uFraction8, a Scottish biotech engineering company with a fully owned subsidiary in Poland, has secured £3.4 million in an investment round led by Foresight Group.
The round also includes funding from the University of Edinburgh’s in-house venture investment fund Old College Capital, along with Scottish Enterprise, Alwyn Capital, Thia Ventures, and a grant from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development.
uFraction8 has developed microfiltration technology designed to optimise cell and biomass production, providing a sustainable and energy-efficient alternative to traditional methods used in the production of food, feed, and bio-based products. This technology, which was originally developed at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Engineering, could enhance the affordability and scalability of bioprocessing.
The new funding will be used to further commercialise the technology, and will also support innovation to transform microalgae industry production processes and significantly reduce the cost of products.
Bringing solutions to market
uFraction8 was co-founded by Dr. Brian Miller and Dr. Monika Tomecka, and currently employs seven people in Scotland and Poland. The company aims to build efficient and scalable perfusion solutions to solve problems with processing microbial cell cultures, particularly for microalgae, cultivated meat, and biopharmaceutical applications.
uFraction8 previously raised £2.5 million in 2022 in a funding round led by Thia Ventures.
“We’re thrilled to have secured this significant investment, which will drive forward this next stage of our growth,” said Dr. Tomecka. “The support from our investors is a testament to the impact and potential of our innovative technology. These funds will ensure we can bring our solutions to market more rapidly, particularly within the microalgae and biopharma sectors, and enable uFraction8 to continue its innovation within the alternative protein sector.”
