Octarine Bio, a Copenhagen-based biotech company developing sustainable colour solutions, has raised €5M to advance industrial-scale validation and support the commercial rollout of its PurePalette natural pigment platform.
The round was supported by a mix of existing and new investors, including The Footprint Firm, Edaphon, Unconventional Ventures, DSM-Firmenich Ventures, Oskare Capital, and several business angels, among them former Novozymes executives Per Falholt and Steen Riisgaard.
Advancing industrial validation and commercial partnerships
The latest funding brings Octarine Bio’s total Series A capital to €12.8M, including earlier pre-Series A financing. The company plans to use the capital to scale production of its first three PurePalette colours, execute on existing commercial agreements, and expand development of its pigment portfolio into additional industries.
Octarine Bio focuses on producing high-performance pigments through precision fermentation, positioning its platform as a sustainable alternative to fossil-based dyes.
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Positioning within Europe’s synthetic biology landscape
Octarine Bio’s raise comes amid a selective but ongoing flow of capital into European synthetic biology and sustainable materials companies. Recent funding rounds across adjacent sectors highlight continued investor interest in bio-based production methods and environmentally responsible materials.
Within this context, Octarine Bio’s €5M round stands out as a targeted investment aimed at moving from pilot-stage validation toward commercial-scale deployment.
A fully bio-based colour platform
Founded in 2018, Octarine Bio engineers microbial systems to produce pigments with a low environmental footprint. Its proprietary fermentation and biocatalysis processes are designed to integrate with existing manufacturing workflows, particularly in textile dyeing.
The company says its PurePalette platform can produce the full colour spectrum within a single production process while delivering strong colour performance, stability, and compatibility with current dyeing infrastructure.
Expanding applications beyond textiles
While textiles remain a primary focus, Octarine Bio positions its pigments as suitable for a broad range of applications, including food and beverages, cosmetics, and other consumer and industrial uses.
With the new funding, the company aims to move closer to widespread adoption of bio-based colour solutions, addressing one of the most environmentally intensive steps in global manufacturing value chains.
