bitBiome Completes Seed Extension Round; Cumulative Funding Reaches 7 Billion JPY
bitBiome Inc. has completed the third close of its seed extension round, bringing its total cumulative funding to approximately 7 billion JPY. With support from global investors and financial institutions, the company aims to accelerate its global bio-manufacturing initiatives using its proprietary 'bit-MAP®︎' single-cell analysis technology and 'bit-GEM' database.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 26, 2026 at 21:00
- 🔍 Collected: May 26, 2026 at 12:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 26, 2026 at 22:01 (9h 30m after Collected)
bitBiome Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yuji Suzuki) has announced the completion of its seed extension round through a third close.
In this third close, the company secured funding through third-party allocation of shares to new and existing global investors, including Darwin Ventures (Taiwan), In-Q-Tel (USA), Valuence Ventures (USA), and IT-Farm. Additionally, the company received loans from financial institutions, including the 'UPSIDER BLUE DREAM Fund' managed by UPSIDER Capital Inc. During this period, the company was also selected for multiple commissioned and grant-based projects, such as NEDO's Bio-manufacturing Revolution Promotion Program. As a result, the funding amount for this third close (including equity, debt, and grants) reached approximately 3.5 billion JPY (with about 80% being non-dilutive funding), bringing the total cumulative funding since its inception to approximately 7 billion JPY (about two-thirds of which is non-dilutive funding).
■ About bitBiome
bitBiome is a next-generation AI x BIO company that pioneers new possibilities in biotechnology through the power of data and AI. By leveraging proprietary single-cell genome analysis technology and one of the world's largest microbial genome databases, the company advances the understanding and prediction of biological functions to realize ideal bio-manufacturing from R&D to industrial application.
■ Market Background and Social Challenges
Bio-manufacturing is regarded globally as a strategic industry from the perspective of economic security. Utilizing its proprietary microbial single-cell genome analysis technology, 'bit-MAP®︎,' bitBiome collects genetic data from uncultured microorganisms with over 100 times the efficiency of conventional methods, building its proprietary 'bit-GEM' database with 3 billion genes. Furthermore, by combining its unique enzyme/strain development platform with high-throughput screening technologies such as AI and robotics, it enables the development of target enzymes, microbial strains, and final products with significantly higher probability, efficiency, and speed than ever before.
■ Progress Since Previous Funding Round
1. Expansion of Leadership for Global Operations
To drive global business expansion, the following three individuals have joined the management team:
- Dr. Dipnath Baidyaroy (CBO): Leads global business development and partner strategy.
- Aaron Hammons (Head of Global Business Development): Strengthens solution proposals leveraging his extensive network in the life sciences sector.
- Dr. Richard Fox (Head of Innovation): Leads the development of next-generation genomic biology models (SENS-AI) utilizing massive microbial data.
In this third close, the company secured funding through third-party allocation of shares to new and existing global investors, including Darwin Ventures (Taiwan), In-Q-Tel (USA), Valuence Ventures (USA), and IT-Farm. Additionally, the company received loans from financial institutions, including the 'UPSIDER BLUE DREAM Fund' managed by UPSIDER Capital Inc. During this period, the company was also selected for multiple commissioned and grant-based projects, such as NEDO's Bio-manufacturing Revolution Promotion Program. As a result, the funding amount for this third close (including equity, debt, and grants) reached approximately 3.5 billion JPY (with about 80% being non-dilutive funding), bringing the total cumulative funding since its inception to approximately 7 billion JPY (about two-thirds of which is non-dilutive funding).
■ About bitBiome
bitBiome is a next-generation AI x BIO company that pioneers new possibilities in biotechnology through the power of data and AI. By leveraging proprietary single-cell genome analysis technology and one of the world's largest microbial genome databases, the company advances the understanding and prediction of biological functions to realize ideal bio-manufacturing from R&D to industrial application.
■ Market Background and Social Challenges
Bio-manufacturing is regarded globally as a strategic industry from the perspective of economic security. Utilizing its proprietary microbial single-cell genome analysis technology, 'bit-MAP®︎,' bitBiome collects genetic data from uncultured microorganisms with over 100 times the efficiency of conventional methods, building its proprietary 'bit-GEM' database with 3 billion genes. Furthermore, by combining its unique enzyme/strain development platform with high-throughput screening technologies such as AI and robotics, it enables the development of target enzymes, microbial strains, and final products with significantly higher probability, efficiency, and speed than ever before.
■ Progress Since Previous Funding Round
1. Expansion of Leadership for Global Operations
To drive global business expansion, the following three individuals have joined the management team:
- Dr. Dipnath Baidyaroy (CBO): Leads global business development and partner strategy.
- Aaron Hammons (Head of Global Business Development): Strengthens solution proposals leveraging his extensive network in the life sciences sector.
- Dr. Richard Fox (Head of Innovation): Leads the development of next-generation genomic biology models (SENS-AI) utilizing massive microbial data.
FAQ
bitBiomeの累計資金調達額はいくらですか？
bitBiomeの創業からの累計資金調達額は、今回のサードクローズを含めて総額およそ70億円に達しました。
今回の資金調達における主な投資家は？
グローバル投資家のDarwin Ventures（台湾）、In-Q-Tel（米国）、Valuence Ventures（米国）、IT-Farmなどの新規・既存投資家に加え、株式会社UPSIDER Capitalが運営するファンド等からの融資を受け入れています。
bitBiomeの独自の技術的な強みは何ですか？
独自の微生物シングルセルゲノム解析技術「bit-MAP®︎」により未培養微生物の遺伝子データを高効率で収集し、30億遺伝子を保有するデータベース「bit-GEM」を構築している点です。
バイオものづくりが注目される市場背景は？
脱炭素・脱石油やプラスチック廃棄物対策といった地球規模の社会課題解決の鍵として重要視されており、政府のバイオエコノミー戦略の重点投資分野にもなっています。
bitBiomeの今後の経営体制はどうなりますか？
グローバルな事業運営を目的とし、バイオテック・ライフサイエンス業界で卓越した経験を有するCBO、グローバルビジネス開発責任者、Head of Innovationの3名が経営に参画しています。