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London, September 2022 - The Innovators Club, a network accelerator programme run by non-profit Science Entrepreneur Club (SEC), has today announced its third cohort welcoming six startups innovating in the field of synthetic biology (SynBio).
The startups will join the 2022 programme, all tailored to SynBio, running from September to December. The programme consists of informal networking events, 1-to-1 sessions with investors, exposure to SEC’s extensive network and partners, access to specialist mentors, contact with leading service providers, a bespoke published article by one of SEC’s Science Writers, the opportunity to pitch, joining a close-knit community of other SynBio founders and a series of expert-led workshops covering raising investment, commercialisation and scaling-up.
The programme ends in early December with a final networking event celebrating participants' progress, where each startup will pitch to an audience and expert panel followed by some networking and drinks. You can sign-up for the final celebration event here.
With special thanks to FTI Consulting and Gallagher for supporting this year’s programme.
The Cohort III startups include:
Alt Atlas is creating a machine learning software platform that optimises the R&D and industrial production of novel ingredients and solutions for the alternative meat and dairy industry.
The platform comprises three modules: stem cell, plant & plant breeding, and food design. These modules will jointly or independently support the creation and rapid commercialisation of surpassing food products.
Currently, Alt Atlas is developing the stem cell module which enables the design of optimum protocols for growing stem cells alongside the in-vitro monitoring and adjustment of environmental parameters allowing to control and predict stem cell behaviour. As a first product, Alt Atlas sell cells (proprietary non-GMO bovine stem cell lines) and how to use them (customised support to enable companies to scale-up cultivated meat production by improving their unique cell culture conditions).
By creating AI-powered ingredients and solutions, Alt Atlas are on a mission to drive the rapid commercialisation of novel food products across alternative meat and dairy.
CEXAL are using molecular biology and sensor engineering to make cost-effective molecular testing. Their non-living biosensor technology can identify selected harmful organic and inorganic compounds that pose health-related concerns, alongside other molecules of commercial interest, with highly-sensitive, rapid test kits that are environmentally and clinically safe.
They have successfully tested different designs to build qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative vial-based and strip-based biosensors that provide high accuracy and sensitivity. The company is currently expanding their range of capabilities by engaging in scale-up biomanufacturing processes and by evaluating the combined use of smartphone-based technology and ML pattern recognition with its biosensors.
By harnessing the power of biology, CEXAL aim to make molecular testing truly accessible and affordable to the people who most need it. CEXAL are driven by turning excellent research into diagnostic solutions that meet the demands of end-users whilst providing long-lasting positive impacts in both low and high-income countries.
ChronosDx is building a high-performance, low-cost, scalable bioassay technology for drug screening and diagnostics. Their new platform utilises organic electrochemical transistors to detect biomarkers including cell-free DNA, micro RNA, proteins, metabolites and exosomes.
Their assay technology is combining sensitivity down to single molecule detection and dynamic concentration ranges for high specificity in a multi-omic platform to overcome disease heterogeneity and is one of the few platforms capable of in-line and in vivo monitoring of biomarkers.
The technology can be used by academic groups, drug screening companies and pharmaceuticals to better test new drugs in cell-based assays, and by academic groups and commercial diagnostic companies to validate their disease biomarkers and translate biomarker signatures into high-performance and scalable tests that are readily deployable in clinical environments.
Eden Bio uses machine learning to guide the genetic engineering of microorganism strains, enabling the improvement of protein yield, enzymatic activity and other measures. They do so by ensuring that the microbe strains used by companies for the precision fermentation of protein products are as genetically optimised as they can be.
By using its innovative technology in this way, Eden Bio is able to improve the efficiency of bringing new products to market such as vegan alternatives to traditionally farmed foods, new therapeutics and custom materials.
In doing so, Eden Bio is helping the world shift away from environmentally unfriendly practices, and into a more sustainable future.
Evolutor is a microbe development and optimisation company. They use their proprietary Accelerated Evolution Platform technologies to completely unlock the power of directed evolution and produce extremely finely-tuned microbial production systems for the bio-manufacturing of a diverse portfolio of sustainable goods.
Their microbe optimisation will provide biotechnology and precision fermentation organisations with microbe development that is substantially more efficient and effective than current solutions.
Evolutor's ambition is to massively scale out its platform to build a UK-based evolutionary bio-foundry: deploying rapid parallel evolution of industry-ready microbes at a vast scale.
Umkele is developing a novel carbon-negative synthetic biology-based manufacturing process to produce multiple products and next-generation materials sustainably and affordably, with an initial focus on plastic-free packaging and alternative silk fabric.
Created by four passionate founders from Zimbabwe, Malawi, Uganda, and Kenya, their carbon-negative production system addresses 9 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) whilst being profitable and scalable.
In 2021, Umkele’s technology was awarded first place at the Greentech Festival Bootcamp and the iGEM EPIC Hackathon. In 2022, Umkele was awarded the Illumina Accelerator Sequencing Grant and has also been selected as a cohort participant of the L'Oreal Beyond Plastic Challenge.
Umkele aims to enact positive change at source against the global waste and pollution crisis, developing applications in a diverse range of areas including pharmaceuticals, food and materials.
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