Digestiva, a pioneering food biotech company, successfully closed its Series A equity financing round, raising $18.4 million.
This significant milestone was led by Magdalena, a global leader in sugar cane processing, with participation from UC Investments, and existing investors The March Fund and Astanor. The company’s groundbreaking enzyme technology platform was initially discovered by co-founder Dr. Wilson Mak, in the lab of renowned UC Davis faculty member Dr. Justin Siegel, a global leader in enzyme discovery, development, and design.
Digestiva’s innovative core technology focuses on the discovery and development of proprietary protease enzymes designed to address critical challenges in protein nutrition, functionality, and overall health. Millions worldwide struggle to extract optimal nutrition from dietary proteins, leading to inadequate growth, muscle development, and overall health, with problems that worsen with age. Digestiva’s revolutionary proteases enhance protein bioavailability, allowing people and animals to maximize nutritional benefits from existing diets without increasing protein consumption. These science-driven solutions have the potential to address global malnutrition and promote sustainable nutrition by improving health outcomes and reducing environmental impact.
Alongside the successful Series A financing, Digestiva has entered into an exclusive manufacturing partnership with Magdalena. Under this agreement, Magdalena will enable the scale-up production of enzymes to help Digestiva reach its commercial milestones.
Digestiva is currently executing multiple pilot projects aimed at accelerating commercialization and achieving initial revenue milestones. Its first precision protease enhances the processability, nutritional quality, digestibility, and bioavailability of proteins. This enzyme releases an optimal mix of amino acids and peptides, offering versatile applications in nutrition and protein processing. The protease technology has shown promise in pilot human studies and industrial processes, potentially revolutionizing the quality of protein ingredients from various plant and animal sources. Digestiva aims to commercialize applications in pet food, animal feed, and human nutrition markets. The company has developed a cost-effective production method using precision fermentation and has attained Self-Affirmed GRAS, making its first product market-ready.
“We are very pleased with the high caliber of investors participating in our financing round and the strategic alignment in scaling our breakthrough technology to deliver a significant positive impact on the future of human and animal nutrition. We are excited to partner with Magdalena to manufacture our enzymes, ensuring both cost efficiencies and long-term supply security for our customers. Digestiva is a prime example of the groundbreaking biotechnology emerging from the UC Davis ecosystem,” said John Melo, CEO of Digestiva.