No bull!@#$: Number 8 Bio lands $1.8 million for animal feed that reduces cow farts

Biotech startup, Number 8 Bio, has just raised $1.8 million in pre-seed funding for its proprietary feed that reduces methane emissions in cows.

The round saw participation from CSIRO’s Main Sequence — the deep tech fund founded by CSIRO, Possible Ventures, UNSW Founders, and Bioplatforms Australia. According to Number 8 Bio, the fresh cash injection will be used to accelerate R&D as well as expand its lab capabilities.

We’ve certainly seen a trend towards investment in emission reduction startups of late. Back in November, Perth startup ULUU raised $8 million for its seaweed-based alternative to plastics.

And there must be something going on in WA because another Perth startup, Rumin8  landed over $17 million in January for its own methane-reducing feed. This was led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, which is headed up by Bill Gates.

And there’s a reason why this is a particular point of concern right now. Ruminant animals, such as cows, are the largest agricultural source of greenhouse gas globally.

While ULUU uses fermentation methods to create a plastic alternative out of seaweed, Number 8 Bio has found a way to bioengineer naturally occurring yeasts to make a feed additive that reduces methane emissions and, according to the business, is scalable.

“What we do is engineer microorganisms like yeast which can be grown all around the world at multi-millilitre leader scale. You can make tons of yeast in a couple of days in a pretty standard facility,” Tom Williams, CEO and co-founder of Number 8 Bio said in a call with SmartCompany.

“And we have those organisms produce the active molecules that decrease methane emissions from ruminants, and then the yeast cells are dried and included in the diet as an additive.”

And the numbers are impressive. According to Williams, on a per-animal basis, they expect a greater than 90% decrease in emissions when the molecules are delivered at the right concentration.

“But perhaps more importantly, we’re really looking at locking in increased feed conversion efficiency. If you can stop those methane emissions, there’s actually more of the food available for the animal to grow and produce things like wool and meat and milk,” Williams said.

Having only been founded a year ago, the business is still in the R&D phase — including taking feedback from farmers. At the beginning of next year, it plans on conducting live animal trials with its feed.

When it comes to commercialisation, Australia’s ingrained farming culture, as well as pivots towards sustainable practices — and investment despite economic downturns — makes it a great market to launch in.

” It’s a really favourable environment for products like this. There’s a big marker pull from retailers looking to implement climate-friendly labeling on animal products and the regulations here are really favorable for products like this as well,” Williams said.

“But we’re actually also looking to simultaneously commercialise in the U.S. We’ve actually got a subsidiary set up there already and an employee in California.”

Williams also saw a gap when it comes to the focus of businesses on climate tech.

“Most tech companies are trying to replace agriculture with alternative proteins and plant-based meats. Whereas I can’t see animal-based agriculture disappearing anytime soon,” Williams said.

“I really value that part of society, it’s the foundation of civilisation.”