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Scaleup Bio accelerates opportunities for global food tech start ups
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Wednesday, 02 November, 2022, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
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Singapore
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ScaleUp Bio, a new, Singapore-homegrown precision fermentation solutions provider – a joint venture company of ADM and Temasek’s Nurasa – is positioning itself to emerge as a key enabler towards unlocking innovation for global food tech start-ups needing dedicated food-grade precision fermentation laboratory facilities and more.
It will open two dedicated food-grade precision fermentation facilities in Singapore during 2023. These new facilities will be the first of their kind in Singapore open to promising start-ups from anywhere in the world needing research and development assistance.
Francisco Codoñer, CEO, ScaleUp Bio, said, “Addressing urgent food security and supply issues driven by climate change and exacerbated by traditional food production sources – and in line with emerging consumer demands for more sustainably developed alternative proteins and other foods – has been a real challenge due to a lack of dedicated food-grade laboratory facilities, business guidance and market assistance for start-ups.”
“This has been because most CDMOs around the world cater first and foremost to pharmaceutical or biofuel industry needs. Which means start-ups and other early-stage firms often must resort to expensive and unpredictable laboratory capacities, often in an environment that was not meant for food. Building their own pilot facilities on the other hand would set up a high capital threshold out of the gate. We have designed ScaleUp Bio’s entire business model specifically to empower these young companies with the facilities, capabilities, and resources they have long needed to scale and succeed in today’s marketplace,” added Codoñer.
Two world-class, dedicated food-grade precision fermentation facilities opening in 2023
The first facility opening in the first half of 2023 will be a joint laboratory developed under a new, multi-year partnership with the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)’s Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI), enabling delivery of tailored start-up infrastructure and service offerings.
This facility, designed especially for research and development for start-ups and emerging food tech companies, will be able to support up to 100 litres of fermentation and downstream processing capacity, with analysis, testing and process optimisation capabilities. It will be located at Nurasa’s Food Tech Innovation Centre (FTIC) at Biopolis, a research and development hub in central Singapore.
The second facility – also scheduled for commercial launch during the second half of 2023 – will offer close to 2,300 square metres of space where start-ups and early-stage food tech companies from around the world can access up to 10,000 litres of fermentation and associated downstream processing capacity, with experts on-hand to continue the process optimisation and scale-up journey. This facility will also serve as its headquarters and will be located at LOGOS Food21, in Tuas, an emerging food manufacturing zone in the western part of Singapore.
Beyond physical laboratory facilities and technical expertise, the company also offers food tech start-ups a comprehensive array of opportunities from its extensive business ecosystem.
Offering access to Asia and an innovation ecosystem supported by global leaders
“We understand the challenges faced by young firms seeking to navigate the complex regulations, cultures, and tastes across Asia. Thus, it makes perfect sense for us to launch our global offering from Singapore. From here, we can offer smart market entry to fast-growing Asian populations hungry for alternative sustainable food sources from one of the world’s great innovation centres,” Codoñer said.
Through a holistic ecosystem of industry experts, partner organisations and resources from across the parent companies, precision fermentation start-ups will have access to an unprecedented array of resources and potential relationships to ensure commercial success. ADM is a global leader in nutrition and agricultural origination and processing and Nurasa is a new company focused on accelerating the commercialisation and adoption of sustainable food across Asia and is in turn wholly owned by Temasek, a global investment management company in Singapore.
“Whether you are a home-grown innovator here in Singapore or from across Asia – or a food tech company from anywhere in the world – we want to hear from you. With our new facilities, access to top-tier talent, resources, and capital, we offer a tremendous platform for young companies seeking to springboard their products to global scale and success,” concluded Codoñer.
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