Fabricnano

FabricNano is a London-based biotechnology company founded in 2018 by Grant Aarons and Ferdinando Randisi. The company is focused on transforming the chemical industry by developing sustainable alternatives to petrochemical-based products through its cell-free biomanufacturing technology. FabricNano's core innovation lies in its ability to immobilize enzymes onto various surfaces, significantly extending their stability and reusability for industrial applications. This process, which they term "Immobilization Engineering™," makes the use of biocatalysts economically viable for large-scale production.

The idea for FabricNano originated in 2018 while the founders were part of the Entrepreneur First program. CEO Grant Aarons has a background in mechanical engineering, economics, and quantitative research, including experience at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He dropped out of an Economics PhD program at London Business School to establish the company. Co-founder Ferdinando Randisi's background information is less detailed in the provided search results.

FabricNano's business model is centered on a business-to-business (B2B) approach, providing its biocatalyst solutions to industrial manufacturers. Their clients range from startups to large international chemical companies like Sumitomo Chemical Company. The company offers its technology to create sustainable and bio-based chemicals for a variety of products, including cleaning products, biopharmaceuticals, biofuels, and bioplastics. By replacing living cells with enzymes attached to a surface, FabricNano aims to create purer bioproducts that require less downstream processing, which can account for a significant portion of chemical manufacturing costs. The company has also explored applications in carbon dioxide removal by using its enzyme technology to accelerate the natural mineralization process.

The company has successfully raised significant capital to fund its research and development. It has secured a total of $22.6 million over two Series A funding rounds. The first, in June 2021, was a $12.5 million round led by Atomico, with participation from Backed, Hoxton Ventures, and Entrepreneur First. This round also attracted a number of high-profile angel investors, including Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and actress Emma Watson. A subsequent Series A extension round raised an additional $10 million.

Keywords: cell-free biomanufacturing, enzyme immobilization, sustainable chemicals, biocatalysis, industrial biotechnology, petrochemical alternatives, Immobilization Engineering, DNA-based flow reactor, protein engineering, synthetic biology, green chemistry, carbon capture, biochemical production, enzyme stabilization, bioplastics, biofuels, sustainable manufacturing, chemical engineering, biocatalysts, cleantech