Biomanufacturing

“As much of 60% of physical inputs to the global economy could, in principle, be produced biologically.”

McKinsey Global Institute

Biomanufacturing: An Emerging Sector Within Deep Tech

Biomanufacturing is the practice of combining biology with engineering to develop commodity and specialty chemicals through more sustainable practices, at large scale. Biomanufacturing enables a cleaner manufacturing process, unlocking the power of nature to create biological and chemical solutions for everyday products.

Focus

Industrial Chemicals

Examples of Products
Chemicals / Fuels / Materials

Focus

Agrochemicals

Examples of Products
Enzymes for enhancing fungicide/ herbicide efficacy

Focus

Hardware & Software

Examples of Products
Process development and optimization, novel bioreactors

Nature is the Greatest Chemist

Biomanufacturing is solving large-scale problems that will shape every person’s daily reality in the short and long-term future. Using biology and engineering to develop commodity and specialty chemicals through more sustainable practices, at large scale.

Biomanufacturing enables a clean manufacturing process, unlocking the power of nature to create biological and chemical solutions for everyday products.

This means that instead of producing chemicals using petroleum-based input materials (“feedstock”) and chemical processing, those same chemicals are created using renewable feedstock and through fermentation processes.

Renewable Feedstocks

Algae, agriculture waste, food waste, and industrial waste gases, etc.

Bioindustrial Manufacturing

Biological and chemical processes convert feedstocks

Specialty Chemicals

Ammonia, polymers, personal care ingredients, etc.

Global Challenges Solved by Biomanufacturing

Biomanufacturing is solving large-scale problems that will shape every person’s daily reality in the short and long-term future. The Bioeconomy is projected to be a $4-30 trillion global industry.

Human Health

Bio-based plant-based polymers for everyday materials reduces our exposure to harmful microplastics. Contact with carcinogens such as benzene, and other harmful byproducts of petroleum-based processes, is also reduced.

Environment

Biomanufacturing presents an opportunity to lessen our environmental burden: using biology to conduct chemistry requires less inputs of limited resources, such as water and energy, than petroleum-based processes.

National Security

Strategic chemicals used in everyday products are currently sourced mostly from overseas. For example, 90% of isoprene (for tires) is from Russia and China; 80-90% of acrylic acid comes from India and China. US bio-manufacturing enables onshoring of these vital chemicals.

Waste Reduction

Exciting developments in biomanufacturing include capturing methane/ethane gas from agriculture to transform into acrylic acid (used in paint, hair spray, mascara), as well as creating lubricants from food waste.

Now is the Time to Invest in Biomanufacturing

Now is the time to invest in biomanufacturing through a confluence of factors including technological advancements, consumer awareness, corporate sustainability initiatives, and a wealth of government funding opportunities.

Consumer Awareness
Increasing concerns of pollution and health issues related to petrochemicals and existing materials.

Technological Advances Improve Science
Technological advances improve insights and efficiencies in R&D and engineering. For example, the cost of sequencing the human genome dropped from $3B to $500 over the last 20 years. Artificial intelligence and other technologies mean faster cycles for discovery and engineering.

Sustainability Initiatives
Corporations are being driven to adopt more sustainable practices through regulatory and consumer pressure to adopt net zero initiatives. Biomanufacturing is a key solution to galvanize these initiatives.

Government Funding
The government sees onshoring manufacturing as a strategic initiative and therefore is allocating billions of dollars into biomanufacturing infrastructure.

Current annual market for chemicals that can be bio-produced:

$500 Billion

Annual revenue of sectors impacted by bio manufactured solutions:

$1.2 Trillion

Personal Care

$430 Billion

Apparel

$690 Billion

Electronics

$2.3 Trillion

Automotive

$160 Billion

Packaging

Advancing Biomanufacturing Innovation

While there are multiple investment firms allocating to industrial biomanufacturing, First Bight Ventures is the only firm specifically focusing on advancing biomanufacturing innovation through strategic capital deployment to support early stage companies as they develop and facilitate their hitting key industrialization milestones.

First Bight, our advisors, and our limited partners are building up the entire biomanufacturing ecosystem such that scientific breakthroughs will become commercially profitable.

We lead and advise our portfolio companies into efficient, cost-effective operations, leverage our extensive network to provide leads to strategic partnerships that galvanize commercialization, and created our own first-of-its-kind accelerator, BioWell, dedicated solely to biomanufacturing startups.

BioWell is our purpose-driven industry engagement, research, and business acceleration initiative of both a startup accelerator and 10000 square foot facility to provide startups the necessary infrastructure to scale their technology including bench-top to pilot scale fermentation and downstream processing equipment.

Through providing research and lab space, the BioWell enables companies to test and optimize their processes to generate initial samples for customers thereby speeding the commercialization process.

The BioWell accelerator leverages First Bight’s extensive network and strategic positioning in Houston to build an ecosystem of chemical and energy companies, chemical engineers, scientists, workforce development programs, and government agencies.