ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, April 15th, 2020— Ecovia Renewables Inc., a Michigan-based biotechnology company focused on the research and development of high-performing biobased materials and ingredients, announced today that it has in-licensed a fermentation technology developed in the lab of founder Dr. Xiaoxia “Nina” Lin at the University of Michigan. This technology expands Ecovia’s growing portfolio of upstream processing offerings and enables significant cost reductions by consolidating manufacturing steps together.
Pictured left-to-right: Dave Repp, Nina Lin, Drew Hertig, Jeremy Minty, Jeremy Nelson (Credit: U of M).
Research on engineering microbial communities to make biobased fuels and chemicals was part of the Ph.D. thesis of founder Dr. Jeremy Minty under the supervision of Dr. Nina Lin at the Dept. of Chemical Engineering. Their team designed mixed microbial cultures that enable multi-step biosyntheses to occur in a single fermentation, thereby consolidating the manufacturing process to create value-add products at lower cost. Ecovia uses these upstream “linear” biopolymer products based on polyglutamic acid to create new chemical derivatives, including 100% biobased AzuraGel™, a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) positioned against oil-based polyacrylic SAPs used in a variety of absorbent hygiene products.
In 2018, Ecovia raised a $1.6 million Seed round led by Seppic Inc., a subsidiary of Air Liquide. University of Michigan’s MINTS—Michigan Invests in New Technology Startups—program co-invested $500k. Likewise, the University of Michigan’s Office of Technology Transfer (UM-OTT) has been very supportive of the Ecovia team throughout their journey.
“Absorbent hygiene manufacturers are urgently looking for an innovative solution to reduce growing plastic waste,” says Dr. Jeremy Nelson, UM-OTT Associate Director of licensing, “Ecovia’s products give them a choice that was previously unavailable.”
Ecovia obtained worldwide, exclusive rights to this technology to commercialize ingredients and materials for high- and medium-value margin products for undisclosed running royalties and equity consideration. Ecovia’s technology platform has been supported by over $2 million in public funding, including SBIR and STTR grants from the National Science Foundation and United States Department of Agriculture. Ecovia plans to raise a Series A round in 2020 to support scale-up, product and process development efforts.
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About Ecovia Renewables Inc.
Ecovia Renewables Inc. is a privately-held biotechnology company focused on the research and development of high-performing biobased ingredients and materials. It was spun-out from the University of Michigan in 2014, inspired by Dr. Nina Lin and Dr. Jeremy Minty’s pioneering research on engineering microbial ecosystems. http://www.ecoviarenewables.com.