News / biotech
Biotech startup completes multimillion pound funding round to scale up patented technology
An award-winning biotech firm has secured £4.5m in an oversubscribed seed funding round to scale up its patented technology, aimed at slashing vaccine waste.
EnsiliTech, based at Science Creates in St Philip’s Marsh, is the biotech firm behind an innovative technology that preserves vaccines and biopharmaceuticals without refrigeration.
By replacing the costly and failure-prone global ‘cold chain,’ the innovation could save the industry billions of pounds and improve access to life-saving medicines in underserved regions in the world.
Science Creates is a uni spinout of the University of Bristol, founded by Dr Harry Destecroix, to provide support for deep-tech and fintech startups requiring specialised laboratories and mentorship.
Co-founders Dr Asel Sartbaeva and Dr Aswin Doekhie at the Sparkies Awards
The technology works by applying a silica-based nanoshell around individual biomolecules, forming a protective coating that prevents degradation from temperature fluctuations.
Once encased, the biological material can be stored and transported at temperatures ranging from –80 °C to +50 °C, removing the need for cold-chain storage facilities.
Founded in 2022 by Asel Sartbaeva, Stephen Wells, Aswin Doekhie and Matt Slade, EnsiliTech has already picked up several industry accolades this year, including a Sparkies Award and multiple South West StartUp Awards, where it was named Overall StartUp of the Year, Innovative StartUp of the Year and MedTech & HealthTech StartUp of the Year.
The funding round was led by Eos Advisory, with participation from Calculus Capital, Empirical Ventures, Fink Family Office, QantX and other individual investors.
Dr Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and chief executive of EnsiliTech, said: “Our mission is to ensure that life-saving medicines and vaccines reach everyone, everywhere, regardless of infrastructure or geography.
“By eliminating the need for refrigeration, our technology significantly reduces supply-chain costs and drug waste, while also lowering the environmental impact of pharmaceutical distribution. This investment is a major step forward for the team, and we’re thrilled to have the backing of partners who share our vision for a more equitable and sustainable future in global healthcare.”
EnsiliTech won multiple awards at South West StartUp Awards, including the Overall StartUp of the Year, Innovative StartUp of the Year and MedTech & HealthTech StartUp of the Year
The funding will enable EnsiliTech to expand infrastructure, recruit new staff and generate validation data for pharmaceutical integration.
All photos: EnsiliTech
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
