Paris-based industrial biotech startup baCta has successfully closed a $8 million seed funding round to advance its AI-powered bioproduction platform. The investment was co-led by LocalGlobe and Daphni, with participation from OVNI Capital and prominent angel investors. This new capital will enable baCta to scale its first product, the antioxidant astaxanthin, and further develop its technology for creating sustainable industrial ingredients.
Addressing Industrial Supply Chain Challenges
The global demand for industrial ingredients is rapidly increasing, yet current production methods face significant hurdles. Traditional approaches, such as petrochemical synthesis or extraction from scarce natural resources, are often expensive and vulnerable to climate and geopolitical disruptions. While bioproduction presents a sustainable alternative, its adoption has been limited by historically slow and costly development cycles.
Founded in 2024 by Mathieu Nohet and Marie Rouquette, baCta aims to overcome these limitations with its innovative platform, baCtaForge. The company leverages breakthroughs in generative AI, robotics, and synthetic biology to engineer microorganisms into efficient molecular factories. This technology dramatically accelerates the design of high-yield industrial strains, making bioproduction a more viable and resilient option.
A New Approach to Bioproduction
At the core of baCta's technology is an AI model that explores previously overlooked genomic data and regulatory pathways to design optimized microbes. This unique approach allows the company to engineer strains with unprecedented speed and efficiency. The platform also utilizes bio-based reinforcement learning to significantly reduce development timelines and associated costs for new ingredients.
Mathieu Nohet, founder and CEO of baCta, stated that we are entering a new era where microorganisms can serve as programmable factories for organic molecules. He explained that this investment will help the company reach an industrial scale for its first ingredient. It will also demonstrate the value of its AI-driven approach to making industrial supply chains both resilient and abundant.
Targeting the Astaxanthin Market
The company's first commercial target is astaxanthin, a powerful antioxidant with a billion-dollar market across the cosmetics, nutrition, and animal feed sectors. Currently, the market relies heavily on synthetic versions derived from petrochemicals or expensive natural extraction from microalgae. baCta's product offers a compelling alternative to these established sources.
Using a proprietary yeast strain, baCta produces a high-quality ingredient that functions as a direct drop-in replacement for existing astaxanthin products. The company's goal is to deliver the premium quality of a natural product at a price point competitive with synthetic versions. This strategy positions baCta to capture a significant share of the market by offering a superior and cost-effective solution.
Strategic Use of Capital and Investor Confidence
The new funding will be strategically allocated to scale up astaxanthin production and validate industrial processes through a partnership with a French industrial player. The capital will also support the initial commercialization efforts and the continued expansion of the baCtaForge platform to develop other high-value ingredients. This seed round follows a $3.8 million pre-seed investment raised in October 2024.
Investors have expressed strong confidence in baCta's vision and technological capabilities. Pierre-Yves Meerschman of Daphni highlighted the platform's potential to create a scalable path away from petrochemical dependency. Similarly, Remus Brett of LocalGlobe praised the company's ability to merge deep biological data with generative AI to deliver industrial viability alongside scientific breakthroughs.
With this significant seed funding, baCta is well-positioned to disrupt the industrial ingredients sector by making bioproduction more efficient and economical. The company's initial focus on astaxanthin serves as a powerful proof of concept for its broader mission. Ultimately, baCta aims to harness biology to usher in a future of sustainable abundance for essential global industries.