BSF secures £15m from Blackstone Mercantile Group to commercialise bioengineered materials.
Blackstone Mercantile Group backs the Newcastle biotechnology firm as it prepares to launch luxury biomaterials and medical products.
Newcastle-based biotech enterprise producing lab-grown leather, biosynthetic corneal gels, and advanced cell culture supplements.
Newcastle-based biotech firm BSF has secured £15m in an equity financing round led by Blackstone Mercantile Group. The capital is earmarked to drive commercialisation across the luxury fashion, veterinary medicine, and biopharma sectors.
Founded in 2018 out of Newcastle University research, the company develops scalable biological substitutes to replace animal-derived materials. Its portfolio includes scaffold-free cultured leather, a biosynthetic corneal gel through its Kerato subsidiary, and advanced cell culture media developed by 3D Bio-Tissues.
With the fresh backing, BSF intends to launch revenue-generating products within high-end fashion, including a prehistoric-themed biomaterial project slated for 2026. Simultaneously, the firm will advance regulatory trials for its liquid cornea in veterinary medicine and scale its presence in the cryopreservation market.
Use of funds
- 01Continue product development
- 02Accelerate go-to-market