California-based biotechnology company One Bio has raised $27m in Series A funding to support its efforts to integrate plant-based fibre into processed foods and beverages.
The funding round was led by Alpha Edison. It also had participation from new investors, including Leaps by Bayer, Mitsui E12, ReMY, Morado, DSM-Ferminich, and Better, as well as existing investors iSelect, Collaborative, Skyview Life Sciences, and Acre.
Nate Redmond of Alpha Edison said: “Faced with endless shelves of processed and packaged foods, and surrounded by chronic diseases, consumers are rapidly awakening to the power of the gut microbiome.
“An avalanche of signals points to a large pool of latent demand. This is One Bio’s market.”
The funds will be used to develop and commercialise One Bio’s proprietary technology, which extracts short-chain fibres from plants such as seeds, nuts, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains. These fibres are bioactive, highly concentrated, and designed to be undetectable in food, addressing common barriers to fibre consumption, such as taste and texture.
The company aims to reintroduce fibre into processed foods to address widespread nutritional deficiencies and reduce the health risks associated with excessive sugar intake.
One Bio highlights a significant imbalance in modern diets, noting that sugar consumption has increased tenfold over the past two centuries, while fibre intake has declined by 90%. This trend has led to a fibre deficiency affecting 95% of the population, contributing to conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune disorders.
By incorporating plant-based fibres into everyday products, One Bio seeks to mitigate the harmful effects of sugar consumption and improve metabolic health.
The company’s technology focuses on supporting the gut microbiome, which plays a key role in nutrient processing and metabolic regulation.
By restoring fibre’s presence in diets, the company aims to promote core functions such as blood glucose balance, energy regulation, and satiety. It also seeks to reduce reliance on pharmaceutical interventions for managing chronic metabolic conditions.
One Bio co-founder and CEO Matt Barnard said: “Modern food processing techniques strip plant fibres from our foods and starve the microbiome of the nutrients it needs to make us healthy.
“One Bio works to help us restore core functionality to our diet like blood glucose regulation and mood and energy balance. We aim to avoid and reverse the negative impact of today’s processed food diet which accounts for 70% of calories consumed.”
