NunaBio, a synthetic DNA manufacturing startup, has raised £6.5 million in funding from investors led by Northstar Ventures, with participation from HIT Investments, Maven Capital Partners, Ascension Ventures and Pioneer Group. NunaBio develops an enzymatic DNA manufacturing platform designed to address shortages of high fidelity synthetic DNA by enabling production at pace, scale and cost.
Growing demand for synthetic DNA is being driven by advances in personalised medicine, mRNA vaccines, diagnostics, synthetic biology, agricultural biotechnology and DNA based data storage. Traditional chemical and biological manufacturing methods struggle to keep pace and generate high volumes of hazardous waste. NunaBio’s platform offers a scalable and sustainable alternative using a cell free process to manufacture high fidelity DNA of virtually any length, complexity or structure.
Designed to produce sophisticated DNA formats that are difficult to generate at scale using conventional approaches, the platform positions NunaBio as the only UK company with this capability at a time when 80% of global DNA manufacturing is controlled by a single country. Recent progress includes commercial and technological development alongside the formation of strategic partnerships and growth in its customer base.
This investment marks an important step in scaling a fundamentally new approach to DNA manufacturing. Our focus is on enabling DNA that others cannot produce and translating that capability into a robust, industrial platform. Our long-term vision is a globally deployable network of DNA micro-foundries—compact, automated production units applying semiconductor-style manufacturing principles to biology. By standardising and modularising production, we can deliver scalable, high-performance DNA manufacturing without the constraints of traditional approaches.
The North East has a growing reputation as hub for synthetic biology, a foundational technology reshaping global healthcare, industrial productivity and food security. NunaBio is an integral part of this cluster and has the capability to transform DNA manufacturing economics. Ensuring innovators at this stage have access to the capital required to scale is essential. Northstar Ventures has always been committed to backing the companies that will define the next era of their respective industries.
