Revolutionizing sustainable production: EV Biotech are supercharging microbial fermentation development

Fermentation is the future! TopDutch-based EV Biotech is offering a solution to the issue of pollution-heavy manufacturing methods by harnessing the power of fermentation, combined with state-of-the-art computational methods.

With microbial fermentation, EV Biotech is making a greener future possible without compromising our current quality of life. It is incredible that something as small as a micro-organism can change our future so drastically.

Fermentation allows us to develop carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative fermentation processes based on existing industrial waste streams. This is in contrast to traditional production methods, which in many cases use emission-intensive, fossil-fuel-based processes. Such methods pollute our environment to meet the demand of the ever-growing world population.

EV Biotech applies unique computer models to provide micro-organisms with the right tools to develop faster microbial production methods. This can make the dream of a circular economy a reality. Everyday products are reshaped, replacing polluting production methods.

Investing in a green future

It was a shared mission to accelerate the circular transition that brought EV Biotech’s investors together. In the latest seed round, they joined forces to raise a cool €4.5 million investment. The funding round, led by Future Food Fund, offers a clear vote of confidence in EV Biotech, which has set itself the goal of a greener future. The other participants included NOM, Carduso Capital, RUG Ventures, Triade Investment, Voyagers.io Climate Tech Fund, Blue Horizon, Jogchum Brinksma (Flobas Ventures), Scott Saxberg (Icebook), Hannu Ryopponen, Marc Kaptein, Andrew Nutter and Marie Outtier.

With the investment obtained, EV Biotech can improve existing technology and implement customer feedback to improve products. In addition, EV Biotech continues to develop proprietary microorganisms for the benefit of various markets. EV Biotech can now also start a pilot with the plug-and-play systems developed by the company with the aim of developing a microbial chassis that produces different types of bioplastics.

This seed investment allows EV Biotech to improve existing technology and implement client feedback to fine-tune their products. In addition, EV Biotech will continue to develop proprietary microorganisms to serve several markets. EV Biotech can now also start a pilot with the plug-and-play systems developed by the company with the aim of developing a microbial chassis that produces different types of bioplastics.

EV Biotech's unique technology platform

Choosing and engineering the right microorganism for each product can be difficult. In traditional industry, a trial-and-error approach is necessary to create an effective microorganism. But this process is time and resource intensive, resulting in a lower project success rate.

This is where EV Biotech comes in. EV Biotech has developed a unique technology platform that accelerates the development of novel and existing industrial fermentation processes by combining computational and laboratory approaches. Their scientists employ data science and in-house developed models, including data-driven AI models, to identify R&D steps that have the highest potential for success. Their technology platform connects strain design and testing with in-house industrial-scale bioprocess models to predict future profitability, potentially saving millions of euros in R&D costs for both the company and its clients.

Combining the digital twins of the enzymes, organisms and bioprocesses is the enabling technology to design effective fermentation processes

Linda Dijkshoorn, CEO

Commercial validation

EV Biotech’s unique technology platform offers the possibility to produce green products such as proteins, food ingredients, flavours, fragrances, cosmetic ingredients, materials, bio-pesticides and much more. Their strategy gives the unique advantage of getting them on the market faster and at a competitive price.

Within the past few years, EV Biotech’s platform has been commercially tested. They’ve worked on a number of projects for clients, looking at the production methods of alternative proteins, small molecules and bioplastics. In addition, they have developed a bioplastic-producing microbial chassis that converts up to 80% of biomass for efficient production of bioplastics. The company will start a pilot of the microbial chassis this year and aims to bring it to market within 3 years. Compared to traditional trial-and-error design methods for bacterial strains, it reduces product lead times by 70%.

Using modelling to guide our lab experiments saves at least 60% of the time and cost

Agnieszka Wegrzyn, CTSO

Products and joint development

The real magic of EV Biotech’s methods lies within the rapid feedback loop from lab to computer and back. When a microorganism is developed in the lab, huge amounts of data are collected on growth, performance, transcriptomics and metabolomics, among others. These complex datasets are directly integrated into their existing computational models. This allows EV Biotech to very quickly perform design-build-test-learn cycles, helping to select the most impactful R&D steps.

We can calculate what the risks and benefits of a project are, which also tells us which ones are not worth spending our and the client’s time and resources on!

Agnieszka Wegrzyn, CTSO

EV Biotech offers modular support and (co-)development opportunities to address the key challenges in all stages of industrial strain production and optimization. The models and algorithms developed by the company offer insight within all of these stages, informing not only on the technical feasibility of a project but also the economic feasibility. This means that clients can come to EV Biotech at any point in their project and timeline.

Anything sustainable should be profitable

Linda Dijkshoorn, CEO