Biomatter, a Lithuanian deeptech startup developing artificial intelligence tools to design custom enzymes for industrial applications, has secured $18 million in a Series A funding round led by Astanor. The oversubscribed round also included participation from UVC Partners, Inventure, and Metaplanet.
Based in Vilnius, Biomatter has developed a computational platform that leverages AI and machine learning to engineer enzymes tailored to specific industrial processes. The startup’s approach addresses a significant challenge in biotechnology: traditional enzyme discovery and development is time-consuming and costly, often taking years to identify or create suitable biological catalysts for particular chemical reactions.
Scaling operations in Europe and America
The company plans to deploy the fresh capital across three primary initiatives. Biomatter will establish a 2,000-square-metre enzyme design and testing facility in Vilnius, significantly expanding its research and development capabilities. Simultaneously, the startup intends to strengthen its commercial presence in the United States, recognizing the importance of proximity to major industrial clients in the region. The funding will also support continued development of its proprietary computational platform and enzyme dataset, which forms the technical foundation of its offering.
Laurynas Karpus, a key figure at Biomatter, articulated the company’s ambition in stark terms: “Our goal is to make a custom enzyme as easy to order as a catalog product, including for reactions that don’t have one today,” he stated. This vision encapsulates the startup’s mission to democratize enzyme engineering and reduce barriers to adoption across industrial sectors ranging from textiles and food production to chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
European deeptech gaining momentum
Biomatter’s successful fundraising reflects growing investor confidence in European deeptech ventures, particularly those tackling tangible industrial challenges through advanced computational methods. The combination of AI-driven design with biotechnology represents an increasingly attractive investment thesis, as companies seek to apply machine learning to accelerate scientific discovery and product development timelines.
The participation of multiple established deeptech-focused investors signals validation of both the team’s execution capabilities and the broader market opportunity for enzyme engineering solutions. Industrial biotechnology continues to attract significant capital as companies worldwide seek to transition toward more sustainable manufacturing processes and reduce dependency on petrochemical-derived inputs.
With this Series A milestone, Biomatter joins a growing cohort of Lithuanian and Eastern European biotech companies attracting international venture capital. The company’s focus on solving a fundamental problem in industrial chemistry—the availability and customization of biological catalysts—positions it within a segment of biotechnology experiencing accelerating adoption across multiple end markets.