Octarine Bio

What Octarine Bio does

Octarine Bio is a Copenhagen-based synthetic biology company, founded in 2018, that has pivoted from an initial focus on cannabinoids and bioactive molecules toward the production of sustainable, bio-based pigments for industrial use. The company's core technology combines cell-factory engineering and precision fermentation — designing custom microbial strains that produce target molecules via fermentation — with proprietary enzymatic enhancement capabilities that improve solubility, stability, and bioavailability of natural ingredients. Its flagship commercial product, the PurePalette™ platform, uses a first-in-industry precision fermentation process to produce a spectrum of nature-based pigments as drop-in replacements for synthetic textile dyes, requiring no changes to existing customer infrastructure and delivering documented environmental improvements of -61.5% water use, -61.5% energy use, -69.5% CO2-eq emissions, and -70% human toxicity relative to traditional dye manufacturing.

The company serves primarily the textile dyeing industry, which it characterizes as the second-largest global polluter after oil, and is in active discussions with textile manufacturers for supply chain integration. Three flagship colors (PurePurple, PureGreen, PureBlue) are scaling toward industrial validation, and the stated roadmap explicitly extends the same bio-based pigment technology into food, beverage, and cosmetics industries. Revenue mechanics are described as one-time license sales of pigments to textile manufacturers and brands, supplemented by licensing and co-development partnerships; pricing is not publicly disclosed, with the company claiming cost parity with synthetic pigments at early production scales. Distribution is B2B direct sales to manufacturers and brand partnerships, including strategic alliances with Ginkgo Bioworks for strain development, with Impetus, Acatel, and Positive Materials for garment-scale dye integration, and with ATP (Portuguese Textile and Clothing Association) and Samsøe Samsøe under the Danish MUDP grant programme.

Octarine Bio ApS is a privately held Danish limited liability company headquartered in Copenhagen (CVR 39857316), with 11–50 employees. The company has raised approximately €20 million-plus across multiple rounds from 2020 through January 2026, including a €2M Pre-Series A in 2022, a €4.35M Series A in 2023, and a €12.8M total Series A in January 2026 (including a €5M extension), with investors spanning strategic corporates (DSM-Firmenich Ventures), Nordic VCs (Oskare Capital, Unconventional Ventures, The Footprint Firm, Edaphon), and former Novozymes executives as angels. The company remains in pre-commercial or early-pilot revenue stage, with active scaling of production capacity (~100kg of flagship pigment produced to date) and ongoing commercial rollout.

Name

Octarine Bio

Legal name

Octarine Bio ApS

Website

https://octarinebio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Octarine Bio is a Copenhagen-based synthetic biology company that uses precision fermentation to produce bio-based pigments as drop-in replacements for synthetic dyes. Its PurePalette platform serves textile manufacturers and is expanding into food, beverage, and cosmetics industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bio-based Pigments

NAICS

Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Pigments & Dyes (IMAEAHAJ)

Keywords

• Precision fermentation platform
• Bio-based textile dyes
• Synthetic biology pigments
• Sustainable color manufacturing
• Cell-factory engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Copenhagen

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Bio-based Pigment Sales: Sale of PurePalette bio-based pigments to textile manufacturers and brands as a direct replacement for synthetic dyes. The company offers pigment products across hundreds of colors that can be mixed to match specific color needs.
2. Licensing & Technology Partnerships: Technology licensing and co-development partnerships with textile industry players for integration of PurePalette into existing supply chains.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Octarine Bio develops and produces sustainable bio-based pigments through proprietary precision fermentation and cell-factory engineering. Its flagship offering, PurePalette™, is a one-to-one drop-in replacement for synthetic textile dyes, delivering a spectrum of natural colors (including PurePurple, PureGreen, and PureBlue) that integrate into existing textile dyeing supply chains without infrastructure changes. The company also leverages enzymatic enhancement to improve solubility, stability, and bioavailability of natural ingredients for partners.

Product overview

Octarine Bio is a synthetic biology platform company offering PurePalette™ as its primary commercial product—a precision fermentation technology that produces sustainable, bio-based pigments for textile dyeing applications. The platform uses cell-factory engineering and enzymatic enhancement technologies to create a range of natural colorants (including PurePurple, PureGreen, and PureBlue) as alternatives to synthetic fossil-based dyes. PurePalette™ is designed as a direct drop-in replacement for existing synthetic dyes, requiring no changes to customers' existing infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PurePalette™: A precision fermentation platform producing sustainable, bio-based pigments for textile dyeing, offering a complete drop-in replacement for synthetic dyes with significantly lower environmental impact.

Products and services

• PurePalette™ Bio-based Pigments PurePalette™ is a precision fermentation-produced bio-based pigment platform offering a complete drop-in replacement for synthetic textile dyes. It produces a versatile spectrum of sustainable, nature-based colors that integrate seamlessly into existing textile dyeing supply chains, with documented reductions of 61.5% in water use, 61.5% in energy use, 69.5% in CO2-eq emissions, and 70% in human toxicity potential versus traditional dye manufacturing. Targeted at textile manufacturers, fashion brands, and (expanding) food, beverage, and cosmetics companies.

Quantifiable outcome

• -61.5% Lower water use compared to traditional dye manufacturing and dyeing processes
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered partnership, key partnership and strategic technology partner.

• ATP - Portuguese Textile and Clothing AssociationpartnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Secured a grant under the MUDP programme together with Samsøe Samsøe and Impetus Group to advance PurePalette colors.
• Samsøe SamsøepartnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Fashion brand partner in MUDP programme grant with Octarine Bio and Impetus Group to advance PurePalette sustainable colors.
• Impetus GrouppartnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2026Grant partner with ATP and Samsøe Samsøe in MUDP programme to advance PurePalette sustainable colors.
• Impetuskey partnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2025Textile industry partner collaborating to scale dyes from pigment to garment. Partnership under MUDP programme for advancing PurePalette colours.
• AcatelpartnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2025Textile industry partner working with Octarine Bio and Positive Materials to scale sustainable bio-based dyes.
• Positive MaterialspartnershipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 August 2025Materials partner collaborating with Octarine Bio and Acatel to launch sustainable bio-based dyes.
• Ginkgo Bioworksstrategic technology partnerTechnology or Integration · 31 October 2024Strategic partnership delivering microbial strains to scale sustainable dye production. Ginkgo provides biology platform services to accelerate Octarine's pigment production capabilities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tinctorium: US-based startup developing bio-based indigo and other textile dyes via engineered microorganisms. Direct competitor focused on replacing petroleum-derived dyes in textile supply chains.
• Pili Bio: French biotech producing bio-based colors and pigments via fermentation for textile, cosmetics, and ink applications. Direct competitor with overlapping target segments in natural/sustainable colorants.
• Colorifix: UK-based synthetic biology company producing bio-based textile dyes through engineered microbes. Most direct competitor to Octarine Bio, pursuing the same drop-in sustainable dye thesis with similar precision fermentation approach.

Broad incumbents

• Archroma: Global specialty chemicals company and one of the largest textile dye and chemical suppliers, with growing sustainable product lines (e.g., EarthColors). Incumbent that PurePalette must displace in textile supply chains.
• DyStar Group: Major traditional textile dye manufacturer with global reach and established relationships with fashion brands. Incumbent competitor and potential acquirer/acquirer of sustainable dye technologies.
• Huntsman Textile Effects: Division of Huntsman Corporation producing dyes and textile chemicals globally. Incumbent competitor investing in sustainable product lines that compete with bio-based alternatives.

Others

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Cell engineering platform and Octarine Bio's strategic technology partner providing microbial strains and scale-up capabilities. Also enables competing bio-based dye companies, making it both a partner and an ecosystem risk.

Emerging players

• HUQ Industries: UK-based startup developing bio-based colorants for textile and other applications using fermentation. Emerging competitor with partial overlap in the bio-based dye space.
• Keel Labs: North American company developing bio-based fibers and colorants from kelp. Emerging player in bio-based textile materials with adjacent color technology, not direct drop-in competition.
• B'ZEOS: European company developing seaweed-based bioplastics and color solutions. Emerging player exploring bio-based alternatives to petroleum-derived colorants for packaging and materials.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/octarinebio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/octarinebio
• Instagraminstagram.com/octarinebio?igsh=MWxyMHVhM29oZDlxMw%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors8 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Octarine Bio