iMicrobes closes seed round of $10M to transform ethanol and methane into biochemicals

In California, Industrial Microbes (iMicrobes), a biomanufacturing company on a mission to accelerate the transition to sustainable materials, announced the successful completion of the first close of its seed round funding, bringing the company’s total investment to over $10M. The funding was led by First Bight Ventures, with participation from Universal Materials Incubator Co. (UMI).

The seed funding marks a significant milestone for iMicrobes, enabling the company to engineer its microbes 3x faster and purify its first commercial samples. This critical investment supports the company’s ongoing efforts to scale its proprietary bioprocesses, transforming renewable feedstocks like ethanol and methane into high-performance biobased chemicals.

iMicrobes is scaling up its fermentation to produce more than 10 kg of product per run in a pilot bioreactor, and accelerate the commercialization of its bio-based acrylic acid production platform. Acrylic acid, a versatile chemical used in products ranging from paints to diapers, has traditionally been sourced from petrochemicals. 

iMicrobes has successfully developed two distinct pathways for producing bio-based acrylic using methane and ethanol as feedstocks. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is sourced from industrial by-products and agricultural residues, transforming a harmful waste stream into a valuable resource. Ethanol, widely used as a biofuel, can now play a growing role in producing sustainable materials. Using ethanol to support domestic biomanufacturing can strengthen domestic supply chains for critical materials.