Solazyme Inc., a South San Francisco, Calif.-based developer of biofuels through the use of microalgae, has raised $52 million in Series D funding. Morgan Stanley and return backer Braemar Energy Ventures co-led the round, and were joined by insiders Lightspeed Venture Partners, The Roda Group, Harris and Harris Group, VantagePoint Venture Partners, Zygote Ventures, CTTV Investments and San-Ei Gen. The company previously raised over $76 million.
PRESS RELEASE
Solazyme, Inc., a renewable oil production company and leader in algal biotechnology, announced that it has raised $52 million in its Series D financing round. Solazyme uses microbial fermentation to produce renewable oil that can be used for clean and scalable fuels, chemicals, nutritional food ingredients and health and wellness products.
Braemar Energy Ventures and new investor Morgan Stanley are leading the round with all major existing investors from previous rounds participating, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, The Roda Group, Harris and Harris Group, VantagePoint Venture Partners and Zygote Ventures. Existing strategic investors CTTV Investments LLC, the venture capital arm of Chevron Technology Ventures LLC, and San-Ei Gen, a major Japanese manufacturer and distributor of food ingredients, also participated.
“Our technology and commercialization plans are progressing rapidly. We are executing against multiple partnerships with global industry leaders and the U.S. Department of Defense on a rapid path to commercialization,” said Jonathan Wolfson, CEO of Solazyme. “The strong support from our current investors in the Series D is indicative of our ability to exceed milestones, including the production of renewable oil for multiple applications at large scale.”
About Solazyme:
Solazyme, Inc. is a renewable oil and bioproducts company and the leader in algal biotechnology. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in South San Francisco, Solazyme’s unique technology leverages microalgae’s ability to produce oil and biomaterials in standard fermentation facilities quickly, efficiently and at large scale. These oils and biomaterials are tailored not only for biofuel production, but also as replacements for fossil petroleum and plant oils in a diverse range of products ranging from clean fuels and chemicals to cosmetics and foods. Solazyme’s oils and fuels provide compelling solutions to increasingly complex issues of fuel scarcity, energy security and environmental impact while fitting cleanly into the pre-existing multi-trillion dollar fuel infrastructure. For more information, please visit our website: http://www.solazyme.com.