Infant nutrition company Biomilq has raised $3.5 million in funding to continue producing cultured breastmilk that offers supplemental nutrition to mother’s milk.
The funding round was led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and included investments from Purple Orange Venture, Blue Horizon Ventures and founder of Happy Family Brands and HealthyNest, Shazi Visram.
Biomilq is a women-owned, science-led company growing breastmilk directly from isolated human mammary cells, generated inside a state-of-the-art bioreactor.
Co-founded by Leila Strickland and Michelle Eggar, the duo is on a mission to develop an option that does not force a trade-off between babies’ nutrition, mothers’ wellbeing, and the future of the planet.
“The Biomilq team is thrilled to be supported by such inspirational and mission-aligned investors who understand the real needs of parents and the planet,” said Egger. “While there is no replacement for breastmilk, we believe we can harness the power of science, technology and nature to deliver comprehensive and sustainable infant nutrition.”
This funding will help the company to scale and perfect its production process, expand its team, and work with families, paediatricians, the breastfeeding and lactation community, among others, to bring their breastmilk product to the global market.
“We believe parents (adoptive and biological), caregivers and infants deserve more options in early-stage nutrition,” said Strickland. “We’re determined to give them just that and create a better world for future generations.”
Carmichael Roberts, Breakthrough Energy Ventures said: “There are immense opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock used in the production of foods like dairy, and Biomilq offers a superb dairy alternative for the production of infant nutrition.
“The company has created a first-of-its-kind product that not only offers a better solution for the environment, but will also improve nutrition for infants around the globe,” he concluded.
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