Personalized nutrition partnership: DSM joins forces with “disruptive” start-up Panaceutics

23 Apr 2019 --- Amid the growing popularity of personalized nutrition, Dutch multinational Royal DSM is partnering with digital health provider Panaceutics to bring to the market “affordable” products geared specifically towards health and wellness. DSM’s tie-up with an early-stage company such as Panaceutics comes as personalized nutrition continues to disrupt the nutrition and supplement market, promising much more growth in the future. The collaboration will see DSM exclusively market and sell Panaceutics Nutrition personalized products in multiple markets across the Americas, Europe and Asia, strengthening DSM’s position in the personalized nutrition field.

Panaceutics uses proprietary robotic technology in combination with digital health platforms, to rapidly manufacture products to serve individual needs and health conditions. 

Known for its disruption in the personalized therapies space, the DSM venture is expected to bring a large scale-up of data-driven personalization. As part of a “new era of healthcare,” Panaceutics says it is breaking down the “one-size-fits-all” approach that limits the formulation, manufacturing and delivery of personalized medicine and nutrition.

Panaceutics uses patented technologies to combine digital data on daily habits, genomics and biomarkers, allowing for cost-effective and scalable manufacturing of individual formulations. This then drives its on-demand robotic manufacturing platform to make an individual’s blended formula, delivered in a ready-to-consume, shelf-stable packaged product.

DSM is a minority investor in Panaceutics through its venture investment arm, DSM Venturing, and the companies will collaborate on several personalized health projects, including adapting Panaceutics’ exclusive technology to manufacture additional formats, such as personalized beverages and bars.

Delivering the right combination of nutritional ingredients at effective and safe doses, Panaceutics will allow individuals to easily optimize their health in a way that suits their unique needs – one of the key drivers behind ADM’s tie-up with the North Carolina-based company. 

“As consumers become increasingly health-conscious, we believe personalized nutrition will continue to disrupt the nutrition and supplement market and grow into a multi-billion-dollar industry,” says Peter De-Meester, VP Global Strategy and Personalized Nutrition, DSM. 

“Realizing this potential and to remain at the forefront of innovation in this field, we continue to expand and establish new partners in the space. This includes innovative early-stage companies like Panaceutics, which is making personalized nutrition solutions available to populations across the world,” he explains.

In line with the latest consumer preferences, nutritional solutions are delivered in convenient organic food purees or gel suspensions, therefore removing the need for individuals to take multiple supplements. 

The significance of “venturing”
Investing in promising start-up companies is pivotal for forward-thinking players like DSM. 

Last year, the company announced that it is seeking to streamline its portfolio and set aside around €3 billion (US$3.4 billion) to expand its nutrition business. The company also suggested that further funds will become available for strategic moves within the nutrition arena, as DSM moves further away from its heritage chemical positioning and continues to cement itself as a leading nutrition powerhouse. 

Exemplifying its interest in nutrition, the company acquired an equity stake in personalized nutrition company Mixfit, making DSM the start-up’s largest shareholder with approximately 50 percent of shares.

“Venturing clearly is a trend; it is seen as an opportunity to speed up innovation – among both start-ups and investors,” Rob Beudeker, Investment Director, DSM Venturing, previously told NutritionInsight.

“We have made it a priority to collaborate with start-ups that are strategically relevant to our business groups and have the potential to revolutionize industries. We do this primarily through our venturing department. Half of our venturing portfolio is in the nutrition sector, while the other half is in solar, 3D printing and the biomedical materials markets,” Beudeker adds.

Edison Hudson, CEO and Co-Founder, Panaceutics, also stresses that the venture with DSM will help the company to reach its goal of serving large numbers of people with data-driven personalization.

By Gaynor Selby