BioBetter is a technology company.
BioBetter has raised $10.0M across 1 funding round.
BioBetter has raised $10.0M in total across 1 funding round.
BioBetter has raised $10.0M in total across 1 funding round.
BioBetter's investors include H.I.G. Capital, Yoav Tzruya, Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), S Capital VC, Viola Ventures.
BioBetter is an Israeli agrobiotech startup founded in 2015 that develops a patent-protected platform using transgenic tobacco plants to produce complex proteins at dramatically lower costs than traditional methods.[1][2][3] The company serves the cultivated meat industry by manufacturing growth factors and bioactive proteins essential for cell-based meat production, while also targeting biopharmaceuticals, biosimilars, and cosmetics; it solves high manufacturing costs and scalability issues in biologics by turning plants into self-sustained bioreactors, enabling affordable, high-volume output.[1][2][4][5] With $15M raised and a new food-grade pilot facility launched in 2023 aiming for 5 tons annual production by 2025, BioBetter shows strong growth momentum in the molecular pharming space.[2]
BioBetter was founded in 2015 in Kiryat Shmona, Israel, by Oded Shoseyov, PhD—a professor of protein engineering and nano-biotechnology at Hebrew University with entrepreneurial experience; Dana Yarden, MD, MBA, a biotech business development expert and WuXi AppTec founding member in Israel; and Avi Tzur, an industrialist focused on repurposing tobacco positively.[1][3] The idea emerged from Shoseyov's research exploiting plants for protein production, addressing the need for cheaper biologics manufacturing amid high bioreactor costs; early traction included successfully producing Humira (a major antibody drug) and building capacity for biosimilars.[1] Key leaders like CEO Amit Yaari, with 10+ years in recombinant proteins from Collplant, and CRO Yonatan Eran have driven pivots toward cultivated meat growth factors, with pivotal moments like the 2023 pilot facility launch accelerating R&D.[1][2][5]
BioBetter rides the molecular pharming and cultivated meat waves, leveraging gene-edited plants for sustainable protein production amid rising demand for animal-free alternatives.[2] Timing aligns with cultivated meat's commercialization push, where growth factor costs hinder scale; market forces like R&D investments, partnerships, and North American molecular pharming growth favor it.[2] By repurposing tobacco as bioreactors, BioBetter influences agrotech and foodtech ecosystems, lowering barriers for cultivated meat firms, supporting biosimilars access, and promoting Galilee-region jobs in inclusive AgriTech.[3][5]
BioBetter is poised to dominate plant-derived growth factors, expanding from cultivated meat to integrated plant-animal protein matrices and cosmetics via exosomes.[2][4] Trends like gene editing advances and sustainability mandates will propel scaling, potentially capturing molecular pharming market share through open-field production.[2] Its influence may evolve into a key enabler for affordable biologics and cellular agriculture, transforming high-cost protein manufacturing into a democratized, earth-friendly process—echoing its founding mission to make life-changing proteins accessible worldwide.[1][3]
BioBetter has raised $10.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $10.0M Series A in September 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2022 | $10.0M Series A | H.I.G. Capital, Yoav Tzruya, Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP), S Capital VC, Viola Ventures |