Novo Holdings backs Bactolife’s €30 million Series B alongside new and existing investors 

Novo Holdings today announced its participation in the €30 million Series B financing round of Bactolife to further support the Danish biotech company in its commitment to combat global gut health challenges and in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. 

Novo Holdings has supported Bactolife with seed financing in 2021 and through the Company’s Series A financing in 2023. The Series B financing will enable clinical trials and commercial entry into new markets. 

Led by a new investor, Canadian Cross-Border Impact Ventures, the round is also joined by the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) as a new investor, in addition to existing investors such as ATHOS and Novo Holdings.

Bactolife’s Binding Proteins are specifically tailored to neutralise harmful toxins in the gut, aiming to prevent and reduce gastrointestinal infections in humans and animals. The small antibody fragments bind unwanted elements in the gut without disturbing the natural microbiota. The company’s technology holds the potential to advance both human and animal health across multiple product formats, ensuring broad application relevance. 

Sophia Heyde, Vice President, Planetary Health Investments, Novo Holdings, said:
“As the first institutional investor in Bactolife, we are very pleased to welcome Cross-Border Impact Ventures and EIFO to the investment syndicate and the board. Bactolife has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing its novel precision biotechnology platform for establishing a healthy gut flora. We are excited that this funding round will take the company through the commercialisation of its first products, delivering meaningful benefits for both human and animal health, in line with Novo Holdings’ Planetary Health ambitions.”

Sebastian Søderberg, CEO, Bactolife, said:
“Today’s successful close of our Series B round sets the stage for exciting years ahead as we prepare to launch our innovative products in 2026. This funding will enable us to clinically validate, scale and commercialise our Binding Proteins, taking Bactolife’s solutions to a broad audience. We are excited to welcome new investors to the Bactolife family and are deeply grateful to our existing investors, whose continued support reflects their confidence in our mission. We are ready to transform gut health with novel Binding Proteins.”

Donna Parr, Managing Partner at Cross-Border Impact Ventures, said:
“We are thrilled to lead Bactolife’s Series B. Bactolife’s Binding Proteins have the potential to strengthen gut resilience for mothers and children in low- and middle-income countries by providing a scalable, food-grade solution that can be integrated into everyday nutrition. At the same time, we are excited about the significant growth opportunity across North America, Europe, and Asia where the market opportunity is massive. This investment reflects our conviction that evidence-based technologies can reach massive high-growth markets, inclusive of people who need them most, and we look forward to partnering with Bactolife to accelerate clinical validation, scale manufacturing, and expand equitable access globally.”

About Bactolife
Bactolife is a biosolutions company pioneering a new era in proactive healthcare through its Binding Protein™ technology — a revolutionary category of functional proteins that neutralises undesired metabolites and enhances gut resilience. ​Binding Proteins are discovered from natural camelid immunoglobins and upscaled through precision fermentation enabling stable and affordable supply. ​

The differentiated offering is well positioned in the fast-growing nutraceuticals space, meeting an un(der)served demand for innovation and capitalising on strong consumer and customer desirability for scientifically proven specialty ingredients.​  The future of Health is staying healthy and Bactolife is creating real impact worldwide with game-changing Binding Proteins for superior gut resilience, available and affordable to the many. Humans and animals.

Binding Proteins are milk-inspired proteins developed to help maintain balance in the gastrointestinal system. These proteins are produced at scale using advanced biomanufacturing processes, ensuring they can be seamlessly incorporated into regular diets and feeds. By combining precision gut microbiome science with accessible food and feed product applications, Binding Proteins represent a transformative approach to gut health.

About Novo Holdings A/S
Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is responsible for managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The purpose of Novo Holdings is to improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet by generating attractive long-term returns on the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.  Wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk and Novonesis and manages an investment portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In addition to managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate, infrastructure and private equity assets, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seed, Venture, Growth, Planetary Health Investments and Principal Investments teams, Novo Holdings invests in life science companies at all stages of development.  As of year-end 2024, Novo Holdings had total assets of EUR 142 billion.