What b.fab does

b.fab GmbH is a privately-held German biotechnology startup founded in February 2018 by Dr. Frank Kensy, Dr. Arren Bar-Even (deceased 2020) and b.value AG, headquartered in Cologne with origins in Dortmund. The company operates a proprietary Formate Bioeconomy platform that combines electrochemistry with synthetic biology to convert industrial CO2 and renewable electricity into value-added biochemicals. In its first stage, CO2 is electrochemically reduced to formic acid; in the second stage, engineered microbial strains (formatotrophs) using the reductive glycine pathway (rGP) — first demonstrated in vivo in E. coli by co-founder Bar-Even — convert formate into proteins, amino acids, biopolymers, fatty acids and terpenes. The company's technology has been validated in peer-reviewed work, including >3 g/L mevalonate titers from CO2-derived formate published in Nature Communications.

b.fab commercializes its technology through two routes: (1) licensing of synthetic biology pathways in microbial hosts using formic acid or methanol as the sole carbon source, targeted at enterprise chemical and manufacturing customers, and (2) direct product sales of Sustein, a single-cell protein for aquaculture feed launched in 2024 that requires 14x less land than soy protein. The company is embedded in multiple EU-funded research consortia — eforfuel (2018), TRANSFORMATE (BMBF, 2020–2023), and ICO2NIC (€14M, January 2025, 11 partners) — and participates in accelerators including Hatch Blue CREST (2024) and Circular Valley (2021). Its primary customer segments are enterprise chemical manufacturers seeking carbon-negative biomanufacturing inputs and the aquaculture feed industry seeking sustainable protein alternatives.

As of late 2025, b.fab operates with 1–10 employees, has no disclosed revenue, and is preparing for pilot-scale biochemical production in 2026 via its OCOchem partnership. The company is almost entirely grant-funded rather than equity-backed, with key milestones ahead including scaling rGP-based bioproduction and translating Sustein from pilot to commercial aquaculture sales.

Name

b.fab

Legal name

b.fab GmbH

Website

https://bfab.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

b.fab is a German biotech startup that converts industrial CO2 and renewable electricity into biochemicals via its proprietary Formate Bioeconomy platform, licensing synthetic biology pathways to chemical manufacturers and selling Sustein single cell protein for aquaculture feed.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Biotechnology / Biomanufacturing

NAICS

Other Basic Organic Chemical Manufacturing (32519)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Bio-based Platform & Commodity Chemicals (e.g., bio-ethylene, bio-propylene, bio-BTX, bio-methanol) (EUAAAIAA)

Keywords

• CO2 utilization
• Synthetic biology
• Biomanufacturing technology
• Carbon-negative chemicals
• Single cell protein

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: b.fab licenses its synthetic biology pathways and biomanufacturing technology to manufacturing and chemical industry companies. They offer technology licences for use of synthetic pathways in microbial hosts utilizing formic or methanol as sole carbon source.
2. Product Sales (Future): Plans to commercialize products including Sustein, a single cell protein made from CO2-based formate for aquaculture feed applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

b.fab develops and licenses a proprietary Formate Bioeconomy Platform that combines electrochemical CO2 conversion with synthetic biology to produce value-added biochemicals (amino acids, biopolymers, fatty acids, terpenes, proteins) from CO2 and renewable electricity. The company also produces Sustein, a single-cell protein made from CO2-based formate for aquaculture feed, offering it alongside its technology licensing business to manufacturing and chemical industry customers.

Product overview

b.fab is a biotechnology company offering a unified platform combining electrochemistry and synthetic biology to convert CO2 and renewable energy into biochemicals. The core offering is the Formate Bioeconomy Platform, which converts CO2 to formic acid and then uses engineered microbial strains to produce value-added products. The company commercializes its technology through two main routes: (1) direct product sales of Sustein, a single cell protein for aquaculture feed, and (2) technology licensing, offering licences for synthetic pathways in microbial hosts using formic acid or methanol as the sole carbon source. The technology has been demonstrated for amino acids, biopolymers (PHB), fatty acids, terpenes, and proteins. b.fab also engages in collaborative research projects (e.g., ICO2NIC, TRANSFORMATE, eforfuel) to advance and scale its platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sustain: Single cell protein made from CO2-based formate for aquaculture feed applications. Made from CO2 and renewable electricity using a simple fermentation process requiring minimal land use (14x less than soy protein).

Products and services

• Sustein Sustein is a single-cell protein produced from CO2-based formate via a simple fermentation process using engineered microbial strains. It serves as a sustainable protein ingredient for aquaculture feed applications and requires 14x less land than conventional soy protein.
• Technology Licence for Synthetic Pathway in Microbial Hosts Utilizing Formic or Methanol as Sole Carbon Source b.fab offers technology licensing for synthetic biology pathways in microbial hosts that use formic acid or methanol as the sole carbon source. The technology has been demonstrated for amino acids, biopolymers, fatty acids, terpenes, and proteins, and can be tuned to customer-specific needs for chemical industry and manufacturing partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sustein requires 14x less land than soy protein
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• OCOchemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 December 2025Partnership to accelerate production of biochemicals using OCOchem's sustainably made CO2-based formate. OCOchem has developed gas diffusion electrodes achieving 100x greater CO2 conversion, room temperature/pressure operation, and 35%+ formate concentration. Collaboration enables b.fab to scale technology using fossil-free formate and close the industrial CO2 circle. Small pilot scale production starting 2026.
• ICO2NIC ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025EU-funded project with €14 million in funding. 11 partners across CCU value chain including SINTEF, Avantium, Tüpraş, Cool Planet Technologies, Procter & Gamble, Idener, Nopalm Ingredients, Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, TNO, and CO2 Value Europe. b.fab will scale up bioprocess for protein production and demonstrate value chain from industrial CO2 emitter to feed customers over 4 years starting January 2025.
• TRANSFORMATE Project PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMBF-funded project (01.03.2020 to 28.02.2023) with 7 partners: Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology, Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces, University Stuttgart, Ertel IonStream UG, YNCORIS GmbH & Co. KG, and Dechema e.V. Goal: convert CO2 from industrial parks into biopolymers (PHB and crotonic acid) using electrochemical conversion and biotechnology.
• eforfuel Project ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner4-year European project starting March 2018 coordinated by co-founder Arren Bar-Even. Goal: De novo metabolic conversion of electrochemically produced formate into hydrocarbon fuels.
• Hatch Blue (CREST Accelerator)majorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld-leading aquaculture accelerator program. b.fab selected for intensive 4-month program across Hawai'i, Norway, Singapore and Vietnam to access global aquaculture industry, receive mentorship, and develop business plan with deliverables including Life Cycle Assessment, Marketing Strategy, Market Study, and IP Strategy.
• Circular Valley (Circular Economy Accelerator)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSelected for first batch of Circular Economy Accelerator in Wuppertal and NRW region. Program includes intensive workshops and corporate conversations to implement circular technology.
• b.value AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founding partner of b.fab GmbH in February 2018 along with Dr. Frank Kensy and Dr. Arren Bar-Even.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• LanzaTech: LanzaTech uses engineered gas fermentation (acetogenic bacteria) to convert CO/CO2 + H2 into ethanol and other chemicals — the same input chemistry (CO2 + H2 from renewable energy) and same target output (bio-based chemicals and fuels) as b.fab's Formate Bioeconomy platform.
• Solar Foods: Solar Foods produces Solein, a single-cell protein from CO2, water, and renewable electricity via electrolysis and hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria — directly analogous to b.fab's Sustein in product, feedstock, and aquaculture/food end-market.
• Newlight Technologies: Newlight produces Aircarbon, a PHA bioplastic made from CO2 and methane via marine microorganisms — directly comparable to b.fab's biopolymer (PHB) output from CO2 and shared positioning in carbon-negative bioplastics.
• Air Protein: Air Protein makes single-cell protein from CO2 and renewable hydrogen using hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria — same CO2-to-protein via electrolysis/bioconversion model and overlapping target end-markets in food and feed.
• Avantium: Avantium develops bio-based chemicals and polymers (notably PEF) from plant-based feedstocks and is a partner in b.fab's ICO2NIC consortium — overlapping focus on renewable building-block chemicals and bioplastics at commercial scale.

Broad incumbents

• Genomatica: Genomatica is an established synthetic biology company commercializing bio-based chemicals (e.g., bio-BDO, butylene glycol) via engineered microorganisms — comparable business model of licensing biology-based production routes to chemical manufacturers.

Emerging players

• Photanol: Photanol uses engineered cyanobacteria to convert CO2 into organic acids and specialty chemicals — adjacent CO2-to-chemicals platform via photosynthesis rather than formate, but serving the same CCU customer base.
• Calysta (now part of Deep Branch Biotechnology): Calysta/Deep Branch produces FeedKind single-cell protein from natural gas (methane) via gas fermentation for aquaculture and pet food — competing single-cell protein product targeting the same aquaculture feed market as b.fab's Sustein.
• KnipBio: KnipBio develops single-cell protein ingredients (KnipBio Meal) from methanol and other feedstocks for aquaculture feed — closely comparable alternative SCP platform addressing the same aquaculture customers as Sustein.
• Cemvita Factory: Cemvita Factory develops CO2 utilization technologies using industrial biotech for chemicals and sustainable aviation fuel — adjacent CCU/biotech platform with overlapping end-markets (SAF, biochemicals) to b.fab's bioproduction portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b-fab-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 b.fab