Zeon invests in US biomanufacturing platform

Tokyo – Zeon Corp. has invested in a California startup offering a biomanufacturing platform to produce carbon-negative high-performance materials and speciality chemicals.

In an announcement 6 Feb, the Japanese manufacturer said it invested in Berkley-based Visolis Inc. through its corporate venturing subsidiary Zeon Ventures.

Zeon said it will partner closely with Visolis to help accelerate the development of the company’s sustainable biomanufacturing processes.

Visolis is currently developing a manufacturing platform combining artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and traditional chemical catalysis to efficiently produce a portfolio of carbon negative chemicals.

According to Zeon, Visolis’ process transforms sustainable raw materials, including waste biomass, into bio-based chemicals with diverse applications ranging from active ingredients for personal care to drop-in replacements for commodity petrochemicals.

Zeon said it will work together with Visolis in enabling “cost-competitive, bio-based chemicals” for a range of applications from cosmetics to cars.

Founded in 2017, Visolis completed an $8 million (€7.5 million) fund-raising round in January.

Other key partners include Sumitomo Chemical, Nikko Chemicals, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as well as Europe’s Horizon 2020.