Primogene to scale nature-identical bioactives for infants and adults with €4.1M funding

German biotech start-up Primogene has secured €4.1 million (~US$4.7 million) in funding to commercialize complex, nature-identical bioactive molecules. The Leipzig-based company supplies various markets, from infant nutrition and adult health to pharmaceutical raw materials and personal care. 

Leveraging its proprietary enzymatic platform technology, Primogene produces biomolecules designed to mirror their natural counterparts sustainably, cost-efficiently, and at an industrial scale. The new capital will expand the company’s IP portfolio, strategic partnerships, and production capacities.

“Primogene addresses a real gap in the market for nature-identical ingredients with a technology that significantly facilitates the economical production of complex molecules,” says Tina Dreimann, founder and managing director of investor Better Ventures.

“The team combines biotechnological depth with a clear product and execution perspective. This combination convinced us.”

Closing gaps in premature infant nutrition

Primogene was founded in 2023 by Dr.Ing. Reza Mahour, Valerian Grote, and Linda Karger. Among key target areas, the company’s technology serves premature infants — 13 million of whom are born each year.

Human breast milk is the gold standard for infant nutrition, supporting immune system development, cognitive growth, and microbiome establishment. However, the nutritional needs for premature infants are more acute, says the company.

Clinical evidence has demonstrated the critical role of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), in particular disialyllacto-N-tetraose (DSLNT), a structurally complex HMO with significant clinical benefits for premature infants.

Primogene’s enzymatic platform addresses the problem of producing these molecules at scale by addressing the inherent limits of established fermentation-based approaches, which require significant capital investment and are operationally cost-intensive. They also face biological constraints on the complexity of molecules that can be efficiently produced. 

Enzymatic processes enable the production of structurally complex molecules at scale, identical to their natural equivalents. Primogene has developed scalable processes for DSLNT and a family of fucosylated lacto-N-tetraose molecules, including difucosyllacto-N-tetraose I (LNDFH I), the HMO with the second-highest concentration in breast milk.

Enzymatic processes enable the production of structurally complex molecules at scale, identical to their natural equivalents.Notably, the global HMO market is growing at approximately 18–20% annually, and over 65% of newly launched infant formula products in 2023 featured one or more HMOs, according to Primogen.

In partnership with the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology in Leipzig, Primogene is exploring the potential of its ingredients for the prevention of infectious diseases.

As part of this research, the company is collaborating with neonatal intensive care units to monitor HMO concentrations in the breast milk of mothers who have given preterm birth, helping define clinically relevant dosing and application in neonatal care.

Beyond infant nutrition

Primogene’s applications extend outside of infant nutrition. The company produces diverse bioactive molecules that play important roles across different stages of life — supporting gut health in adults, enhancing cognitive function in seniors, and serving as functional ingredients in personal care products.

Primogene also contributes to European supply chain resilience through its regional production of raw materials for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industries.

The company’s entire production process — from enzyme development and production through biotransformation and downstream processing — is managed at Primogene’s facility in Leipzig. The technology and process are backed by an IP portfolio spanning multiple product categories.

“Primogene combines deep scientific excellence with strong industrial relevance. They address a core challenge: the inefficient, expensive, and technically limited production of complex biomolecules using chemical or traditional fermentation methods,” says Dr. Stephan Ruck, Investment Analyst at High-Tech Gründerfonds, which led the investment round.

“Their multi-enzyme platform unlocks complex biomolecules that were previously too costly or difficult to produce at scale. The team executes fast, listens to customer feedback, and already shows great traction. We are very happy about the financing round and look forward to the next steps.”

In other recent advances in bioactive ingredients, Brightseed launched an Innovation Platform to help convey more information about its AI-discovered plant bioactives and their health benefits. It is designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of products containing these clinically validated compounds — accelerating their pathway to market.