Twogee Biotech, a Munich-based biotechnology startup specializing in tailor-made enzyme solutions for the industrial conversion of biomass into sustainable raw materials, has successfully closed a seed financing round of €2.16 million. Investors include High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Bayern Kapital, as well as strategic partners such as AgriFoodTech Venture Alliance and Heinz Entsorgung.
Twogee Biotech enables industrial partners to economically convert previously low-value biomass residues and by-products into sustainable second-generation (2G) raw materials (residue-based, in contrast to first-generation (1G), food-based), with a particular focus on sugars for bio- and synthetic biology applications. This is powered by a predictive development platform that integrates enzyme screening, strain engineering, and fermentation with an industrial mindset from the outset, shortening development cycles and reducing scale-up risks.
Founded in 2024 by Frank Wallrapp and Helge Jochens, each bringing more than ten years of shared industry experience in biotechnology, and supported by the BioM MAxL Incubator, the company is using the newly raised capital to accelerate the development and commercialization of its technology. Initial MVPs and paid pilot projects with industrial partners have already been completed. A licensing model that also enables local enzyme production at the customer site reduces costs and CO₂ emissions while supporting the creation of decentralized, circular value chains.
“Many industrial residual streams contain significant untapped commercial value,” says Frank Wallrapp, CEO of Twogee Biotech. “We help our partners unlock this potential with minimal integration effort and a clear economic value proposition.”
Helge Jochens, CTO and co-founder, adds: “A substantial portion of the funding will be invested in expanding our new laboratories at the IZB with predictive bioreactor systems, as well as strengthening our team with experienced process and scale-up experts. This ensures that our developments can be reliably and economically transferred to our customers’ production scale.”
With the successful completion of its seed financing, Twogee Biotech positions itself as a technology development partner for industrial companies seeking to transform existing facilities and material streams into circular, low-CO₂ value creation systems.
Tilmann Petersen, Investment Manager at HTGF, comments: “At HTGF, we are very proud to invest in Twogee Biotech. With its customer specific enzyme technology, Twogee is building a true enabler of the circular economy that allows many downstream industries to finally unlock long awaited growth potential. Second generation raw materials have the potential to become a real game changer when sustainability and higher profitability go hand in hand, as they do here.”
Monika Steger, Managing Director of Bayern Kapital, adds: “Twogee Biotech combines industrial biotechnology with a clear contribution to the circular economy by economically converting biological residues and by-products into high-value second-generation raw materials using customized enzyme solutions. This approach strengthens our life sciences and biotech portfolio in the field of white biotechnology by integrating resource efficiency, sustainability, and industrial scalability in a compelling way. We see significant potential and look forward to supporting the company on its growth journey.”