What COLIPI does

COLIPI GmbH is a Hamburg-based deep-tech biotechnology company, spun off from Hamburg University of Technology in 2022, that develops precision fermentation processes to convert CO2 and organic industrial byproducts into sustainable lipid ingredients branded as Climate Oil™ and Climate Butter®. The core technology combines non-GMO yeast precision fermentation (using strains such as Rhodotorula toruloides) with patented bacterial gas fermentation employing Knallgas bacteria in a tailor-made bioreactor to transform captured CO2 — including untreated industrial off-gas containing impurities like NOx and CO — into triglyceride lipids with customizable fatty acid profiles targeting cosmetic, home care, laundry, and industrial applications.

The company's product portfolio centers on two lipid ingredients. Climate Butter is a yeast-fermented lipid rich in antioxidant carotenoids (beta-carotene, torulene, torularhodin) with a triacylglycerol composition of 28-32% palmitic, 5-25% stearic, 38-53% oleic, and 5-12% linoleic acid, designed as a direct replacement for palm and mineral oil in cosmetic formulations. Climate Oil™ spans both yeast- and bacteria-derived oils, with the bacterial gas fermentation pathway targeting Sustainable Aviation Fuel and bioplastics feedstocks in addition to ingredients. CO2 footprint claims are 0.3 kg CO2 per kg of Climate Oil (yeast pathway LCA), approximately 99% below conventional vegetable oils and 10x below palm oil.

COLIPI operates a B2B enterprise sales motion targeting large cosmetics, consumer goods, and industrial manufacturers, complemented by commercial R&D service partnerships and industrial carbon capture and utilization (CCU) deployments at partner sites such as Continental's ContiTech Hamburg-Harburg facility. Manufacturing is conducted via Contract Manufacturing Organizations for scale-up. Revenue streams are early: R&D service projects, ingredient samples, and technology licensing/deployment agreements, with the first commercial Climate Butter beauty product launch scheduled for 2026. The company has secured approximately €6.1 million in total capital to date, comprising €4.3 million in EXIST Research Transfer Program grants from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection and a €1.8 million seed round led by HTGF in January 2024.

Name

COLIPI

Legal name

COLIPI GmbH

Website

https://colipi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

COLIPI GmbH is a Hamburg-based biotech company that uses precision fermentation to convert CO2 and organic byproducts into sustainable lipid ingredients (Climate Oil and Climate Butter) for cosmetics, home care, and industrial carbon capture partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bio-based Lipid Ingredients

NAICS

Fats and Oils Refining and Blending (311225), Starch and Vegetable Fats and Oils Manufacturing (31122)

SIC

Fats & Oils (2070)

akta.pro primary industry

Fats, Oils & Lipid Ingredients (Specialty Oils, MCTs, Structured Lipids) (CRADAOAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Omega-3 & Specialty Lipids (Fish/Algal Oils, EPA/DHA, MCTs, CLA, Phospholipids) (AFAJAKAC), Biofuels & Renewable Fuels Switching (Biomethane/RNG, Bio-oils, Sustainable Biomass) (EUABAJAD)

Keywords

• Precision fermentation ingredients
• Sustainable lipid production
• Carbon capture biotechnology
• Palm oil alternatives
• Bio-based cosmetics ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Climate Oil/Butter Sales: Sale of Climate Oil™ and Climate Butter® as sustainable ingredient alternatives to cosmetics, home care, and laundry companies. Revenue generated from selling bio-based lipids produced via precision fermentation. The company manufactures through Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) and sells directly to enterprise customers.
2. R&D Service Partnerships: Commercial R&D projects with major corporations as preferred R&D service partner for net-zero products. Includes successful completion of numerous commercial projects ranging from several weeks to several months, providing oil samples and technological reports including techno-economic analyses and scaling plans.
3. Carbon Utilization Technology Licensing: Industrial carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology deployment at partner sites (e.g., ContiTech). Company leases space and implements bioreactor systems to convert industrial CO2 emissions into biomaterials.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

COLIPI manufactures and sells sustainable lipid ingredients — Climate Butter® and Climate Oil™ — produced via precision fermentation of non-GMO yeasts and Knallgas bacteria that convert CO2 captured from industrial point sources or organic byproducts into triglyceride lipids. These fermentation-derived oils serve as direct, drop-in replacements for palm oil and mineral oil in cosmetics, home care, laundry, and emerging sustainable aviation fuel applications.

Product overview

COLIPI operates as a deep-tech biotech company offering two interconnected product lines—Climate Butter and Climate Oil™—both derived from precision fermentation processes. Climate Butter is a yeast-fermented lipid designed for premium cosmetic applications, while Climate Oil™ encompasses both yeast-fermented oils from organic byproducts and bacterial gas-fermented oils from captured CO2. Together, these products form a comprehensive portfolio of sustainable, carbon-neutral lipid ingredients targeting the cosmetics, home care, laundry, and potentially aviation fuel industries, enabling industrial partners to replace conventional vegetable and fossil oils with traceable, ultra-low-carbon alternatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Climate Butter: A precision fermentation product made from non-GMO yeasts nourished by organic side streams. It contains triacylglycerides with fatty acid profiles of 28-32% palmitic, 5-25% stearic, 38-53% oleic, and 5-12% linoleic acid. Rich in antioxidant carotenoids and designed as a sustainable ingredient for cosmetics, home care, and laundry industries.
• Climate Oil

Products and services

• Climate Butter® A precision-fermented, sustainable cosmetic ingredient produced using non-GMO yeasts (including Rhodotorula toruloides) nourished by organic side streams from forestry and industrial processes. Delivers luxurious skin feel, rich antioxidant carotenoids (beta-Carotene, Torulene, Torularhodin), and a minimal carbon footprint, serving as a direct replacement for conventional vegetable lipids in cosmetics, home care, and laundry formulations. Fatty acid profile: 28-32% palmitic, 5-25% stearic, 38-53% oleic, 5-12% linoleic acid.
• Climate Oil™ A CO2-neutral oil alternative to palm oil and petroleum-derived oils, produced via fermentation technology using microorganisms (yeasts and Knallgas bacteria) that convert captured CO2 or organic byproducts into valuable triglyceride lipids. Achieves 3 kg CO2 captured per 1 kg of Climate Oil produced, with ultra-low carbon footprint (0.3 kg CO2/kg oil, 10x lower than palm oil). Serves as a sustainable ingredient for cosmetics, home care, laundry industries, and potential Sustainable Aviation Fuels production.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% less CO2 footprint than vegetable oil alternatives
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Continental ContiTechflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025Colipi will filter CO2 from combustion gas used in steam generation at ContiTech's Hamburg-Harburg production site to feed microorganisms. Colipi will lease office, research, and production space at Continental's location. Goal is to establish one of world's largest bioreactors where bacteria convert CO2, hydrogen, and oxygen into Climate Oil. Partnership supports site optimization and carbon footprint reduction for ContiTech.
• DWIH São Paulo (German Center for Research and Innovation)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2023Governmental organization specializing in internationalization of German research, technology, and startups. Facilitated COLIPI's market entry to Brazil in November 2023, providing warm welcome and connections to biomethane producers and research institutions.
• CNPEM (Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Top Brazilian research capacity with highly skilled staff and state-of-the-art equipment. Visited during Brazilian market exploration for biofuels and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) research collaborations.
• RCGI (Research Center for Greenhouse Gas Innovation)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023Research center at University of São Paulo (USP) campus acting as interface between industry, research, and politics. Supports Brazilian government in reaching climate goals. Financially backed by Shell, TotalEnergies, Petrobras, and Braskem.
• Plug and Play Tech CentercoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2023Selected for GOAL (Global Overseas Acceleration and Learning) program. Participated in Silicon Valley presence from May-June 2024 for entrepreneurial skills development and investor relationships for Series A funding. Culminated in Plug and Play Silicon Valley Summit 2024.
• Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022COLIPI is a spin-off from TUHH. Supported by EXIST Research Transfer Program and InnoRampUp Program. Technical university partnership for research and development of fermentation technology. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Timm-Giel (President at TU Hamburg) provided endorsement for company.
• Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with CMOs for scaling production of Climate Fat products with yeasts. Successfully validated production at CMO facilities, marking transition from laboratory scale to commercial production.
• EIT FoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean Institute of Innovation and Technology Food community member, providing startup support and network access for food and sustainability innovation.
• Hello TomorrowminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGlobal organization connecting deep tech startups with investors and corporate partners. COLIPI featured among 70 finalists that will change the world.
• Renewable Carbon InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry initiative focused on renewable carbon transition. COLIPI member contributing to sustainable carbon utilization advocacy and industry collaboration.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Novonesis (Novozymes): Global leader in industrial biotechnology and enzymes, including fermentation-based ingredients for personal care and food. Major incumbent in the broader fermentation ecosystem with overlapping technology base.
• Neste: Finnish refining giant producing renewable fuels including Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from waste and residues. Relevant for COLIPI's stated SAF ambitions and broader renewable lipid/fuel market dynamics.
• Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals major with biotechnologically produced lipids and care ingredients serving the same cosmetics and personal care end markets as COLIPI. Comparable customer base with broader portfolio.
• Corbion: Dutch specialty ingredients company producing algae-derived and fermentation-based lipid ingredients for cosmetics and food. Established player serving overlapping customers with broader portfolio including structured lipids.

Emerging players

• Kiverdi: Uses gas fermentation to convert CO2 into oils, proteins, and ingredients. Direct overlap with COLIPI's bacterial fermentation platform for CO2-to-lipid conversion, focused on industrial-scale CCU.
• Circe (formerly Synbio): Gas fermentation company using engineered microorganisms to convert CO2 and hydrogen into lipids and other molecules. Direct technical overlap with COLIPI's bacterial fermentation pathway.
• Biofabrik Technologies: German startup producing fuels and oils from waste streams using thermal and biological conversion. Regional peer with thematic overlap in sustainable oil production from non-food feedstocks.

Direct peers

• C16 Biosciences: US-based startup using precision fermentation to produce alternative palm oil for cosmetics and personal care. Most direct competitor in fermentation-derived specialty lipids targeting the same palm-oil replacement use case.
• P2 Science: US specialty chemicals company producing fermentation-derived specialty lipids and surfactants for cosmetics and personal care. Comparable in fermentation technology and customer segment focus.
• LanzaTech: Carbon capture and utilization pioneer using gas fermentation (acetogenic bacteria) to convert industrial CO2 and waste gases into fuels and chemicals. Highly comparable gas-fermentation pathway with similar industrial CCU deployment model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/colipibiotech
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colipibiotech
• Instagraminstagram.com/colipibiotech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors7 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 COLIPI