Circe Announces $5M Seed Round and Pilot Plant

Boston, MA, Sept. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Circe, a carbon-negative manufacturing company, announced a $5M Seed Round. Investors include ReGen Ventures, Undeterred Capital, Ponderosa Ventures, Bee Partners, Exceptional Ventures, Climate Capital, and Safar Partners. This funding will support Circe's pilot plant in Waltham, MA, enabling it to scale carbon-negative molecule production.

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While their platform produces various molecules, the current focus is on sustainable fats and oils. These alternatives are essential as traditional fats and oils contribute 7% of global emissions, making Circe’s solution critical for reducing deforestation and biodiversity loss.

Circe has successfully produced prototypes ranging from food ingredients to biofuels. Their ARPA-E contract accelerated the launch of the pilot plant, positioning Circe as a leader in gas fermentation.

"Our microbes accelerate nature's CO2 usage, proving carbon-negative manufacturing is achievable," said Shannon Nangle, Co-founder and CEO of Circe. With the pilot plant and funding, Circe aims to achieve scale and cost parity with traditional production methods.

Using gas fermentation, Circe replaces carbon-intensive chemicals with carbon-negative alternatives. For every kilogram of oil produced, Circe’s process consumes 3 kg of CO2, creating a fully carbon-negative cycle.

Traditional fermentation struggles with high input costs, while chemical processes can’t handle complex molecules. Circe overcomes these limitations, delivering complex, high-volume products at lower costs.

Circe is seeking partnerships across industries, with a strategic focus on oils, but also expanding into sugars, proteins, and polymers. The company welcomes collaborations to create innovative products from CO2.

To date, Circe has raised $14.5M, including $5.5M from non-dilutive sources. Circe also holds an exclusive licensing agreement with Harvard University's Wyss Institute for a novel bioproduction technology.

About Circe 

Circe is a carbon-negative manufacturing company. Through advanced gas fermentation, we produce industry-agnostic chemicals on site. Our platform enables the production of complex, high-volume products, securing the supply chain of essential molecules at a parity with incumbents. 

Circe is based in Boston, MA, and is a spin-off from The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. To learn more, please visit: https://www.circebioscience.com/