Bristol-based biotechnology startup EnsiliTech has raised its second oversubscribed funding round, securing £4.5 million in seed funding to improve the way life-saving medicines are stored and transported globally.
Today’s biopharmaceuticals depend on a 50-year-old global ‘cold chain’, an expensive, energy-intensive system of refrigeration and freezing for transport and storage. Failures in this system cost the pharmaceutical industry an estimated £26 billion each year. In developing countries, the WHO estimates that up to 50 per cent of vaccines are lost to cold chain breakdowns, leaving millions without access to essential treatments.
EnsiliTech’s mission is to make therapeutics and biologics stable at room temperature, ensuring broader access, simplifying logistics, and reducing environmental impact. Its patented Ensilication technology preserves the integrity of vaccines, antibodies, and other biopharmaceuticals without the need for cold-chain storage, allowing medicines to withstand temperatures up to 50°C. This enables life-saving treatments to reach every corner of the globe, particularly underserved regions where reliable refrigeration remains a barrier to healthcare.
Dr.Asel Sartbaeva, co-founder and CEO of EnsiliTech, explained:
Our mission is to ensure that life-saving medicines and vaccines reach everyone, everywhere, regardless of infrastructure or geography. By eliminating the need for refrigeration, our technology significantly reduces supply-chain costs and drug waste, while also lowering the environmental impact of pharmaceutical distribution.
This investment is a major step forward for the team, and we’re thrilled to have the backing of partners who share our vision for a more equitable and sustainable future in global healthcare.
Using Ensilication, tiny layers of an inorganic material are applied to the biological material, rendering it stable outside the fridge or freezer. The technology utilises silica, the material from which sand is made, to create an individual, tailored protective coat around the active ingredient.
These cages keep the biological material intact, meaning its properties won’t change regardless of variations in outside temperature or humidity. Silica is biocompatible, inert and cheap. When the vaccine or other biological material is ready to be administered, the silica cage cracks open and falls away, leaving the active ingredient in its pure, fully functional form.
The round was led by Eos Advisory and followed on by Calculus Capital with participation from Empirical Ventures, Fink Family Office, QantX, Angel Investors Bristol (AIB), HERmesa, Penn Park Capital, chANGELS, and other individual angel investors.
Anne Muir, Director of Portfolio at Eos, said:
EnsiliTech has the technology to transform how vaccines and other therapeutics are transported and stored. Reducing wastage, reducing cost and vastly improving health outcomes across the globe, this kind of science and this scale of potential sits at the core of our investment thesis at Eos.
Elizabeth Klein-Edmonds, Investment Director at Calculus, expressed excitement about backing EnsiliTech at this key stage of growth, noting that the company’s patented and highly differentiated platform is already showing strong commercial momentum. She added:
The potential applications for vaccines and antibody treatments are transformative, with the ability to improve accessibility and enhance patient care across global health systems. We look forward to collaborating with Asel and her talented team, whose deep market understanding, and expertise position them for exceptional success.
According to Johnathan Matlock, Co-founder of Empirical Ventures, EnsiliTech reflects their evidence-based approach, having advanced from academic publication to licensing talks in just three years while steadily reducing technical, regulatory, and commercial risks. He shared:
We believe EnsiliTech has the potential to become the category leader in biologics thermostabilisation, unlocking new global markets for vaccines, mRNA therapies, and antibodies. Our conviction is grounded in data: demonstrated technical efficacy, early in vivo safety validation, and live commercial negotiations with billion-euro pharma partners. This is an investment where we see the opportunity for both strong financial returns and significant global health impact.
The funding will speed up proof-of-concept adoption for both existing and new biopharmaceuticals by expanding capacity through new hires and upgraded infrastructure. It will also fund critical validation studies needed to embed Ensilication into pharmaceutical manufacturing processes.
EnsiliTech is led by a predominantly female leadership and R&D team, underscoring its commitment to diversity, inclusivity, and scientific excellence. This strong female-led approach also attracted investment from HERmesa, an investor focused exclusively on backing female-led businesses.
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