Ghent-based biotech startup AmphiStar, which transforms waste into sustainable biosurfactants for industries like personal and home care, has secured a €2 million grant from SPRIND. The funds will scale up biomanufacturing processes and accelerate the commercialization of microbial biosurfactants.
- Founded in 2021 by Sophie Roelants, Bernd Everaert, Karolien Maes, and Sofie De Maeseneire, AmphiStar develops sustainable, waste-based microbial biosurfactants as eco-friendly alternatives to fossil and palm oil-based products.
- The startup utilizes biotechnology to convert bio-based waste into high-performance biosurfactants for the personal care, home care, and industrial sectors.
- AmphiStar’s platform employs the yeast Starmerella bombicola to produce over 25 distinct glycolipid biosurfactants, demonstrated at a 15 m³ scale using local, renewable raw materials to deliver high-purity products suitable for various applications.
Details of the deal
- The non-dilutive grant came from SPRIND, the Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation, which connects innovators from science and industry to create breakthrough products and services that address social, ecological, and economic challenges.
- AmphiStar has been selected as one of six teams to advance to the second round of a competitive multi-stage program funded by the German government to support breakthrough innovations in biotechnology.
"With the freedom that non-dilutive funding provides, we can continue to develop and refine our bespoke, sustainable surfactants that meet the growing demand for high-performance, eco-friendly solutions in personal- and home care. This support reinforces the German government’s recognition of our breakthrough technology and its potential to revolutionize the industry," CEO of AmphiStar, Pierre-Franck Valentin, commented.
- In the first year of the SPRIN-D program, the AmphiStar team conducted a continuous biomanufacturing process for 75 days—15 days longer than the anticipated 60 days, using waste materials to create a novel and promising biosurfactant molecule.
- During the first phase of the SPRIN-D program, AmphiStar secured a €1.5 million grant and is now competing for an additional €2 million in the final stage, where funding will be awarded next year to the top two teams.
"This grant enables us to concentrate on developing entirely new, promising molecules at low technology readiness levels (TRL), all produced from waste through a continuous biomanufacturing process," Co-founder and COO of AmphiStar, Sophie Roelants, stated.
- The capital raised will enable AmphiStar to advance its biotechnology platform, scale up production, and develop tailored biosurfactant molecules for personal and home care products, facilitating their entry into the global market.
