Brightseed Secures $68 Million in Series B Funding

Brightseed, a biotechnology startup, has secured $68 million in Series B funding, led by Temasek, with participation from both new and existing investors.

Established in 2017, Brightseed utilizes an artificial intelligence discovery platform to analyze millions of bioactive compounds in nature and elucidate their potential applications. Collaborating with food and beverage formulators such as Danone, Ocean Spray, and Olam Food Ingredients, the company delves into plant supply chains and health benefits, aiming to shape future product development strategies.

“Nature possesses an incredibly rich and largely unexplored reserve of potent, natural bioactives that confer health benefits to humans, and we’re now capable of accessing and integrating them into food and health products,” remarked Jim Flatt, PhD, co-founder, and CEO of Brightseed. “The initial discovery and mapping of natural bioactives to human health benefits were just the beginning for Brightseed. Now, we’re introducing clinically studied ingredients and insights to illuminate the latent potential in nature to enhance human health.”

Brightseed’s platform, Forager, has to date mapped more than 2 million plant compounds, with dozens undergoing various stages of validation for metabolic health, digestive health, cognitive health, sugar management, maternal health, and immunity.

The fresh influx of capital will expedite the discovery of natural compounds, advance clinical validation efforts, and facilitate the launch of the company’s maiden ingredient from a new commercialization center in North Carolina. Brightseed’s initial discovery, comprising two bioactive compounds extracted from upcycled hemp hulls, is slated to debut later this year as a whole food ingredient promoting digestive health. This ingredient has received the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) designation from the Food and Drug Administration.