Cascade Bio, an industrial biotechnology company focused on enzyme-based processes, has successfully raised $6 million to expedite the transition from petrochemicals to biomanufacturing. This funding comprises a $2.8 million seed round led by Endurance28, with contributions from Stray Dog Capital, 1Flourish, and existing investors Range Ventures, Ten VC, and Amplify.LA, alongside $3.2 million in nondilutive funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its cell-free ideas lab program (CFIRE) and an SBIR Phase II grant. With this financial boost, Cascade aims to enhance the delivery of its innovative biocatalysts, providing industrial partners with high-performing enzymes that reduce costs and facilitate biobased production.

Cascade's technology focuses on utilizing cost-effective materials to extend the lifespan of costly enzymes significantly. The company has already worked on more than 30 different enzymes, achieving a 100% success rate in improving stability under challenging industrial conditions for over 20 paying customers. These early collaborations include partnerships with some of the largest companies in the chemical, flavor and fragrance, food ingredient, and pharmaceutical sectors, helping them integrate more biological processes into their manufacturing operations.

The burgeoning biomanufacturing sector has attracted billions in investment to transform molecule production, yet it faces challenges relating to costs and scalability, partially due to an excessive reliance on microbes—organisms with inherent complexities. By extracting enzymes from cells and ensuring their stability, Cascade is poised to enable this promising industry, which is inspired by natural processes, to come to fruition.

Co-founders Alex Rosay and James Weltz combine backgrounds in chemical engineering, industry knowledge, and scientific innovation, drawing on experiences from Zymergen, Stanford, and CU Boulder. “Through our early-stage collaborations, we are already seeing the potential impact of our technology,” remarked Alex Rosay, CEO and industry veteran. “We are seeing enzymes that crash out in hours maintain their activity for months. This order of magnitude improvement in biocatalysis will change the industry by dramatically improving costs and ease-of-use for nature’s catalysts.”

Jared Campbell, a senior partner at Endurance28, expressed enthusiasm for the founding duo, stating, “Alex and James represent the ideal founding partnership that Endurance28 seeks—they are 'ambitious rebels' that combine deep scientific expertise with rapid learning and unwavering commitment to their mission. We're excited to partner with founders whose technical depth and bold vision will build the platform for cell-free biocatalysis that redefines how the world makes chemicals—faster, cleaner, and more sustainable.”

With its headquarters in Denver, along with operations in California and New York, Cascade Bio is strategically positioned to lead the charge in the cell-free biomanufacturing revolution.

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