Neela Biotech has raised £2.1m in pre-seed funding, led by Elbow Beach. The Cambridge-based company turns waste into feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel.
Evertrace spotted Friederike Nintzel, co-founder of Neela Biotech, 450 days before the funding announcement.
Before the round
| Evertrace detected the signal | 15 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Funding announced | 8 October 2026 |
| Time before the announcement | 450 days |
On 15 July 2025, Evertrace detected a stealth signal for Friederike Nintzel. Friederike was in stealth, working on something new. That was 450 days before Neela Biotech's funding announcement.
Friederike Nintzel founded Neela Biotech with Deepanshu Singh.
What they’re building
Today's main route to sustainable aviation fuel depends on oils and fats, which are in short supply. Neela Biotech uses AI-guided microbial technology to convert food, agricultural and forestry waste into fatty acids, a feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel.
Its Controlled Microbial Upcycling process aims to make that fuel from wastes that are much more abundant.
The round
Elbow Beach led the £2.1m pre-seed round, with Ascension, Cambridge Enterprise, Ventures Together and strategic angel investors. Neela Biotech will use the funding to move from lab development to pilot-scale trials at an existing biogas plant over the next two years.
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