The Growth Factor | Newsletter | January 31, 2025
2024: A Year of Progress
Last year, we proved—to ourselves and the industry—that a small startup can deliver world-class innovations.
In 2024, our first full year of operations, we successfully produced and exported our proteins worldwide. Our goal was to make affordable recombinant growth factors for the cellular agriculture industry—and we did just that.
But our progress wasn’t limited to the lab. It was reflected in our growing team, our expanding facility, and the recognition we earned as industry leaders.
Highlights:
Welcomed three brilliant research scientists to the team - Soyama Sivatho Nyangwa, Ayanda Hlophe, and Takudzwa Jeranyama
Closed our second funding round, bringing total investments to R24.5 million
Doubled our lab and facility space to keep up with production demands
Achieved ISO 9001 accreditation
Shipped our growth factors worldwide—hello Germany, Singapore, and Israel!
Co-hosted Catalyst 2024 with UVU Bio to support the South African startup ecosystem
Named South African Biotech Startup of the Year by Startup Club ZA
2025: Off to a Running Start
We’re only 31 days in, and 2025 is already shaping up to be just as busy—and just as exciting. So far, we’ve:
🚀 Shipped our growth factors worldwide
🤝 Partnered with global and local brands for exciting R&D projects
🧬 Begun testing our new FBS alternative: Prolifer-8 (coming soon!)
Protein of the Month: Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF-2)
FGF-2 plays a critical role in cell culture, promoting the proliferation and differentiation of fibroblasts and other cell types. It enhances cell viability, stimulates angiogenesis, and accelerates wound healing. Multiple studies have demonstrated its effectiveness, showing a significant increase in fibroblast proliferation and wound closure rates under controlled conditions.
Available in both human and bovine serum variants, our FGF-2 is animal-origin free, food-grade and allergen-free. It delivers higher efficacy at half the current average market price.
Produced as a lyophilized powder, Immobazyme's FGF-2 offers an accessible and scalable solution for researchers and developers in cultivated meat and mammalian cell research.
People of the Pipeline: Meet Darrian Lourens
We’re starting at the end of the pipeline with our Head of Quality Control, Darrian Lourens.
Armed with eagle eyes and a zero-tolerance policy for mislabelled tubes, Darrian ensures that every batch leaving our facility meets the highest standards of purity and consistency.
But like any startup scientist, his role goes beyond his title. When he’s not overseeing god-tier SOPs, he’s working in our new mammalian cell culture lab, developing the next generation of recombinant proteins.
Let’s Collaborate
We’re always looking for partners and collaborators.
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