Munich, Germany, October 14, 2021 — Origin.bio, a biotechnology company, and the team of Carbocycle, a spin-off from Columbia University, are joining forces to produce tailor-made lipids to
revolutionize the chemical industry towards a regenerative future. The two companies will pool their experience in microbial lipid technology, upscaling and the commercialization of biotech products to deliver sustainable alternatives to unsustainably sourced vegetable oils and fats.

Origin.bio is a biotechnology company that replicates and improves ingredients from traditional chemical industrialization processes, freeing manufacturers from petrochemical dependency. Carbocycle, a Columbia University spin-off from research started at Prof. Kartik Chandran’s lab, and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, developed a sustainable, zero carbon footprint process to produce microbial lipids from organic waste.

“The collaboration with Origin.bio will allow us to turn our prototype into a viable commercial product, because of their operational and commercial expertise”, says Tim Zeiske. “By joining Origin.bio, we can realize our long-lived goal to deploy our technology out of the lab and make this much needed solution available to the market (and the planet).” adds Melanie Valencia. “We are thrilled to join forces with this group of talented individuals and experienced industry veterans in Munich and excited about spearheading the development of the next generation of biotechnology-based sustainable products” ends Shashwat Vajpeyi.

Combining the innovative technology of Carbocycle with the scaleup capabilities of Origin.bio will unlock fats and oils for the best performance for specific use cases, beginning with those focused on the fields of cosmetics and food. The developed products represent a sustainable breakthrough to replace oils and fats such as palm oil, which are associated with climate change and biodiversity loss.

“Getting the Carbocycle team on board is an important strategic decision for Origin.bio”, says Jens Klein, Founder and CEO of Origin.bio. “We had previously identified microbial lipid synthesis as a key platform technology for sustainable production. Now we have found a team that has mastered the technology and — on top of that — is 100% aligned with Origin.bio’s vision of tailor-made products, co-designed by nature.”

-ENDS-

About Carbocycle

Carbocycle was started in 2016 by a group of scientists at Columbia University in the City of New York, as a spin-off from research funded by the Gates Foundation. Carbocycle has developed a technology to produce sustainable microbial lipids from upcycled organic waste streams using precision fermentation. Carbocycle won the first prize at Columbia Venture Competition (CVC) in 2016 with the technology to turn organic waste streams into a palm oil substitute to avoid the environmentally detrimental effects of both industries. Their work has been recognized by MIT innovators under 35, NY I-Corps, among others. As of September 2021, the co-founders of Carbocycle — Shashwat Vajpeyi, Ph.D., Tim Zeiske, Ph.D., and Melanie Valencia, PhD(c) are part of Origin.bio in Munich.

About Origin.bio

Launched in 2021, Origin.bio is a biotechnology company which connects sustainable technologies with markets. It scales biotechnological processes to build ingredients with significantly less energy requirements and waste produced, while eradicating the need for petrochemicals. The company was founded by Jens Klein (CEO) and is bridging the gap between leading R&D-focused organizations and brands/OEMS to scale climate focused innovation. To learn more about Origin.bio visit: https://origin.bio/

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Posted by Melanie Valencia