Key Investor Signals
Repeat-founder exit and scale-up experience
Co-founder Morten Sommer previously co-founded Microlytic, acquired by Anatrace in 2015. CEO Ejner Bech Jensen previously co-founded Agrobiomics and led it through a EUR 4M seed round.
Secured EUR 500,000 in BII Venture Lab financing
1stBiome joined BioInnovation Institute’s 12-month Venture Lab in March 2026, receiving EUR 500,000 in financing to advance the company.
Preclinical evidence supports metabolic effects
A 2026 preprint reports that the lead probiotic reduced food intake, limited weight gain, increased energy expenditure and lowered inflammatory signalling in a mouse obesity model.
Other Positive Signals
- Spun out of DTU Biosustain after around three years of technology development in Morten Sommer’s research group.
- Karl Alex Hedin, Ruben Vazquez-Uribe and Morten Sommer are named inventors on DTU patent application WO2024074540.
- Supported by peer-reviewed Saccharomyces boulardii research published across four scientific journals.
Team
Ejner Bech Jensen
CEO and Co-founder
- Former Vice President of R&D and Application at Novozymes, with senior industrial-biotech product-development experience.
- Co-founded Agrobiomics in 2022 and served as CEO through 2024; the company raised EUR 4M during his tenure.
- Named inventor on patents covering recombinant protein and antimicrobial peptide production from his Novozymes-era work.
Morten Otto Alexander Sommer
Co-founder and Advisor
- Co-founded Microlytic, acquired by Anatrace in 2015, and later co-founded UNION therapeutics, Biosyntia and SNIPR Biome.
- Professor of microbiology at DTU; appointed Denmark’s youngest professor at 28 and leads research on the human microbiome.
- Board member of Novonesis since 2022 and chair of its Innovation Committee, combining biotech governance with repeat-founder experience.
Karl Alex Hedin
CSO and Co-founder
- DTU PhD focused on establishing Saccharomyces boulardii as an engineered microbiome platform, including colonisation and biocontainment.
- First author of peer-reviewed studies establishing gut persistence, genetic control and biocontainment for the probiotic-yeast platform.
- Named inventor on two DTU patents, including WO2024074540 covering biocontainment strategies for engineered yeasts.
Ruben Vazquez-Uribe
Co-founder and Advisor
- Researcher and Scientific Project Manager at the VIB-KU Leuven Center for Microbiology, with affiliations to KU Leuven.
- Extensive experience in microbiome research and synthetic biology, including engineering microbes for human-health applications.
- Strong network within the microbiome research community, built through research roles at DTU Biosustain, VIB and KU Leuven.
Lise Abildgaard Ryberg
Co-founder and Chief IP Officer (CIPO)
- Former Vice President at Novozymes, bringing senior intellectual-property leadership in industrial biotechnology.
- Former Senior Vice President at Lundbeck, with senior pharmaceutical IP and patent-strategy experience.
- Co-founded ProFound Pharma and brings extensive expertise in IP strategy and value creation through intellectual property.
Product
1stBiome is developing engineered probiotic microbes for oral nutritional products aimed at metabolic health, weight management and healthy ageing. Its lead work uses Saccharomyces boulardii and is designed for commercialisation through established consumer-health and nutrition brands.
Engineered probiotic platform
Uses Saccharomyces boulardii, a probiotic yeast with established gastrointestinal use, as an engineering base for adding new functions in the gut. This gives 1stBiome a familiar biological starting point for developing differentiated products.
Targets multiple gut metabolic pathways
The platform is designed to reduce inflammation-related compounds in the colon while influencing microbial activity, appetite control and metabolic signalling, giving the company several biological routes through which to address metabolic health.
Partner-led commercial model
1stBiome plans to commercialise oral nutritional products through consumer-health and nutrition partners, using established brands, distribution and customer reach rather than building a standalone consumer channel.
Market Overview
Low-grade inflammation is associated with obesity and other chronic diseases, making metabolic health a major target area. WHO estimates that 890 million adults lived with obesity in 2022, while a global modelling study estimated 1.54 billion adults with metabolic syndrome in 2023.
The commercial category is already substantial, with dietary supplements among the fastest-growing probiotic product segments and yeast among the fastest-growing ingredients. The market includes large potential partners such as Novonesis, IFF, Kerry, ADM, Danone, Nestle, Yakult and BioGaia, which fits 1stBiome's stated partner-led route to market.
Adults aged 18+ living with obesity worldwide in 2022, about 16% of all adults (WHO).
Estimated adults worldwide living with metabolic syndrome in 2023, a cluster of metabolic risk factors.
Estimated global probiotics market value in 2025, showing an established commercial category.
Projected annual growth of the yeast ingredient segment of the probiotics market from 2025 to 2030.
Comparable Outcomes
PrecisionBiotics Group
PrecisionBiotics developed clinically backed probiotic products for human gut health, including Alflorex, and built capabilities across clinical development, scale-up and commercialisation. Novozymes acquired 100% of the company in June 2020 for DKK 600M (EUR 80M) on a cash- and debt-free basis, with an additional performance-based earn-out.
UAS Laboratories
UAS Labs supplied clinically documented probiotic strains, high-potency blends and manufacturing services for dietary supplements across digestive, immune and other health applications. Chr. Hansen completed the acquisition in July 2020 at a transaction value, net of tax assets, of $530M.
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Sources
This profile was built from public company materials, ecosystem sources, market references, and professional profiles.