Success Story
MircoLub, a University of Leeds spinout, has raised £3.5m of seed funding in a round combining capital from NPIF II – Praetura Equity Finance, which is managed by Praetura Ventures as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, along with LIFTT and Northern Gritstone, which led the funding.
| Region/Nation | North West |
|---|---|
| Sector | Hospitality, Accommodation and Food Service Activities |
| Programme | Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II |
| Partner |
Fats and oils make foods texturally appealing and tastier by adding ‘lubricity’ and a ‘creamy’ mouthfeel. However, they also increase calorie content. With obesity contributing to a projected global annual health bill of $4.3 trillion, and over half the world’s population on course to be overweight or obese within the next decade, MicroLub is addressing the need for less-calorific alternatives from food and food-ingredients companies. The spinout’s technology adds lubrication to foods without losing mouthfeel through unique ‘scaffolds’, made of protein and water and coated by polysaccharides.
MicroLub aims not only to make foods healthier, but also to contribute to sustainability by supporting the alternative protein industry in making plant-based foods less astringent.
MicroLub already has strong traction with some of the largest food and food ingredients companies and with retail sales of reduced-fat dairy and plant-based food products in Europe, the US and the UK alone worth more than $120 billion, the market opportunity for MicroLub is significant.
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