Scindo Secures £4M to Scale AI-Driven Enzyme Design and Sustainable Chemistry

Courtesy: Scindo

UK-based startup Scindo has raised £4 million ($5.4 million) in seed funding to accelerate its mission of replacing petrochemical-derived ingredients with bio-based alternatives. The round was co-led by Kadmos Capital and Clay Capital, with participation from PINC, the venture arm of international food and beverage company Paulig, and existing backers Synbioven, AgFunder, SOSV, Farvatn Venture, and Savantus Ventures.

Founded in 2020 by Dr. Gustaf Hemberg, Dr. Ben Davis, and Juliet Sword, Scindo is developing a data-rich, AI-powered enzyme discovery and design platform. Its “full-stack” system combines advanced machine learning with proprietary, experimentally validated datasets to design enzymes, nature’s catalytic proteins, that can efficiently transform renewable feedstocks into high-value ingredients. The goal is to offer cost-competitive natural alternatives across multiple sectors, from food and flavorings to cosmetics and specialty chemicals.

Scindo’s differentiator lies in its proprietary data and iterative loop between AI and lab validation. Public enzyme datasets are often narrow, incomplete, or mischaracterized, limiting the potential for training generative models. Scindo instead builds proprietary datasets around underexplored functionalities such as C–H activations and C–C bond cleavages, enabling new chemical transformations, including the breakdown of plastics. Candidate enzymes are then optimized for selectivity, efficiency, and industrial viability, with results fed back into predictive models to continuously refine their performance.

This approach has already led to two products nearing pilot-scale production. The first applies to flavors and fragrances, where Scindo has engineered enzyme systems to convert agricultural fatty acids into flavor molecules. Instead of relying on expensive precision fermentation in large steel tanks, Scindo uses a cell-free biomanufacturing approach, leveraging enzymes outside of living cells. This method allows faster reactions, greater flexibility in pH and temperature, reduced energy consumption, and cleaner outputs that require less downstream processing. The second product targets cosmetics, enabling petrochemical-free production of a high-value ingredient. Both are expected to reach the market within the next year.

The startup’s technology is drawing strong interest from the industry. It has established partnerships with specialty chemical manufacturers and is advancing pilot-scale initiatives. For investors, Scindo represents both a commercial and a sustainability opportunity. “Scindo represents exactly the type of company we seek to back, one that combines data-driven approaches with strong technical talent to address sustainability challenges,” said Remy Kesrouani, managing partner at Kadmos Capital. “Their use of validated experimental data to inform enzyme engineering, backed by exceptional UK academic expertise, aligns well with our investment thesis.”

Clay Capital, which focuses on high-impact investments across Europe and Asia, emphasized the market transformation potential. “The specialty chemicals industry has long sought to move away from petrochemical-derived ingredients, but existing approaches have struggled with complex natural feedstocks,” said partner Ali Morrow. “Scindo’s approach creates molecular craftsmen, enzymes designed for specific industrial jobs that unlock previously inaccessible feedstocks, creating significant opportunities globally to end the industry’s reliance on crude oil.”

PINC, the venture arm of Paulig, underscored the food industry’s need to transition. “Traditional manufacturing of ingredients like flavors and fragrances still relies heavily on petroleum derivatives,” said Rosemari Herrero, senior investment manager at PINC. “Alongside consumer expectations and policy changes, companies like Paulig recognize their responsibility to drive the shift towards clean and sustainable alternatives.”

Scindo is also investing in its team as it enters this next growth stage. Recent hires from leading pharmaceutical companies and the University of Oxford bring expertise in machine learning, enzyme engineering, process scaling, and commercialization, capabilities that will be critical as the company expands its wet-lab operations and scales its platform.

For CEO Gustaf Hemberg, the funding represents a pivotal moment. “We’re thrilled to have the backing of such a strong consortium of investors,” he said. “This support enables us to accelerate the scale-up of our enzyme platform and start producing sustainable, high-value products that will help transform how industries approach ingredient sourcing and production.”

By fusing proprietary datasets, AI-driven discovery, and cell-free biomanufacturing, Scindo is positioning itself as a catalyst for systemic change. In an era where industries are under increasing pressure to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels, designer enzymes may become a cornerstone of sustainable chemistry.