Innovation and Start-Up Center for Biotechnology (IZB) welcomes new start-up Origin.Bio

Martinsried near Munich, 24. February 2022 – The Innovation and Start-up Center for Biotechnology (IZB), one of the leading biotechnology centers in Europe, and home to over 50 biotech start-ups, announced the arrival of Origin.Bio today. Origin.Bio is a synthetic biology company that biologically recreates and improves compounds from traditional chemical production processes. The team around serial entrepreneur and CEO Jens Klein, who previously worked at the IZB as managing director of AMSilk GmbH for many years, is pursuing the goal of making petrochemicals completely superfluous in the long term. The Innovation and Start-Up Center for Biotechnology in Martinsried near Munich offers an optimal infrastructure for this.

“The IZB offers us perfect conditions to get started immediately and quickly scale-up our laboratory operations. We look forward to productive exchanges with colleagues from the many interesting biotech companies that are based here. An attractive location like the IZB, with close proximity to science and teaching is also a prerequisite for being able to attract further talent from all over the world. Particularly the mindset of the younger generation will support us in our ambitious goal of producing sustainable raw material alternatives in a scalable manner,” commented Jens Klein, CEO of Origin.Bio.

Origin.Bio uses synthetic biology to create sustainable materials that are inspired by nature and are also entirely scalable. Using proprietary microorganisms such as yeast and bacteria together with its fermentation technology, the company produces the same and better compounds as current chemical processes but on a biological basis – with significantly reduced energy consumption and almost no waste. So far, the start-up has focused primarily on the production of lipids, flavors, and fragrances for the cosmetic and food industries On top of that, licensing of additional complementary technologies is planned. Another business area focuses on the consumer goods industry sector, which for example needs fibers or materials for 3D printing.

“Sustainability is an important topic. We are therefore pleased to welcome Origin.Bio, a biotech start-up that wants to improve the production of raw material alternatives at the IZB. The fact that serial entrepreneurs keep coming back to the IZB underlines the popularity of the site and makes us very proud,” said Dr. Peter Hanns Zobel, Managing Director of the IZB.

Origin.Bio successfully closed a seed financing of EUR 12.3 million in the first half of 2021. The funds raised will be used to expand the technology and advance the company’s ambitious growth strategy. The funding round was led by EQT Ventures. In addition to existing investor BlueYard Capital, new investors are also participating in Origin.Bio, such as Taavet Hinrikus and Sten Tamkivi, Acequia Capital, Possible Ventures and Charlie Songhurst.

About the Innovation and Start-up Center for Biotechnology (IZB) in Martinsried near Munich
The operating company, Fördergesellschaft IZB mbH, founded in 1995, runs the Innovation and Start-Up Centers for Biotechnology in Planegg-Martinsried and Freising-Weihenstephan, which have developed into a leading biotechnology center. More than 50 biotech companies with over 700 employees are currently based on an area of 26,000 m². Here, work focusses on the development of drugs for the most serious diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and various autoimmune diseases. A key criterion for the success of the IZBs is the physical proximity to cutting-edge research on the Martinsried/Grosshadern and Weihenstephan campuses. The new infrastructure measures such as the Faculty Club G2B (Gateway to Biotech), the IZB Residence CAMPUS AT HOME, the Elhardt chemistry college, the two kindergartens Bio Kids and Bio Kids2 as well as the two restaurants SEVEN AND MORE and the Bowl Food Lounge are location factors that are highly valued by the company founders. Successful companies that have emerged from the IZB include Corimmun (today Janssen-Cilag), Coriolis, Exosome Diagnostics (bought by Bio-Techn), ibidi, Immunic Therapeutics, Medigene, Micromet (today Amgen), MorphoSys, Octopharma or Rigontec (now MSD). More information at www.izb-online.de<http://www.izb-online.de>

Press contact and image material requests:
Susanne Simon, Head of Press and Public Relations
Fördergesellschaft IZB mbH, Innovation and Start-Up Center for Biotechnology
Am Klopferspitz 19, D-82152 Planegg-Martinsried, phone: +49 (0)89/55 279 48-17
e-mail: ed.enilno-bzi@nomis
www.izb-online.de

About Origin.Bio
Founded in 2021, Origin.Bio is a synthetic biology company that combines bioengineering and nature. It develops synthetic microorganisms that can produce many of the same compounds as traditional chemical industrialization processes, but with significantly lower energy requirements and less waste, thus eliminating the need for petrochemicals. Founded by Jens Klein (CEO), the company bridges the gap between leading R&D-focused organizations and brands and OEM manufacturers to create scalable climate-focused innovations. More information about Origin.Bio can be found here: https://origin.bio/

Contact Origin.Bio
Melanie Valencia
Origin.Bio GmbH
At Klopferspitz 19
82152 Planegg-Martinsried
Email: oib.nigiro@einalem