HydRegen, an Oxford, UK-based industrial biotechnology company, has raised $8 million (£6 million) in the first close of its Series A funding round led by Genoa Ventures.
The financing included participation from Clean Growth Fund and First Imagine! Ventures, alongside Oxford Technology Management, Headington Holdings, Oxonian, Foxglove Capital and Rapid Innovation Group.
HydRegen emerged as a spinout from the University of Oxford in 2021. The company is led by CEO and co-founder Dr Holly Reeve and Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder Dr Sarah Cleary. Its technology originated from research in Professor Kylie Vincent’s group at the university.
The company develops biocatalytic technology designed to replace conventional precious-metal catalysts used in industrial hydrogenation processes. Its approach uses biologically derived catalysts to support chemical manufacturing under milder reaction conditions while reducing reliance on traditional metal-based methods.
HydRegen produces hydrogenase enzymes through fermentation and incorporates them into proprietary catalyst platforms, including Bio2Amine. The technology is designed to support multiple hydrogenation reactions and integrate with existing chemical manufacturing equipment without requiring manufacturers to rebuild their facilities.
According to the company, its biocatalytic technology can reduce manufacturing costs by up to 40% while lowering carbon emissions compared with conventional processes.
HydRegen plans to use the Series A funding to expand its work with pharmaceutical and specialty chemical manufacturers. The company also intends to extend applications of its technology into agrochemicals, materials and bulk chemical production.
The financing follows an earlier £2.6 million investment round announced in April 2023 and led by Clean Growth Fund, which supported the commercialisation of HydRegen’s chemical manufacturing technologies.
In 2025, a research team involving HydRegen and the University of Oxford received the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Chemistry Biology Interface Horizon Prize for developing an industrially applicable hydrogenase-based process for converting nitro compounds into amines.
