Daisy Lab: Producing dairy identical proteins without the cow - Series A raise

Opportunity for

• Venture capital, family offices, corporate investors and strategic partners interested in precision fermentation technology.
• Dairy industries, research or trial partners interested to connect, invest, or collaborate.
  ^This opportunity is only for professional and sophisticated investors.

Opportunity description

Industry challenge

Feeding a growing global population in a climate that is nearing planetary boundaries presents a huge challenge for humanity. Globally, animal agriculture is estimated to contribute 14% of human- caused greenhouse gas emissions, with a third of this attributed to dairy farming.

Intensive animal agriculture is also associated with air and water pollution, damage to soils and reduced biodiversity, as well as being linked to the spread of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Despite this, as income and population increase, more dairy products are expected to be consumed. This will put further strain on a food production system that is already at the limit of sustainable production.

Daisy Lab has a solution – the familiar taste, nutrition, and functional properties of dairy without the need for cows. Using precision fermentation, we use yeast to make the same proteins found in cow’s milk- without the cow.

By using precision fermentation, we can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land, and water use. Our dairy proteins are identical to those found in milk, which can be used in the same way to produce a wide range of dairy products. All without compromising consumer enjoyment or the planet.

Current opportunity

Our initial seed round supported the development of our animal-free dairy proteins and scaled our benchtop production from 1 litre to 10 litres. We know we can make dairy-identical proteins without cows and have produced prototype powders available for testing. Now, we are ready for the next stage: our very own pilot scale production plant.

We are looking to raise NZ$10 million to build a precision fermentation pilot plant so we can further scale our technology to a 1,000 litre batch size. This will unlock our ability to begin generating revenue through global IP partnerships with existing dairy processing companies, as well as other food and beverage companies. A pilot scale plant will ensure a smooth technology transfer at commercial scale.

Daisy Lab is a precision fermentation dairy company located in New Zealand, a nation famous for exporting agricultural products like wool, meat and dairy. We have access to significant local expertise and experience in producing safe, quality dairy products for export. In fact, the use of ultrafiltration technology to produce whey protein concentrates was pioneered in New Zealand.

To find out more about this opporutnity or to express interest gor to "Enquire now".

Opportunity background

• Daisy Lab has successfully developed and scaled dairy-identical proteins with superior technical properties and high yield, despite limited access to venture funding
• Diversified R&D strategy targeting both specialized and mainstream ingredients (e.g. beta-lactoglobulin and lactoferrin)
• Dual go-to-market approach, targeting technology IP partnerships for faster value creation
• Daisy Lab has developed proprietary yeast expression systems, that secretes protein extracellularly, providing a very “clean” fermentation liquid
• This “clean” fermentation liquid offers a unique advantage for cost-effective industrial scale-up
• Daisy Lab has built strong relationships with New Zealand dairy processing ecosystem and are already collaborating with dairy processors and consultants

• Daisy Lab has strong support from the New Zealand government, having received several non-equity government grants. NZ government also offers extensive support to start-ups in the form of free consulting services in commercialization and trade, as well as marketing, branding and legal support.

  Potential other applications

Precision fermentation is used to make many food ingredients we consume regularly – anything from vitamins used to fortify foods to flavours, colours and enzymes. It is not a new technology and has a history of safe use in food and drink. Daisy Lab is pioneering a new path using the tried and tested technology by applying it to produce dairy proteins on a large scale. Instead of minority, specialist ingredients, our ambitious goal is to recreate components of milk which can be used in the very same way as milk from dairy cows.

Potential other applications include the production of high value proteins that are inherently difficult to produce, including human lactoferrin.