PR85474

EMERYVILLE, Calif., Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

-- One of the largest deep tech investments of 2020 to fuel additional product

releases and development of breakthrough materials

Science and material innovation company Zymergen (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2911010-1&h=1448580407&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.zymergen.com%2F&a=Zymergen )

today announced $300M in new investment to accelerate its delivery of

revolutionary, high performance materials. The investment includes initial

Series D funding led by Baillie Gifford, joined by Baron Capital Group and one

of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds, as well as additional growth financing

from Perceptive Advisors. A number of current investors are also returning, and

Zymergen expects to raise additional capital in Q4 as part of a Series D round.

Logo -  https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1218528/Zymergen_Logo.jpg 

This infusion of capital powers Zymergen's charge into the $3 trillion chemical

and materials industries, speeding the manufacture of their groundbreaking

Hyaline (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2911010-1&h=35878740&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businesswire.com%2Fnews%2Fhome%2F20200401005197%2Fen%2FZymergen-Reimagines-Electronics-Breakthrough-Bio-fabricated-Materials&a=Hyaline )

film, as well as the commercialization of additional breakthrough products

across electronics, agriculture, consumer care and healthcare.

Zymergen develops and launches better performing products more sustainably and

for a fraction of the cost and time that it typically takes using incumbent

techniques. A unique combination of biology, chemistry, machine learning and

lab automation underpins Zymergen's powerful proprietary platform, driving the

company's ability to discover, design and commercialize never-before-seen materials.

Zymergen's broad portfolio of products is a beacon of innovation in an

otherwise stagnant chemical and materials sector. The American Chemistry

Council reported that the U.S. chemical industry contracted by 3% in 2019(1),

an industry that has produced no breakthrough materials since the 1980s.

Beholden to existing manufacturing infrastructure and outdated practices, many

legacy chemical companies have reduced investments in research and new material

development, leaving people with inferior products and a planet with increasing

environmental damage. Even while contracting, the U.S. chemical industry

remains a huge contributor to global climate change, generating over 190 million

metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018 alone as reported to the EPA(2).

"Our investment philosophy is to identify companies that can deliver

transformational change over the long term," said Peter Singlehurst, Head of

Unlisted Equities at Baillie Gifford. "Zymergen is demonstrating their ability

to create products at scale with properties that were previously unimaginable.

Their rich and growing product pipeline, coupled with their platform approach,

makes this a repeatable process that gets better over time. As long-term

investors, we seek out companies with the potential to change industries over

decades. Zymergen is such a company."

The investment announced today helps to bring the revolutionary Hyaline

(https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2911010-1&h=35878740&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businesswire.com%2Fnews%2Fhome%2F20200401005197%2Fen%2FZymergen-Reimagines-Electronics-Breakthrough-Bio-fabricated-Materials&a=Hyaline )

product to market more quickly, and accelerates Zymergen's development of

all-natural pesticides and other bio-derived crop protection products, as well as

a bio-based insect repellent. These product innovations are supported by a powerful

platform and technology infrastructure, protected by a strong and growing data set.

"Zymergen is taking the torch from earlier generations of innovators and

tackling a huge opportunity to create transformative products with biology,"

said Jay Flatley, Chairman of the board at Illumina and Lead Independent

Director of Zymergen's Board. "Zymergen is turning their powerful vision into

reality - in the form of real products - and capturing massive new markets that

provide value for customers and investors alike."

"We built Zymergen to make revolutionary hi-performance products that outshine

existing materials while dramatically reducing environmental impacts," said

Zymergen CEO Josh Hoffman. "This is the right investment for this moment,

advancing our transformational long-term vision and bringing real products to market."

About Zymergen

Zymergen is a science and material innovation company rethinking biology and

reimagining the world. A World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, Zymergen partners

with nature to create never-before imagined materials and products across

industries – from agriculture to electronics, consumer care to pharmaceuticals,

and more. The company creates sustainable materials that are in use today,

delivering value for Fortune 1000 companies with over $1 billion worth of

products using Zymergen microbial innovations sold to date. At Zymergen we make

tomorrow. Learn more at https://www.zymergen.com/    

Forward-Looking Statements. This press release contains forward-looking

statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon future events or

conditions, including statements regarding the company's growth, the growth of

new markets and the creation, timing and performance of new products, services

and solutions, as well as their broader impact. These statements are not

guarantees of future performance and are inherently subject to uncertainties,

risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual results,

performance or achievements may be materially different from current expectations.

(1) https://www.americanchemistry.com/Media/PressReleasesTranscripts/ACC-news-rel

eases/Chemical-Industry-Outlook-Slower-Growth-Amid-Near-Term-Headwinds.html    

(2) https://www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/ghgrp-chemicals  

SOURCE  Zymergen

CONTACT: Mike Dulin, Director of Communications, mdulin@zymergen.com,

+1-502-777-2029