Bright live images show that in Checkerspot's laboratory, large oil droplets formed within individual microalgal cells. From an evolutionary perspective, algae evolved oil to survive. Checkerspot takes advantage of this and cultivates algae (like beer-making yeast) during the fermentation process, and within a few days, it accumulates a lot of oil in the cells.
Seaweed oil creates raw materials for sustainable products with excellent properties
Checkerspot, a biotechnology startup that uses microalgae to produce performance materials, announced today that it has completed a $ 13 million Series A funding round. This round of financing was led by builders VC, including Breakout Ventures, Viking Global Investors, KdT Ventures, Plug-and-Play Ventures, Sahsen Ventures and Godfrey Capital.
Checkerspot combines bioengineering, chemistry and materials science, from microalgae to next-generation performance materials.
"This is a very important milestone for us," said Charles Dimmler, CEO of Checkerspot. He said the funding will support the company's ongoing infrastructure development and ongoing business activities. These commercial activities will go beyond surface technology and DIC, focusing on new triglycerides and polyols. He also said that this will help complete direct-to-consumer product development later this year.
Large-scale investment and leadership
"Synthetic Biology enters a brand new company that will be the next DuPont or second," said Jim Kim, general partner builder VC, who will join Checkerspot's board, "this is a very exciting potential the company."
Kim was previously a member of Khosla Ventures and CMEA Capital and a board member of Bolt Thread. Kim believes that Checkerspot is different in that it can quickly bring high-value products to the market with unique performance unmatched by traditional manufacturing.
"We are opening up new fields at the intersection of molecular biology and materials science. This funding will allow us to continue to develop existing materials and products while allowing us to further expand the application of these materials in multiple industries. Fundamentally That said, we see microalgae triglycerides as scaffolds for building entirely new classes of materials.
"We are in a new era of industrial materials production," Kim said. He said that by applying genetic tools in different fields, we can make materials with unprecedented properties. "We can do it in a way that is not harsh, not dirty, not driven by chemicals, and not expensive …"
Kim pointed out that chemicals and materials are a huge space, "I have participated or will always be involved in the greatest potential for destruction. Kim said that platform companies like Checkerspot and Bolt Threads are" gooses that lay the golden eggs "in their development Creates a lot of value on the flexible, multi-product platform.
Triglyceride: an underutilized industrial polymer
Commodity crops like palm, rapeseed, soybeans and rapeseed can produce about 14 different fatty acids. Based on the initial properties of fatty acids, these fatty acids are refined into triglycerides for use in thousands of different consumer products, from personal care to food and nutrition to a wide range of industrial applications. However, in nature, there are hundreds of fatty acids with unique chemical properties that are not suitable as commercial crops.
Checkerspot's molecular casting technology is a platform technology. It is basically programmed to make microalgae produce those fatty acids with unique characteristics, which can then be produced on a large scale in fermentation-based systems to achieve high-performance product applications.
Next-generation performance polyurethanes can have a variety of improved properties. Checkerspot is particularly interested in strength-weight ratio and damping-ideal performance in a range of industries from outdoor entertainment to automotive applications. Checkerspot is also focusing on water core coatings, and its partnership with Beyond Surface Technologies focuses on high performance non-fluorine textile core coatings.
Take out the fluorine
Fluorinated chemistry has become an industrial method for imparting water, oil, and stain resistance to clothing, carpets, and even food packaging. The problem is that certain fluorinated chemicals accumulate far higher levels in animals than PCBs and pesticides, which has led some scientists to urge consumers to avoid buying products such as raincoats and nonstick pans. Checkerspot's biotech materials have innovated around this issue.
"This is the biggest challenge the outdoor entertainment industry is focusing on," Zimler said. "What surprises us is that outdoor entertainment is like a canary in a coal mine.
Fluorinated chemistry is an important part of waterproof materials, but it is harmful to human health and the environment and is a major challenge facing the outdoor leisure industry. Checkerspot's approach to producing new triglycerides using microalgae has innovated around this issue. Mark Doda on Unsplash
Is biotechnology in fashion?
Checkerspot's commitment to sustainable development is recognized by Fashion for Good. Fashion for Good is an alliance designed to help the fashion industry scale technology and business models that have the greatest potential to change the fashion industry. Checkerspot's Timler was selected as one of the 10 innovators to participate in a 12-week course that includes mentor training and business development opportunities with corporate partners.
I asked Dimley how important a company like Checkerspot makes useful products for consumers to the public discussion of genetic engineering.
"Risking a bit of exaggeration, I think it says it all. Zimler believes that for any new technology, innovators and consumers have a learning curve that durable goods as a use case may be healthier than food or medicine etc And fewer security issues. He said, "I think these are very interesting use cases in the early days when we move forward as a field. "
Join us in San Francisco from October 1st to 3rd to see how synthetic biology is disrupting performance materials. Meet innovators and companies at SynBioBeta 2019, find new opportunities, partner, and discover the potential of the bioindustrial revolution.