Beverage News
ZBiotics Raises $2.3M to Bring Additional GMO Probiotics to the World
ZBiotics, the world’s first maker of genetically engineered probiotics, announced today that it has raised a $2.3M seed round led by Oyster Ventures. This brings ZBiotics’ total funding to date to $5.7M. The company will use the funds to fuel product development including developing new probiotic solutions, hiring new executives and driving sales growth.
ZBiotics was created by PhDs and is a science company at heart, leveraging probiotics and the power of genetic engineering to deliver new biological functions to the body. ZBiotics’ first product is a probiotic that mimics the function of the liver, but does this in your gut where the toxic byproducts of alcohol tend to form.
ZBiotics’ flagship product, which breaks down an unwanted byproduct of alcohol, is the first in a line of products ZBiotics is creating to help consumers actively engage in healthier lives. Beyond alcohol, ZBiotics is working on other engineered probiotics that will give the body new biological functions: everything from helping the body resist environmental toxins and infection (e.g., lead-contaminated water, radiation) to producing useful and health-promoting nutrients (e.g., fiber, high-quality protein).
“ZBiotics has cracked the code on developing a GMO that helps consumers lead healthier lives,” said Kenneth Ballenegger of Oyster Ventures. “Their first product has been a huge success and resonated with adults who want to feel better and be more productive the day after consuming alcohol. We invested in ZBiotics because they are a team of scientists and technologists who are serious about using the power of genetic engineering to benefit everyday people in completely new ways, and we are excited to see ZBiotics’ upcoming products to help the body deal with the toxic byproducts of today’s often unhealthy environment.”
“We are excited to work with the team at Oyster Ventures who understands our vision of developing genetically-engineered probiotics to drive new biological functions in our body and will help us expand our product line and our customer base worldwide,” said Zack Abbott, PhD and CEO of ZBiotics. “Today’s healthy consumer is interested in taking a more active role in their well-being and are increasingly looking at probiotics as a way to supplement their lifestyle. We are injecting an unprecedented degree of science into this field by developing genetically-engineered solutions that improve health in ways that were previously impossible. This funding will help us in our product development and allow us to grow our company so we can meet the demand we’re already seeing – both here and abroad – from our flagship product.”
Source: ZBiotics
