Through its venture capital unit, Evonik has invested in the start-up Numaferm and now holds a minority share in the biotechnology company. The investment in the Düsseldorf-based company was made as part of a seed financing round and also includes investments by High-Tech Gründerfonds, the Business Angels and Qiagen co-founders Detlev Riesner and Jürgen Schumacher, as well as the European Investment Fund.

"Peptides and their applications are highly interesting for our growth engines health and care and specialty additives. In addition, Evonik has great competency in biotechnology. That makes Numaferm an outstanding strategic match for us," said Bernhard Mohr, head of venture capital at Evonik.  

The production of peptides, which are usually produced through chemical synthesis, is expensive. The reasons for this are the high quantities of raw materials needed, the complex process steps, and the usually low yields. Numaferm has developed a technology platform, which enables plannable biotechnological production of peptides at higher yields and at lower costs.

The technology can be used for almost all peptides, and production on an industrial scale become possible. As a result, new technical applications for peptides also become realistic for the first time, according to Evonik.

Initially, Numaferm plans to use the fresh capital to drive forward technological development and get the first products to market maturity.
 
"In Evonik we have found a strategic investor with extensive experience in developing innovative technologies and in tapping new markets," said Christian Schwarz, co-founder and managing director of Numaferm.

Evonik plans to invest a total of €100 million in promising start-ups with innovative technologies and in leading specialized venture capital funds as part of its venture capital activities. Currently, Evonik holds stakes in 11 start-ups and eight funds.