UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S]

🧬 Question: What is Eng Bio and why does UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] invest in it? 🧬Answer: Engineering biology is not just the use of fermentation; it is the application of biology’s remarkable diversity to develop products that are predictable, safe, regulated, and manufactured using far fewer finite resources. It does not compete with humans for land use and can utilise saltwater and deserts to grow biomass. At its core, the fund invests in sustainable manufacturing that reduces emissions and waste - important benefits, but ultimately secondary. The real investment upside lies in products with unique capabilities, highly defensible IP that enables pricing power, and access to vast global markets. We invest across a much broader design space of chemicals, materials, and processes beyond the constraints of petrochemicals, enabling entirely new product classes such as programmable biomaterials, living therapeutics, and regenerative infrastructure. 📲 Pitch for investment: https://lnkd.in/e_h_t2Jx Oliver Sexton Future Planet Capital | Future Planet Capital Regional #engbio #engineertingbiology #investment #pitchforinvestment #VC #UK

Our largest commercial order to date leaves the iFAST factory today! iFast Diagnostics Ltd is delighted to be shipping a significant commercial order to long standing partner, UKHSA. Yesterday, members of the iFAST team gathered to share the excitement of having the three iFAST ONE instruments lined up at iFAST HQ, ready to be packaged for transport. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) placed an order for three new iFast Rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing systems for use in the Countermeasure Development Evaluation and Preparedness Division labs, as scientists pursue significant projects to develop and evaluate new antimicrobials. The iFAST machines will be used by UKHSA, Porton Down, in two specific areas of research: - The development and evaluation of new phage therapies (bacteriophages, or phages for short), other phage-derived biologics and novel small molecule therapies. - To validate additional further applications for iFAST including fungal infections and STD’s. UKHSA has been working with iFAST Diagnostics since the company was founded in early 2023 and first used a prototype iFast instrument as part of NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) funded research partnership, led by UKHSA and the University of Southampton , looking to develop rapid susceptibility tests for combating AMR – antimicrobial resistance. The revolutionary iFAST ONE instruments deliver ultra-rapid AST results in under 3 hours. In a clinical setting, faster access to results means improved patient outcomes, helping to combat AMR, by enabling clinicians to give patients the best drug, sooner. In the case at UKHSA, the speed and detail of response provides important research insights, all within a single laboratory working shift. Quote from Professor j. mark sutton , Scientific Leader, UKHSA “We are excited to expand the use of iFast technology at UKHSA to help in the all-important mission of combating AMR in our work to support health security in the United Kingdom.” To stay up to date with the latest iFAST news, follow us on LinkedIn or check our website news page https://lnkd.in/eihTRQEN #AMR, #AntimicrobialResistance #PublicHealth

Meet Oliver Sexton, Investment Director at UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S], providing not just capital, but the expertise and the networks to maximise the chances of success in existing markets and in the new markets that engineering biology enables. 📲 If you’re building transformative solutions, pitch your investment opportunity here: https://lnkd.in/ekqPjdph Future Planet Capital | Future Planet Capital Regional #investing #investor #startup #pitch #pitchforinvestment #investment

Recently, our Managing Director Alex Leigh 🎙🎥 and Senior Associate Thomas Storey, led the latest UK Private Capital learning and development session “Structuring the Transaction – Early Stage”, teaching the next generation of VCs. This session focused on: ✏️ Key considerations for early stage investing ✏️ Enhancing upside/ protecting downside ✏️ Funding instruments & Case studies These programmes incorporate immersive, real-world case studies, enabling participants to build practical industry expertise and gain a well-rounded perspective on outcomes across the full deal lifecycle. Thank you to Kostadinka Malzarkova and the UK Private Capital team for organising another great course at the De Vere Beaumont Estate. 💰 UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] are actively investing - 📲 Pitch for Investment here: https://lnkd.in/ekqPjdph Future Planet Capital | Future Planet Capital Regional #PrivateEquity #VentureCapital #GrowthCapital #Investing #Dealmaking #ProfessionalDevelopment #InvestmentTraining #VC #PE

💰 UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] are actively investing in the most high-impact innovations. To receive UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] funding you must fulfil one of the following: 📊 Either you are working in a strategic priority area, 🔍 You are based at one of our research campuses, 🔬 Or your innovation is based on intellectual property (IP) associated with one of our partners. 📲 Pitch for investment here: https://lnkd.in/ekqPjdph ➜ At UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] we’re impact first, we thrive on risk, and we take the lead. Future Planet Capital | Future Planet Capital Regional #pitchforinvestment #pitch #investment #venturecapital #investors

Last week, our Managing Director Alex Leigh 🎙🎥 chaired an energising panel at the Access to Finance Conference hosted by Oxfordshire Greentech at Oxford North. 🎤 The discussion focused on “The first £5m: the climate tech founder’s blueprint for capital stacking.” It was a candid conversation with investors and founders about what it really takes to build and finance climate tech companies in today’s market. Five takeaways that stood out: 1️⃣ Profit and climate impact both matter. If your business doesn’t work commercially, it won’t scale its impact. 2️⃣ Cash runway is critical. Aim for a 24-month runway and start fundraising with at least 12 months remaining. 3️⃣ The best capital is customer revenue. Investor funding should accelerate growth, not substitute for product-market fit. 4️⃣ Innovation needs to be 10x better. Incremental improvements rarely drive rapid adoption. 5️⃣ Understand your investors’ timelines. Check where funds are in their lifecycle before taking their money – otherwise their exit pressure may arrive earlier than expected. Great discussion alongside Susannah McClintock, Thomas Panton, Flowra Zhang, PhD and Gyen Ming Angel. Thank you to Hannah Scott from Oxfordshire Greentech and Oxford North for hosting a fantastic event. Future Planet Capital | Future Planet Capital Regional #ClimateTech #VentureCapital #Startups #Innovation #Founders #VC

UK biotech startup and portfolio company Ternary Therapeutics have raised £3.6m in a seed funding round led by daphni, with participation from Pace Ventures, i&i Biotech Fund and the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S], managed by Future Planet Capital. The funding will support Ternary Therapeutics in scaling its AI-powered platform for designing molecular glues – a new class of medicines capable of targeting proteins long considered undruggable. Through a combination of machine learning, physics-based molecular modelling and rapid laboratory testing, Ternary Therapeutics is turning what has historically been a process of trial and error into a repeatable engineering system. We're proud to support them as they grow their team, expand the platform and advance their programmes towards the clinic 📰 Thanks to Sky News for sharing the news: https://lnkd.in/euU-XcjS 📲 Read on the UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] website: https://lnkd.in/eGNpBiFW Oliver Sexton, Chris Tame Future Planet Capital | Future Planet Capital Regional #portfolionews #skynews #new #venturecapital #innovation #growth

🌾 UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] portfolio company Cytotrait has secured £3m in seed funding to accelerate its crop engineering platform. The round was led by Northern Gritstone, with participation from UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] (managed by Future Planet Capital) and the Northern Universities Venture Fund, managed by Parkwalk in collaboration with Northern Gritstone. Cytotrait’s MOSS (Mutant Organelle Selection System) platform enables gene edits to be introduced directly into plant organelles, opening new possibilities for improving crop performance. 🌏 With this funding, the company will expand development programmes in wheat, maize, potato and canola, targeting improvements in yield, resilience, food traits and carbon sequestration across European and North American markets. We’re delighted to support the Cytotrait team as they scale their technology and address global challenges in food security and agricultural sustainability. 🗞️ Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e7Z-mNQV ➜ At UK Innovation & Science Seed Fund [UKI2S] we’re impact first, we thrive on risk, and we take the lead. Hassan Mahmudul Future Planet Capital | Future Planet Capital Regional #investment #venturecapital #news #seed #seedfunding #foodsecurity

Artificial intelligence is being used to help diagnose blood cancers faster, as pressure mounts on an overstretched health system facing delays and staff shortages. Spotlight Pathology, a UK healthtech company based at UKRI’s Daresbury Laboratory campus in the Liverpool City Region, has developed AI software that analyses digital pathology images to support clinicians in identifying blood cancers more quickly and consistently. Spotlight Pathology Sakura Holloway Samantha Perona (Westgate) Martin Fergie Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eHpczTmj