Meet the Industrial Biotech Bootcamp 2026 cohort

Meet the ventures joining #IBB26

Fermentify | Animal-free ingredients through precision fermentation

Fermentify BV, based in the Netherlands, is developing animal-free emulsion stabilisers to improve the taste and texture of plant-based foods. 

Many vegan products struggle to replicate the texture and stability of traditional egg-based foods. Fermentify addresses this challenge through precision fermentation, programming microorganisms to produce ingredients that are normally found in animal products, without the animal. The company aims to help food producers create plant-based products with improved texture and stability. 

Lypo | Metabolic engineering meets AI-designed enzymes

Scotland-based Lypo uses metabolic engineering and AI-designed enzymes to produce high-value compounds for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries through fermentation. 

Its approach focuses on central metabolism combined with tailoring enzymes, creating flexibility across different target products. Lypo is targeting exceptionally high-value compounds for markets where current synthetic production routes can involve multiple steps and harsh reagents. 

The company’s goal is to develop more sustainable supply chains while significantly reducing production costs.

Tulip Enzyme Solutions | Enabling sustainable biocatalysis

Tulip Enzyme Solutions, from the Netherlands, is working to make biocatalysis more accessible to the fine chemical industry. 

The company aims to develop enzyme systems that mimic cofactors, helping lower the costs associated with biocatalytic processes. This could support the fine chemical industry in moving away from metal catalysts and towards more sustainable biocatalysis solutions. 

MULTICARBONIX | From emission to chemicals

MULTICARBONIX is scaling up its technology to convert on-site CO2 directly into the six-carbon molecule caproic acid, alongside acetate and butyrate, using microbes and renewable electricity through microbial electrosynthesis (MES). The microbes act as self-repairing biocatalysts, building carbon chains longer than most CO2-converting technologies can reach. 

Caproic acid is a versatile platform chemical used in areas ranging from food and animal feed to flavors and fragrances, as well as in materials such as coatings, lubricants and plastics. 

The company aims to offer CO₂ emitters a way to reduce emissions-related costs while providing chemical producers with renewable alternatives to fossil and oil-based feedstocks. 

Nemean BioLabs | Preventing biofouling with bio-based coatings

Nemean BioLabs is addressing biofouling in industrial heat exchangers. Today, biofouling is typically managed through chemical dosing or passive protective coatings. With increasing regulatory pressure on these approaches, Nemean BioLabs is developing a single bio-based coating designed to prevent bacterial adhesion.

The solution is aimed at applications including power plants, data centres and other industrial facilities where biofouling can become both an operational and compliance challenge.

NextGen Biotics | Probiotics for the gut-brain axis

NextGen Biotics is developing a heat-stable, food-compatible probiotic ingredient targeting mood via the gut-brain axis. 

Many probiotics cannot survive food processing, limiting their use in everyday food products. NextGen Biotics is developing a probiotic ingredient based on a proprietary anaerobic fermentation process that enables a specific bacterium associated with emotional wellbeing to grow in food matrices. 

Its product is intended for B2B applications in the functional food and nutraceutical industries. 

Aestuarium | Making desalination more efficient

Dutch startup Aestuarium is developing a synthetic biology solution aimed at making seawater desalination cheaper and cleaner. 

Reverse osmosis is currently the dominant desalination technology, but it requires significant amounts of energy and produces concentrated brine. Aestuarium is developing a biological pretreatment using engineered bacteria as living ion pumps. 

The bacteria are encapsulated in bio-based beads and controlled using light. The approach is designed to reduce the amount of salt reaching reverse osmosis membranes, potentially lowering the pressure - and therefore the energy - required to produce freshwater. 

The company is targeting desalination operators and technology suppliers, with a business model based on licensing and bacteria supply.

Enzura Biotech | Making enzymatic bioconjugation more accessible

Enzura Biotech is developing a technology for site-specific enzymatic bioconjugation.

Its proprietary enzyme variants enable the attachment of a bioorthogonal handle to a short peptide motif, providing a modular alternative to approaches that require long peptide tags, costly custom substrates or complex chemistry. Enzura's process is designed as a one-pot workflow, combining substrate synthesis and handle attachment.

The technology has been used for fluorescent labelling, biotinylation, protein immobilization, and protein–protein and protein–DNA conjugation. With its focus on making precise conjugation simpler, more affordable, and accessible, Enzura is joining the Industrial Biotech Bootcamp to develop its technology and venture further.