Holiferm Limited, a spin-out from the University of Manchester that manufactures sustainable biosurfactants, announced on December 6 (Wednesday), that it has closed £18.5M (approximately €21.4M) in a Series B round of funding from Rhapsody Venture Partners and Clean Growth Fund.
The latest capital injection will help Holiferm to scale up its commercial plant. Holiferm’s Wallasey plant has a current capacity of 1.1 KTA.
Fund utilisation
With this new investment, new fermenters will be installed in the plant, increasing capacity to 3.5 KTA around the end of 2024, then further scaling up to 15kta capacity.
The funding will also significantly accelerate the work at the company’s research and development facility in Manchester.
It will enable the company to refine manufacturing methods for other biosurfactants and push them forward through pilot testing, with a commercial launch planned for 2024.
The capital will help Holiferm to hire talents from the UK and worldwide.
Ben Dolman, CEO of Holiferm, says, “This latest funding round highlights the scale of the opportunity with Holiferm’s technology, making the manufacture of chemicals cleaner and greener through the elimination of petrochemicals, which is vital for not just the chemical industry, but the World as a whole.”
“Both Rhapsody Venture Partners and Clean Growth Fund have proven exceptionally collaborative and supportive partners, and we are delighted that they are continuing with us on this journey and look forward to working together to transform the chemical industry,” says Dolman.
Holiferm Limited: Manufactures sustainable biosurfactants
Holiferm Limited focuses on the development of sustainable methods for the production of biosurfactants.
Biosurfactants are special molecules that living organisms produce, such as bacteria, fungi, and yeast. These molecules have unique properties that allow them to reduce the surface tension of liquids, such as water.
The company’s methods aim to remove harmful petrochemicals from the production process, positively impacting the chemical manufacturing industry.
Holiferm Limited has taken its first process for sophorolipids from laboratory trials through pilot scale tests and into commercial production.
The company currently produces its sophorolipids at its commercial plant in Wallasey, UK, which has a current capacity of 1.1 KTA, with plans to increase this in the short term significantly.
The UK company plans to release MELs and rhamnolipids to the market to complement their sophorolipid range, which can be used in various personal and home care applications.
Read the orginal article: https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/uk-holiferm-secures-21-4m/
