Biotech startup De Novo Foodlabs recently raised a new seed investment round to add to its success since graduating from the Master of Business Creation program at the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business.
The investment round was led by Joyful VC, based in California, and brings the total amount of funding raised by the company to $4 million. The money will be used to help the company develop an animal-free protein for human consumption.
“Our goal is to create a future where our reliance on animals in our food system is significantly reduced,” said Jean Louwrens, co-founder of De Novo Foodlabs and a University of Utah alumnus. “Our technology allows us to produce scarce proteins and ingredients we’d traditionally harvest from nature, improving the supply, cost and consistency of these valuable food ingredients.”
Louwrens comes from a family of entrepreneurs. When he had the chance to combine his knowledge of business with his passion for nutrition and sustainability, co-founding a startup, De Novo Foodlabs, felt like the natural decision. Through the MBC program, this dream became a reality.
De Novo Foodlabs is developing animal-free lactoferrin, or “NanoFerrin,” which is a protein found in milk. The solution to the next generation of nutrition, according to the company. It is created through a proprietary fermentation technology, which allows the protein to be developed more quickly and without milk, which is generally the primary source of production.
“We combine world-class science, deep protein experience and proven biopharma technology to create next-gen, protein-based ingredients,” Louwrens said.
Today, the bovine variation of lactoferrin is used sparingly, mostly in infant formulas and supplements. With NanoFerrin the De Novo Foodlabs team hopes to broaden access to the iron-rich whey protein that humans desperately need.
Since its launch, in addition to raising seed funding, De Novo Foodlabs has scaled the technology to pilot size and gained traction with customers in partners both in the United States and Europe.
Before this explosion of growth, Louwrens enrolled in the MBC program to learn how to scale-up his startup. He graduated in 2023, part of the fourth group to finish the in-person program option.
“We learned from people who have done it in the past,” he said. “Being in the program helped us find alignment within the company.”
Now, De Novo Foodlabs’ products are paving the way for the future of nutrition.
Learn more about De Novo Foodlabs at denovofoodlabs.com
Jean Louwrens, far right, is a graduate of the MBC program.
