Primogene, a Leipzig-based BioTech startup enabling the sustainable and scalable manufacturing of complex, high-value molecules, has secured €4.1 million in Seed funding to expand its IP portfolio, strategic partnerships, and production capacities.
The round was led by High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) with additional investors including Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen (TGFS), better ventures, Sächsische Beteiligungsgesellschaft (SBG), Golzern Holding GmbH, FS Life Science Investment GmbH, and Dr Marc Struhalla (founder and CEO of c-LEcta GmbH).
“The capital will enable us to build the next phase of Primogene by scaling production, growing the team, and accelerating the industrial launch of our products,” said Dr.-Ing. Reza Mahour, CEO and co-founder of Primogene.
Founded in 2023 by Dr.-Ing. Reza Mahour, Valerian Grote, and Linda Karger, Primogene produces biomolecules that are identical to their natural counterparts, sustainably, cost-efficiently, and at an industrial scale. It specialises in the development of enzymatic biomanufacturing processes for the production of functional ingredients for nutrition and personal care, in addition to pharma raw materials.
The company highlights the importance of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), particularly disialyllacto-N-tetraose (DSLNT), a structurally complex HMO with significant clinical benefits for premature infants.
Its enzymatic platform claims to solve the problem of producing these molecules at scale by addressing the inherent limits of established fermentation-based approaches, which require significant capital investment, are operationally cost-intensive, and face biological constraints on the complexity of molecules that can be efficiently produced.
“Enzymatic processes overcome these constraints, enabling the production of structurally complex molecules at scale, identical to their natural equivalents. Primogene has developed scalable processes for DSLNT and a family of fucosylated lacto-N-tetraose molecules, including difucosyllacto-N-tetraose I (LNDFH I), the HMO with the second-highest concentration in breast milk,” the company mentioned in the press release.
According to Primogene, the application of its technology extends beyond infant nutrition. It states that many of the bioactive molecules produced by the company play important roles across different stages of life, such as supporting gut health in adults, enhancing cognitive function in seniors, and serving as functional ingredients in personal care products.
“Our goal is to make complex ingredients accessible at scale and thereby support human health at every age,” said Linda Karger, COO and co-founder of Primogene.
The startup also supplies raw materials for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries. The entire production process, from enzyme development and production through biotransformation and downstream processing, is managed at Primogene’s facility in Leipzig, Germany. The technology and process are underpinned by a strong IP portfolio spanning multiple product categories, says the company.
Primogene reported that it has established commercial partnerships in the personal care sector, and its active ingredients are already commercially available. The company’s pharmaceutical raw materials are actively being evaluated by customers, with partnerships in advanced stages of development.
The company is actively seeking joint development partners among infant formula producers and functional food manufacturers to bring its complex HMOs, including DSLNT, to market at scale.
In partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI) in Leipzig, Primogene is exploring the potential of its ingredients for the prevention of infectious diseases. In parallel, the company is collaborating with neonatal intensive care units to monitor HMO concentrations in the breast milk of mothers who have given preterm birth.
Using this capital, the company intends to increase its production capacity in Leipzig, enhance its IP portfolio, and expand its team. Primogene also plans to diversify its customer base and forge new strategic partnerships.
Read the orginal article: https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/04/leipzigs-primogene-raises-e4-1-million-to-scale-enzymatic-biomanufacturing-of-complex-bioactive-molecules/
