Latest news with #NewFrontiers
The Wire
a day ago
- Business
- The Wire
L'Oréal Showcases New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation at Viva Tech
SHANGHAI, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 12, L'Oréal showcased its fast-evolving North Asia open innovation ecosystem at Viva Technology in Paris, through a dedicated forum themed "New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation." The event brought together top startups from China, Japan, and South Korea — standout performers from the L'Oréal Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program (Big Bang)— alongside ecosystem partners from government, media, industrial parks and innovation hubs. This marks a key milestone as L'Oréal's regional collaboration model takes the global stage. The forum explored regional innovation trends and L'Oréal's beauty tech strategy, highlighting how the Big Bang program is helping scale cross-border partnerships. With winning startups now co-developing next-generation solutions with L'Oréal, the North Asia open innovation model is quickly growing from a regional catalyst into a global innovation accelerator. "L'Oréal is born from science, and to continue to push Beauty frontiers, we believe in the power of co-creation, collaboration and co-innovation with the external world," said Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology at L'Oréal Groupe. "Big Bang is at the heart of our open innovation strategy in North Asia. It connects us with dynamic startups, fostering cross-industry collaboration and accelerating the development of disruptive solutions. The success of this model has inspired its expansion across other regions, amplifying our open innovation impact globally." A key highlight of the forum was a roundtable discussion that explored real-world applications of open innovation, regional strengths, and emerging trends shaping the future of beauty tech. The session featured three top-performing startups from L'Oréal's Big Bang program: • Veminsyn, a Chinese biotech startup, recently gained a strategic investment earlier this year. The co-founder Yufan Li pointed out : "L'Oréal brings not just capital, but scientific depth and global insight, it helped us turn a technical breakthrough into something with global potential." • TheSEA, a Generative AI company in Japan, also the winner of 2024 Big Bang "Phygital Consumers Experience" track. "L'Oréal's deep understanding of consumer needs has been instrumental in shaping our developments. We've found the ideal market where our technology can truly thrive," said co-founder and CEO Yanjin Li. • ASLEEP, a South Korea-based AI sleep-tech firm, directly benefiting from Big Bang North Asia ecosystem. The company was introduced to L'Oréal at 2023 Viva Tech through Big Bang Korea Partner Ministry of SMEs and Startup, then gained the co-creation opportunity with L'Oréal Korea. "I've personally experienced and witnessed the impact of this open innovation ecosystem," said Dongheon Lee, founder and CEO, "L'Oréal combines the robust resources of a beauty giant with the astonishing speed of a 'Unicornus Rex'." "What I find particularly unique about the ecosystem in North Asia is the strong connection between innovation creation and its design for scaling. This interconnectedness is well demonstrated within this ecosystem. " said Guive Balooch, Global Managing Director, Augmented Beauty & Open Innovation at L'Oréal Groupe. " By merging these innovations with our beauty expertise, we can create significant disruptions in response to consumer demands for enhanced performance, not just in Asia but globally. " With initiatives like Big Bang serving as a conduit, the open innovation ecosystem in North Asia leverages the complementary strengths of China, Japan, and South Korea — from technology and industrial supply chains to market reach. By linking regional capabilities to global platforms such as Viva Tech, L'Oréal is transforming local innovation into a launchpad for global impact. During the event, L'Oréal ingeniously utilized advanced AI-generated virtual host technology fueled by the rapid growth of China's e-commerce, from sister company of the winner of 2023 Big Bang Tabcut. Successfully "exported" this technology from Chinese livestreaming room to a global stage. "Our North Asia Open innovation ecosystem originated with the Big Bang program pilot back in 2020. Now it has grown into a robust open innovation ecosystem, continuously powering beauty innovation," said Lan Zhenzhen, Chief CA&E Officer for L'Oréal North Asia and China. "The open innovation ecosystem that derived from Big Bang is now a strong engine that powers the new frontiers of beauty tech. We welcome more partners to join us and co-create the beauty that moves the world." About L'Oréal Groupe For 115 years, L'Oréal, the world's leading beauty player, has devoted itself to one thing only: fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers around the world. Our purpose, to create the beauty that moves the world, defines our approach to beauty as essential, inclusive, ethical, generous and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With our broad portfolio of 37 international brands and ambitious sustainability commitments in our L'Oréal for the Future programme, we offer each and every person around the world the best in terms of quality, efficacy, safety, sincerity and responsibility, while celebrating beauty in its infinite plurality. With more than 90,000 committed employees, a balanced geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks (e-commerce, mass market, department stores, pharmacies, perfumeries, hair salons, branded and travel retail), in 2023 the Group generated sales amounting to 41.18 billion euros. With 20 research centers across 11 countries around the world and a dedicated Research and Innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 6,400 Digital talents, L'Oréal is focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a Beauty Tech powerhouse. About L'Oréal North Asia Zone L'Oréal North Asia Zone was established in 2021 as L'Oréal Groupe regrouped the geographical scope of its zones to give greater coherence to consumer behaviors and to create synergy within the region. The North Asia Zone comprises of five geographically and culturally connected markets of Mainland China, Hong Kong Taiwan Region, Korea and Japan. Situated in the most beauty intense region with more than one-third of the world's total beauty consumers, L'Oréal North Asia shapes the future of beauty with its innovation centers in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, while investing in beauty tech transformation as one of the three beauty tech hubs globally. Here, our mission is to strategize, create and activate a powerful ecosystem around the North Asia markets as a competitive edge to unleash sustainable growth for all and inspire the world. About L'Oréal China L'Oréal, the world's largest beauty company, entered Chinese mainland in 1997. L'Oréal China is headquartered in Shanghai and has five offices across the country. L'Oréal China currently has 32 brands and one R&I center in China, as well as two factories in Suzhou and Yichang, owning more than 15,000 employees. After 28 years of high-quality, steady and sustainable growth, China has become the second-largest market in the world, the headquarter of the North Asia "Beauty Triangle", and one of three Beauty Tech Hubs worldwide. As a benchmark foreign enterprise in China, L'Oréal has continuously increased its investments in innovation, society, people, and ecosystem. It also collaborates with partners to explore innovative models, set industry standards, and integrate resources, driving high-quality development of China's beauty industry. L'Oréal founded the Group's first venture capital firm of regional markets in China, "Shanghai Meicifang Investment Co., Ltd". L'Oréal Group's first self-build smart fulfillment center has been officially opened in Suzhou. Meanwhile, as one of the best corporate citizens in China, L'Oréal China has always implemented and kept the "L'Oréal for the Future Sustainable Development Commitment 2030" in mind. China is L'Oréal's first market to reach 100% renewable energies for its sites. L'Oréal China also actively contributes to the development of Chinese society through diverse CSR programs that empower women, youth, and vulnerable communities. About Venminsyn Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2023, invested by L'Oréal in 2025. Co-founded by multiple PhDs from Peking University (State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research) and Tsinghua University (Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis), Veminsyn is a biotechnology company rooted in synthetic biology and driven by cutting-edge scientific innovation. It utilizes AI and biotechnology to discover natural active ingredients, creating innovative raw materials that offer both excellent performance and environmental sustainability. About TheSEA: Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2024, collaborating with L'Oréal China on Ecommerce product page. TheSEA is a generative AI startup based in Tokyo, pioneering the world's first fully AI-driven visual generation technology. Their technology enhances creative production efficiency and enables commercial-scale visual mass production, while maintaining high-quality output through fine-grained AI control. From generating entire scenes to auto-completing finished visuals, its AI autopilot system is designed to meet the unique needs of the beauty industry. About Asleep Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2024, collaborating with L'Oréal's brand LRP. Asleep Co., Ltd. is a sleep AI company, transforming sleep tracking into a non-wearable solution with cutting-edge sound-based AI, achieving 94% of the performance of hospital-grade polysomnography tests. Asleep Track is the world's first sleep tracking SaaS, seamlessly integrating advanced sleep tracking features into clients' apps. More information on (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). This is an auto-published feed from PTI with no editorial input from The Wire.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
L'Oréal Showcases New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation at Viva Tech
SHANGHAI, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 12, L'Oréal showcased its fast-evolving North Asia open innovation ecosystem at Viva Technology in Paris, through a dedicated forum themed "New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation." The event brought together top startups from China, Japan, and South Korea — standout performers from the L'Oréal Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program (Big Bang)— alongside ecosystem partners from government, media, industrial parks and innovation hubs. This marks a key milestone as L'Oréal's regional collaboration model takes the global stage. The forum explored regional innovation trends and L'Oréal's beauty tech strategy, highlighting how the Big Bang program is helping scale cross-border partnerships. With winning startups now co-developing next-generation solutions with L'Oréal, the North Asia open innovation model is quickly growing from a regional catalyst into a global innovation accelerator. "L'Oréal is born from science, and to continue to push Beauty frontiers, we believe in the power of co-creation, collaboration and co-innovation with the external world," said Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology at L'Oréal Groupe."Big Bang is at the heart of our open innovation strategy in North Asia. It connects us with dynamic startups, fostering cross-industry collaboration and accelerating the development of disruptive solutions. The success of this model has inspired its expansion across other regions, amplifying our open innovation impact globally." A key highlight of the forum was a roundtable discussion that explored real-world applications of open innovation, regional strengths, and emerging trends shaping the future of beauty tech. The session featured three top-performing startups from L'Oréal's Big Bang program: "What I find particularly unique about the ecosystem in North Asia is the strong connection between innovation creation and its design for scaling. This interconnectedness is well demonstrated within this ecosystem. " said Guive Balooch, Global Managing Director, Augmented Beauty & Open Innovation at L'Oréal Groupe." By merging these innovations with our beauty expertise, we can create significant disruptions in response to consumer demands for enhanced performance, not just in Asia but globally. " With initiatives like Big Bang serving as a conduit, the open innovation ecosystem in North Asia leverages the complementary strengths of China, Japan, and South Korea — from technology and industrial supply chains to market reach. By linking regional capabilities to global platforms such as Viva Tech, L'Oréal is transforming local innovation into a launchpad for global impact. During the event, L'Oréal ingeniously utilized advanced AI-generated virtual host technology fueled by the rapid growth of China's e-commerce, from sister company of the winner of 2023 Big Bang Tabcut. Successfully "exported" this technology from Chinese livestreaming room to a global stage. "Our North Asia Open innovation ecosystem originated with the Big Bang program pilot back in 2020. Now it has grown into a robust open innovation ecosystem, continuously powering beauty innovation," said Lan Zhenzhen, Chief CA&E Officer for L'Oréal North Asia and China. "The open innovation ecosystem that derived from Big Bang is now a strong engine that powers the new frontiers of beauty tech. We welcome more partners to join us and co-create the beauty that moves the world." For 115 years, L'Oréal, the world's leading beauty player, has devoted itself to one thing only: fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers around the world. Our purpose, to create the beauty that moves the world, defines our approach to beauty as essential, inclusive, ethical, generous and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With our broad portfolio of 37 international brands and ambitious sustainability commitments in our L'Oréal for the Future programme, we offer each and every person around the world the best in terms of quality, efficacy, safety, sincerity and responsibility, while celebrating beauty in its infinite plurality. With more than 90,000 committed employees, a balanced geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks (e-commerce, mass market, department stores, pharmacies, perfumeries, hair salons, branded and travel retail), in 2023 the Group generated sales amounting to 41.18 billion euros. With 20 research centers across 11 countries around the world and a dedicated Research and Innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 6,400 Digital talents, L'Oréal is focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a Beauty Tech powerhouse. About L'Oréal North Asia Zone L'Oréal North Asia Zone was established in 2021 as L'Oréal Groupe regrouped the geographical scope of its zones to give greater coherence to consumer behaviors and to create synergy within the region. The North Asia Zone comprises of five geographically and culturally connected markets of Mainland China, Hong Kong Taiwan Region, Korea and Japan. Situated in the most beauty intense region with more than one-third of the world's total beauty consumers, L'Oréal North Asia shapes the future of beauty with its innovation centers in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, while investing in beauty tech transformation as one of the three beauty tech hubs globally. Here, our mission is to strategize, create and activate a powerful ecosystem around the North Asia markets as a competitive edge to unleash sustainable growth for all and inspire the world. About L'Oréal China L'Oréal, the world's largest beauty company, entered Chinese mainland in 1997. L'Oréal China is headquartered in Shanghai and has five offices across the country. L'Oréal China currently has 32 brands and one R&I center in China, as well as two factories in Suzhou and Yichang, owning more than 15,000 employees. After 28 years of high-quality, steady and sustainable growth, China has become the second-largest market in the world, the headquarter of the North Asia "Beauty Triangle", and one of three Beauty Tech Hubs worldwide. As a benchmark foreign enterprise in China, L'Oréal has continuously increased its investments in innovation, society, people, and ecosystem. It also collaborates with partners to explore innovative models, set industry standards, and integrate resources, driving high-quality development of China's beauty industry. L'Oréal founded the Group's first venture capital firm of regional markets in China, "Shanghai Meicifang Investment Co., Ltd". L'Oréal Group's first self-build smart fulfillment center has been officially opened in Suzhou. Meanwhile, as one of the best corporate citizens in China, L'Oréal China has always implemented and kept the "L'Oréal for the Future Sustainable Development Commitment 2030" in mind. China is L'Oréal's first market to reach 100% renewable energies for its sites. L'Oréal China also actively contributes to the development of Chinese society through diverse CSR programs that empower women, youth, and vulnerable communities. Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2023, invested by L'Oréal in 2025. Co-founded by multiple PhDs from Peking University (State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research) and Tsinghua University (Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis), Veminsyn is a biotechnology company rooted in synthetic biology and driven by cutting-edge scientific innovation. It utilizes AI and biotechnology to discover natural active ingredients, creating innovative raw materials that offer both excellent performance and environmental sustainability. Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2024, collaborating with L'Oréal China on Ecommerce product page. TheSEA is a generative AI startup based in Tokyo, pioneering the world's first fully AI-driven visual generation technology. Their technology enhances creative production efficiency and enables commercial-scale visual mass production, while maintaining high-quality output through fine-grained AI control. From generating entire scenes to auto-completing finished visuals, its AI autopilot system is designed to meet the unique needs of the beauty industry. About Asleep Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2024, collaborating with L'Oréal's brand LRP. Asleep Co., Ltd. is a sleep AI company, transforming sleep tracking into a non-wearable solution with cutting-edge sound-based AI, achieving 94% of the performance of hospital-grade polysomnography tests. Asleep Track is the world's first sleep tracking SaaS, seamlessly integrating advanced sleep tracking features into clients' apps.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
L'Oréal Showcases New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation at Viva Tech
SHANGHAI, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 12, L'Oréal showcased its fast-evolving North Asia open innovation ecosystem at Viva Technology in Paris, through a dedicated forum themed "New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation." The event brought together top startups from China, Japan, and South Korea — standout performers from the L'Oréal Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program (Big Bang)— alongside ecosystem partners from government, media, industrial parks and innovation hubs. This marks a key milestone as L'Oréal's regional collaboration model takes the global stage. The forum explored regional innovation trends and L'Oréal's beauty tech strategy, highlighting how the Big Bang program is helping scale cross-border partnerships. With winning startups now co-developing next-generation solutions with L'Oréal, the North Asia open innovation model is quickly growing from a regional catalyst into a global innovation accelerator. "L'Oréal is born from science, and to continue to push Beauty frontiers, we believe in the power of co-creation, collaboration and co-innovation with the external world," said Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology at L'Oréal Groupe. "Big Bang is at the heart of our open innovation strategy in North Asia. It connects us with dynamic startups, fostering cross-industry collaboration and accelerating the development of disruptive solutions. The success of this model has inspired its expansion across other regions, amplifying our open innovation impact globally." A key highlight of the forum was a roundtable discussion that explored real-world applications of open innovation, regional strengths, and emerging trends shaping the future of beauty tech. The session featured three top-performing startups from L'Oréal's Big Bang program: Veminsyn, a Chinese biotech startup, recently gained a strategic investment earlier this year. The co-founder Yufan Li pointed out : "L'Oréal brings not just capital, but scientific depth and global insight, it helped us turn a technical breakthrough into something with global potential." TheSEA, a Generative AI company in Japan, also the winner of 2024 Big Bang "Phygital Consumers Experience" track. "L'Oréal's deep understanding of consumer needs has been instrumental in shaping our developments. We've found the ideal market where our technology can truly thrive," said co-founder and CEO Yanjin Li. ASLEEP, a South Korea-based AI sleep-tech firm, directly benefiting from Big Bang North Asia ecosystem. The company was introduced to L'Oréal at 2023 Viva Tech through Big Bang Korea Partner Ministry of SMEs and Startup, then gained the co-creation opportunity with L'Oréal Korea. "I've personally experienced and witnessed the impact of this open innovation ecosystem," said Dongheon Lee, founder and CEO, "L'Oréal combines the robust resources of a beauty giant with the astonishing speed of a 'Unicornus Rex'." "What I find particularly unique about the ecosystem in North Asia is the strong connection between innovation creation and its design for scaling. This interconnectedness is well demonstrated within this ecosystem. " said Guive Balooch, Global Managing Director, Augmented Beauty & Open Innovation at L'Oréal Groupe. " By merging these innovations with our beauty expertise, we can create significant disruptions in response to consumer demands for enhanced performance, not just in Asia but globally. " With initiatives like Big Bang serving as a conduit, the open innovation ecosystem in North Asia leverages the complementary strengths of China, Japan, and South Korea — from technology and industrial supply chains to market reach. By linking regional capabilities to global platforms such as Viva Tech, L'Oréal is transforming local innovation into a launchpad for global impact. During the event, L'Oréal ingeniously utilized advanced AI-generated virtual host technology fueled by the rapid growth of China's e-commerce, from sister company of the winner of 2023 Big Bang Tabcut. Successfully "exported" this technology from Chinese livestreaming room to a global stage. "Our North Asia Open innovation ecosystem originated with the Big Bang program pilot back in 2020. Now it has grown into a robust open innovation ecosystem, continuously powering beauty innovation," said Lan Zhenzhen, Chief CA&E Officer for L'Oréal North Asia and China. "The open innovation ecosystem that derived from Big Bang is now a strong engine that powers the new frontiers of beauty tech. We welcome more partners to join us and co-create the beauty that moves the world." About L'Oréal Groupe For 115 years, L'Oréal, the world's leading beauty player, has devoted itself to one thing only: fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers around the world. Our purpose, to create the beauty that moves the world, defines our approach to beauty as essential, inclusive, ethical, generous and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With our broad portfolio of 37 international brands and ambitious sustainability commitments in our L'Oréal for the Future programme, we offer each and every person around the world the best in terms of quality, efficacy, safety, sincerity and responsibility, while celebrating beauty in its infinite plurality. With more than 90,000 committed employees, a balanced geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks (e-commerce, mass market, department stores, pharmacies, perfumeries, hair salons, branded and travel retail), in 2023 the Group generated sales amounting to 41.18 billion euros. With 20 research centers across 11 countries around the world and a dedicated Research and Innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 6,400 Digital talents, L'Oréal is focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a Beauty Tech powerhouse. About L'Oréal North Asia Zone L'Oréal North Asia Zone was established in 2021 as L'Oréal Groupe regrouped the geographical scope of its zones to give greater coherence to consumer behaviors and to create synergy within the region. The North Asia Zone comprises of five geographically and culturally connected markets of Mainland China, Hong Kong Taiwan Region, Korea and Japan. Situated in the most beauty intense region with more than one-third of the world's total beauty consumers, L'Oréal North Asia shapes the future of beauty with its innovation centers in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, while investing in beauty tech transformation as one of the three beauty tech hubs globally. Here, our mission is to strategize, create and activate a powerful ecosystem around the North Asia markets as a competitive edge to unleash sustainable growth for all and inspire the world. About L'Oréal China L'Oréal, the world's largest beauty company, entered Chinese mainland in 1997. L'Oréal China is headquartered in Shanghai and has five offices across the country. L'Oréal China currently has 32 brands and one R&I center in China, as well as two factories in Suzhou and Yichang, owning more than 15,000 employees. After 28 years of high-quality, steady and sustainable growth, China has become the second-largest market in the world, the headquarter of the North Asia "Beauty Triangle", and one of three Beauty Tech Hubs worldwide. As a benchmark foreign enterprise in China, L'Oréal has continuously increased its investments in innovation, society, people, and ecosystem. It also collaborates with partners to explore innovative models, set industry standards, and integrate resources, driving high-quality development of China's beauty industry. L'Oréal founded the Group's first venture capital firm of regional markets in China, "Shanghai Meicifang Investment Co., Ltd". L'Oréal Group's first self-build smart fulfillment center has been officially opened in Suzhou. Meanwhile, as one of the best corporate citizens in China, L'Oréal China has always implemented and kept the "L'Oréal for the Future Sustainable Development Commitment 2030" in mind. China is L'Oréal's first market to reach 100% renewable energies for its sites. L'Oréal China also actively contributes to the development of Chinese society through diverse CSR programs that empower women, youth, and vulnerable communities. About Venminsyn Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2023, invested by L'Oréal in 2025. Co-founded by multiple PhDs from Peking University (State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research) and Tsinghua University (Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis), Veminsyn is a biotechnology company rooted in synthetic biology and driven by cutting-edge scientific innovation. It utilizes AI and biotechnology to discover natural active ingredients, creating innovative raw materials that offer both excellent performance and environmental sustainability. About TheSEA: Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2024, collaborating with L'Oréal China on Ecommerce product page. TheSEA is a generative AI startup based in Tokyo, pioneering the world's first fully AI-driven visual generation technology. Their technology enhances creative production efficiency and enables commercial-scale visual mass production, while maintaining high-quality output through fine-grained AI control. From generating entire scenes to auto-completing finished visuals, its AI autopilot system is designed to meet the unique needs of the beauty industry. About Asleep Winner of L'Oréal BIG BANG 2024, collaborating with L'Oréal's brand LRP. Asleep Co., Ltd. is a sleep AI company, transforming sleep tracking into a non-wearable solution with cutting-edge sound-based AI, achieving 94% of the performance of hospital-grade polysomnography tests. Asleep Track is the world's first sleep tracking SaaS, seamlessly integrating advanced sleep tracking features into clients' apps. More information on View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE L'Oréal Errore nel recupero dei dati Effettua l'accesso per consultare il tuo portafoglio Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati Errore nel recupero dei dati
Irish Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Developing next generation enzymes to underpin industries from food to therapeutic drugs
'Enzymes are the hardest working molecules in nature. They have a role to play in countless bioprocesses from the production of bioethanol, drugs and detergents to brewing, baking and food – and that's only scratching the surface,' explains Dr Tim Roche. Roche is co-founder of BioEnz Technologies , which is developing a commercial portfolio of novel enzymes that will play a key role in protecting the environment , improving nutrition and treating disease in the future. BioEnz is a B2B business which was spun out of SETU , (Waterford's South East Technological University), in December 2019. Before the company could even get out of the starting blocks, it was stymied by the arrival of Covid which saw potential customers lose their appetite for noncore activities. BioEnz had no choice but to sit tight until sentiment improved and it was effectively 2024 before the company could make a splash with its first product, a proprietary enzyme called cellobiase. READ MORE Its function is to enhance the commercial production of bioethanol by breaking down the cellulose (found in the raw materials) more efficiently. The enzyme is currently in pilot testing, with full market launch slated for Q3 this year. 'The idea for the business grew from a realisation of the challenges enzyme suppliers face in identifying next generation enzymes to deliver greater energy efficiencies, improved yields and cleaner bio-processes,' says Roche. 'Our customers are enzyme suppliers who are coming under increased pressure from their customers to provide solutions that are cleaner, greener and more cost effective. If they tell us where their discovery pain points are, we can help them find a way through. 'No company has all the solutions and every product has a life cycle that ages with diminishing returns and needs to be refreshed or replaced.' BioEnz's founding team of four includes Dr Lee Coffey, a molecular biologist with more than 20 years' experience in enzyme discovery and Dr Karen Tambling, who has a background in microbiology and biopharmaceuticals. Roche is a plant scientist with three decades of biotechnology commercialisation under his belt, while the fourth founder, Jens Bleiel, also has a long track record in applying scientific research in commercial settings. [ Three little letters that could help transform the Irish economy: PhD Opens in new window ] To date, around €1 million has been invested in the company, with financial support from Enterprise Ireland through its pre-seed start fund and the New Frontiers programme at the Rubicon in Cork, while the South East Business & Innovation Centre provided the company with mentoring under the Propeller Prep4seed programme. The company will make its money through a combination of licence fees and royalties and will have two routes to market. It will develop its own products for different sectors and undertake bespoke enzyme development for individual customers. BioEnz hired its first full-time employee last year and employment at the company is expected to reach 21 people by 2028. The next step is to begin 'actively seeking substantial investment', says Roche, who adds that the company is poised to disrupt the enzymes market – in a positive way. 'Disrupters are people who are uncomfortable with comfort and complacency and there is definitely a need for some subversion,' he says. 'Business cannot continue the way it's going as it's damaging the environment and becoming less profitable. Companies need to do things better and generate more value. 'This is where we can make a meaningful contribution. The companies that have been most successful up to now are, arguably, the ones that have been the most agile in reforming and realigning their supply chains and forming strategic partnerships that are based on an R&D capability they don't currently have. 'We have a number of target markets in mind and there is no shortage of opportunity,' Roche adds. 'We have started with the biofuels sector, but we are keen to expand our portfolio and are developing enzyme solutions for food allergen removal, plastic decomposition and therapeutic applications.'
Sharjah 24
29-04-2025
- Science
- Sharjah 24
UAE President receives participants in Behavioural Exchange 2025
The conference, organised by the Office of Development Affairs, will take place from 30 April to 1 May 2025 at NYU Abu Dhabi under the theme 'New Frontiers in Behavioural Science'. President His Highness emphasised that community engagement, support, and positivity are essential to the success of development-focused initiatives, particularly in areas such as education, healthcare, climate action, and sustainability. His Highness reaffirmed the UAE's firm commitment to promoting good conduct within society as a key element in advancing development plans. Participants in the conference expressed their gratitude to His Highness the President for the UAE's hosting of the event and praised the country's continued development across various fields.
