Geltor

California-based Geltor is a cultured protein developer offering an ingredient-as-a-service platform. The company utilizes a brewing-like method called “microbial fermentation” on plant-based ingredients to produce animal-free proteins that are identical to those obtained from animals. While initially focusing on animal-free collagens for the health and beauty industry via its initial products, HumaColl21 and Collume. Geltor also introduced PrimaColl in 2021, extending its technology to the food and beverage sector. PrimaColl serves as a complete replacement for animal-derived collagen, retaining all functional properties while overcoming formulation challenges. 

Besides the diversification, the company also continues its innovation for the beauty industry. In early 2023, the company launched NuColl, a vegan alternative to animal-based collagen for hair care worldwide. NuColl is made using precise fermentation with plant-based inputs, offering superior purity and a transparent supply chain. The company reported that commercial-scale volumes in powder form are available to meet global demand. In mid-2023, it also launched CAVIANCE, a bioactive protein ingredient for beauty that is vegan and cruelty-free. The company also reports that it has a number of patent applications filed to protect its technology, use of modified bacteria, and a wider portfolio of developments. 

In 2021, the company reported that it has significantly expanded its fermentation-based technology platform, increasing its scale by 100x and successfully generating numerous new proteins in the past year. It also witnessed a substantial increase in sales due to the global demand for collagen, growing at an annual rate of 25%.

Key customers and partnerships

To develop Primacoll, Geltor has partnered with Lonza Specialty Ingredients, based in Switzerland. It also partnered with GELITA, a prominent collagen producer, in 2019 to bring the PromoColl to the market. The collaboration between Geltor and GELITA aimed to specifically make "bio-designed" collagen suitable for vitamins and dietary supplements. In February 2022, the company announced the completion of the first commercial run of PrimaColl. The vegan collagen was produced in partnership with Arxada over a five-month period that ended during Q4 2021. As of that date, the company claimed that it has increased its capacity from 10,000 liters of fermentation in 2019 to millions in 2021. To further expand the presence of its vegan personal beauty products, it partnered with Nagase Specialty Materials (NSM) in February 2022 to distribute its bioactive proteins for personal care across the US.

Funding and financials

In July 2020, the company secured USD 91.3 million in a Series B funding round. The investment to support Geltor's global expansion of its ingredients-as-a-service platform. In September 2022, the company also raised an undisclosed amount of funding via convertible notes. This was followed by the company raising an undisclosed amount of funding via a convertible note in May 2023.