BioLinker raises $1.7M to build automated biotech lab in the Amazon

Brazilian biotech company BioLinker has secured $1.7M in fresh funding to construct an automated laboratory in the Amazon. The investment round, led by Axcell with $1.4M, was supplemented by FAPESP's contribution of roughly $240K through its PIPE Phase 2 program. Established in 2018 by researchers from the University of São Paulo, BioLinker specializes in creating and producing recombinant proteins through synthetic biology and genetic engineering techniques.

These proteins find utility in research, diagnostics, and industrial sectors. The newly-acquired funds will be earmarked for the establishment of an automated lab at the Amazon BioBusiness Center in Manaus. This facility will harness robotics to generate substantial biological data for the training of AI models, thereby bolstering DNA production within Brazil.

BioLinker also intends to expand its workforce from its current 12 employees to 24. The funding round is still open, and the company is on the lookout for an international investor to fuel its growth trajectory ahead of a Series A financing within the next two years. BioLinker operates on a subscription-based revenue model and anticipates that the new capital will sustain operations for three years.