products from cell cultures, to feature high nutritional value and a premium flavour profile.

Based in Berlin and Lübeck, Bluu Biosciences was founded in 2020 by Dr Sebastian Rakers and Simon Fabich along with a team of marine biologists, cell biologists, cell and tissue engineers, and food technologists. The company cooperates with the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology and Cell Engineering (EMB) in Lübeck and has a state-of-the-art R&D environment.

Investors participating in the seed round included Manta Ray Ventures (UK), CPT Capital (UK), Lever VC (USA), Norrsken (SE) and Be8 (GER). The fresh capital will flow into the company’s intensive biotechnology research and development work as well as into product development. The founding of Bluu Biosciences was supported by the Berlin-based company builder EVIG, which specializes in working with scientists to build biotechnology start-ups in the food sector.

Bluu Biosciences graphic
©Bluu Biosciences

 “We are proud that we could partner with investors such as Manta Ray, CPT, Lever, and more, that believe in the importance of deep innovation for the aim of a more sustainable food system,” explained Dr Sebastian Rakers, co-founder and managing director of Bluu Biosciences. “The round was closed in a matter of weeks, which indicates how compelling the science team and the science foundation of Bluu is. It also showcases the incredible interest of great investors to support this kind of initiative,” Simon Fabich, Co-Founder and managing director, added.

“Bluu Biosciences has set out to produce tasty and nutrient-optimized fish products from fish cells that are free of genetic engineering, antibiotics and environmental toxins,” said Rakers. “Above all, that means intensive research and development work to develop the optimal fish cell lines for subsequent production. Bluu is in the excellent position of using proprietary technologies and non-gmo immortalized cell lines to achieve that.” Bluu Biosciences cooperates closely with the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Marine Biotechnology and Cell Engineering (EMB) in Lübeck in this endeavour and has a state-of-the-art R&D environment at its disposal. Further partnerships for nutrient media optimization and bioreactor development are planned.




>> Click here to go to Cultivated X where you will see a familiar layout and a focus solely on content regarding cellular agriculture, including fermentation-enabled products, and with more granular categories.

Bookmark
ClosePlease login
See all bookmarks

Share