Herlab

What Herlab does

HERlab is a UK-based biotechnology company founded in 2022 that develops recombinant protein expression capabilities using synthetic biology and artificial intelligence. The company targets enterprise clients in bio-materials, healthcare and life sciences, and molecular research whose protein targets cannot be manufactured using conventional industrial host organisms such as E. coli or S. cerevisiae. Its core proposition is enabling production of complex proteins with correct folding, complex post-translational modifications, and robust yields — capabilities that traditional expression systems struggle to deliver, addressing an explicit market pain point around 'unmakeable' molecules.

The platform combines a proprietary library of thousands of unconventional yeasts and diverse microorganisms with AI-guided host selection. The matching process identifies optimal species, genetic tools, and expression conditions for each protein target. The platform is designed to handle proteins with complex PTMs, large assemblies, repetitive motifs, hydrophobic domains, instability issues, and degradation sensitivity. Each high-throughput production run generates proprietary datasets capturing protein folding, post-translational modifications, stability, and functionality, which the company positions as input for next-generation protein design models.

HERlab operates a B2B professional services model with quote-based, non-publicly-disclosed pricing and a partnership-based go-to-market. Customer engagement is driven through a 'Partner with Us' website form and direct email outreach, complemented by LinkedIn presence and an investment-update email subscription. The company is privately held and venture-backed, with disclosed support from Heartfelt VC, Granpool VC, Katapult VC, Innovate UK, G-Force VC, Leapsolve Capital VC, Bezos Earth Fund, and the Good Food Institute. The company is registered as HERlab Ltd. in England and Wales (Company No. 14332533), with its registered office in Cornwall, and is led by CEO and Founder Dei Drasutyte.

Name

Herlab

Legal name

HERlab Ltd.

Website

https://herlab.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

HERlab is a UK-based biotechnology company founded in 2022 that uses AI-guided host selection and a proprietary library of unconventional yeasts to produce complex recombinant proteins for bio-materials, healthcare, and molecular research clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Protein Expression Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAAAIAD

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Biologic Drug Discovery Platforms (screening, antibody engineering, synthetic biology)

SECONDARYHLAAAIAL

Library & Diversity Generation Platforms (display libraries, DNA-encoded libraries for biologics, variant libraries)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Biologic Drug Discovery Platforms (screening, antibody engineering, synthetic biology)

SECONDARYHLAAAIAC

Protein Engineering & Directed Evolution Platforms (enzyme/therapeutic protein optimization)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Biologic Drug Discovery Platforms (screening, antibody engineering, synthetic biology)

SECONDARYHLAAAAAB

Recombinant Protein Therapeutics (enzymes, hormones, growth factors)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Therapeutic Biologics (mAbs, recombinant proteins, cytokines)

Keywords

• Recombinant protein production
• Protein expression services
• Synthetic biology platform
• AI-guided biomanufacturing
• Complex protein expression

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Protein Expression Services: Custom protein expression and production services for complex proteins that cannot be manufactured using traditional industrial workhorses. The company matches client proteins with optimal host organisms and provides recombinant production services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HERlab provides custom recombinant protein expression services enabled by a proprietary library of thousands of unconventional yeasts combined with AI-guided host-organism matching. The platform produces complex proteins with correct folding, intricate post-translational modifications, and robust yields for enterprise clients in bio-materials, healthcare, and molecular research.

Product overview

HERlab offers a single unified technology platform focused on solving complex protein expression problems. The core platform combines a unique library of thousands of unconventional yeasts with AI guidance to identify optimal host-organism matches for specific protein targets. The platform generates unique high-throughput datasets that capture insights into protein folding, post-translational modifications, stability, and functionality, which serve as input for next-generation protein design models. The company provides protein expression services for complex proteins including those with difficult PTMs, large assemblies, repetitive motifs, hydrophobic domains, instability issues, and sensitivity to degradation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HERlab Protein Expression Platform Custom protein expression service that uses AI guidance to match client proteins with optimal unconventional yeast hosts from HERlab's proprietary library, enabling recombinant production of complex proteins with correct folding and post-translational modifications for enterprise clients in bio-materials, healthcare, and molecular research.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• TeselaGen: Synthetic biology design and manufacturing platform combining AI-driven protein design with laboratory automation. Comparable as an AI-enabled synbio platform serving protein and pathway engineering customers, with overlap in the protein expression and strain optimization workflow.
• Bota Bio: Synthetic biology platform developing engineered microbial strains for sustainable chemical and protein production. Comparable as a synbio platform peer developing optimized microbial chassis for industrial production.
• Generate Biomedicines: Generative AI company designing novel protein therapeutics across modalities. Comparable as an AI-protein-design peer — Generate focuses on generative design while HERlab focuses on the expression bottleneck those designed proteins create.
• Cradle Bio: AI-driven protein design platform helping biotech companies design and optimize proteins for therapeutics and industrial applications. Comparable as an emerging AI-native protein engineering peer, with Cradle focused on generative design and HERlab on expression of complex proteins.
• Arzeda: Computational protein design company engineering novel enzymes and proteins for industrial applications. Comparable as a protein-design platform peer serving industrial biotech customers, though Arzeda focuses on computational design and HERlab on the expression side of the same problem.
• BigHat Biosciences: AI-guided antibody and protein engineering platform combining machine learning with high-throughput wet-lab experimentation. Closely comparable as an AI-native protein platform with a wet-lab feedback loop, though focused on therapeutic antibodies and HERlab on broader complex-protein expression.
• Adaptyv Bio: High-throughput protein engineering platform offering wet-lab services for protein designers and synbio companies. Comparable as an early-stage, high-throughput protein services peer with AI tooling, though Adaptyv focuses on experimental protein engineering and HERlab on host-organism expression.

Direct peers

• Codexis: Public protein engineering company using directed evolution and computational tools to optimize enzymes and therapeutic proteins. Highly comparable as a protein-engineering platform player, though Codexis focuses on enzyme optimization and licensing while HERlab focuses on host-organism matching for complex recombinant proteins.
• Culture Biosciences: Cloud biomanufacturing platform offering fermentation services for synthetic biology companies and researchers. Comparable as a biomanufacturing services peer with a tech-enabled delivery model, though Culture focuses on fermentation scale-up while HERlab focuses on diverse-host protein expression.

Broad incumbents

• Ginkgo Bioworks: Public synthetic biology platform offering cell engineering and organism design across industrial biotech, pharma, and agriculture. Highly comparable as a broad synbio incumbent working on chassis and host-organism optimization, though vastly larger and broader in scope than HERlab's protein-expression focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Herlab