StrainX Bioworks raises $13 million led by Prime Venture, Leo Capital

BENGALURU: Synthetic biology startup StrainX Bioworks has raised $13 million in a Series A funding round led by Prime Venture Partners and Leo Capital as the company emerged from stealth after operating for two years.The round also saw participation from Good Startup, Sparrow Capital, Sun Icon Ventures, Dholakia Ventures and WindT (IIT Delhi) Angels.The Bhopal-based company said it plans to use the fresh capital to expand research and development, scale fermentation infrastructure and accelerate commercialisation efforts through partnerships with global food and ingredient companies.Founded by IIT Delhi alumni Akshay Mittal and Dr Alok Malaviya, StrainX is building a synthetic biology and precision fermentation platform focused on food, nutraceuticals and personal care industries.

The company said it has built capabilities across strain engineering, fermentation, process scale-up and product development.StrainX currently has a team of more than 100 scientists, engineers and operators. The startup said it has demonstrated fermentation at the 10,000-litre scale and is now working towards larger-scale operations, including pathways to 100,000-litre capacity.“StrainX stood out to us because it combines two things that are rarely found together in biotech, serious science and sharp business execution,” said Brij Bhushan, managing partner at Prime Venture Partners.