EU oil import dependency
Eurostat 2024: the baseline of Europe’s energy challenge.
Renato Reggiani · Founder & InventorProf. Edoardo Magnone · Scientific Advisor
Biodesign Energy · Italian IP under examination
Enzymes designed for real biomass. More value from residues, less dependence on oil.
Biodesign Energy applies machine learning and generative AI to molecular design to generate and select cellulases and lipases tailored to real feedstocks and process conditions. Experimental validation is the next milestone funded by the pre-seed round.
Italian application no. 102025000031000 · under examination
Why now
The world cannot rely on imported oil for every molecule of fuel.
In 2024, the EU depended on imports for 96.6% of its oil needs. Advanced biofuels can valorise local resources and complement electrification and renewables in hard-to-electrify sectors. By 2030, RED III requires either 29% renewable energy in transport or a 14.5% reduction in transport-fuel emissions intensity, with a combined 5.5% sub-target for advanced biofuels and renewable hydrogen.
biofuel enzymes market 2030
Up from $655.1m in 2023, GVR estimate.
biofuel enzymes CAGR
Estimated compound annual growth, 2024–2030.
combined RED III target by 2030
Advanced biofuels and renewable hydrogen in transport.
Data and sources: European Commission, Eurostat, IEA and Grand View Research.
The industrial problem
Biomass changes. Standard enzymes do not.
Composition, moisture, pretreatment and inhibitors vary from batch to batch. General-purpose commercial enzymes force producers and laboratories to adapt the process to what is available, multiplying tests, timelines and scale-up risk.
Variable feedstock
Agricultural residues and lignocellulosic biomass differ in composition and behavior.
Slow optimization
Trial-and-error selection takes many iterations to reach candidates suited to the process.
Scale-up risk
A promising laboratory result does not guarantee performance under industrial conditions.
Initial applications
From residues to two advanced-fuel value chains.
The same design capability addresses two industrial bottlenecks: releasing fermentable sugars from biomass and converting oils, including waste oils, into biodiesel.
Cellulases · advanced bioethanol
To convert cellulose in lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars.
Lipases · biodiesel
To catalyse the conversion of oils, including waste oils, into biodiesel.
The Biodesign Energy response
Design for the real process first. Take only the candidates worth testing into the lab.
Biodesign Energy translates feedstock and plant requirements into enzyme candidates for validation. Machine learning and generative AI focus experimental work on a shortlist, narrowing the search without replacing laboratory evidence.
Real requirements
Feedstock, pretreatment and operating conditions become the design brief.
Computational design
The system generates molecular candidates aligned with the target application.
Shortlist
Candidates are ranked to focus time and budget on the most useful experiments.
Laboratory evidence
Priority sequences are synthesized, expressed and tested by specialists.
Industrial decision
Evidence leads to joint development, licensing or a new design iteration.
Italian application no. 102025000031000 · under examinationProtected IP under examination. The method, patent documentation and international strategy are shared selectively after an NDA.
Positioning
Not an off-the-shelf enzyme. Not a general-purpose AI platform.
Large industrial-enzyme producers serve mass markets with general-purpose products. AI protein-design platforms operate across many applications, without native specialization in the biofuel production process.
Enzyme producers
Optimized for broad markets and large volumes, not for the variability of a specific biomass.
AI platforms
Horizontal design capabilities that are not necessarily integrated with feedstock, plant and biofuel validation pathways.
Biodesign Energy
A vertical position between the two: candidates designed for biofuel applications and validated with laboratories and producers.
Business model
Revenue from intellectual property and joint development, not from building plants.
Biodesign Energy monetizes each application through licences and programs with biofuel producers. The model combines upfront revenue, milestones and royalties.
Asset-light
No capital is tied up in plants. Revenue comes from licences and joint-development programmes with partners that already own production capacity.
Licensing with royalties
Licences by application, territory or partner, combining upfront fees, milestones and royalties on production volumes.
Joint development
Co-funded programs with producers to validate a specific feedstock and convert the result into an industrial licence.
Where evidence is built
From feedstock to process: three environments, one chain of evidence.
01
Biomass characterization
02
Laboratory validation
03
Industrial process integration
Team and scientific network
Italian leadership, scientific connection with Seoul.
Biodesign Energy combines invention and computational design with expertise in materials and energy processes. The two areas jointly guide the validation pathway.
Renato Reggiani
Founder · Inventor
◍ Rome · active between Seoul and Tokyo
Researcher, platform creator and inventor of the technology, applying machine learning and generative AI to molecular design. He is the author of the forthcoming book «AI per i leader con il metodo Shu Ha Ri» and winner of the Planet Green Chem award at Expo Milano 2015. A serial founder, he led a previous venture in urban agriculture and agro-space research, selected by Agrinnova, an initiative by Wired and IBM, and recognized for excellence in space-farming techniques. His work connects the valorization of agricultural residues with their enzymatic conversion into energy. He holds three international patents and authored a Horizon 2020 proposal awarded the Seal of Excellence.
- 3 Italian and international patents
- ESA incubation programme · European Space Agency
- Horizon 2020 · Seal of Excellence
- Planet Green Chem Award · Expo Milano 2015
- Visiting Professor · Politecnico di Milano, 2018
- Author of “AI per i Leader”, foreword by Mario Morcellini · forthcoming
Prof. Edoardo Magnone
Scientific Advisor · Dongguk University, Seoul
Chemist and materials scientist, with a PhD in Electrochemistry from the University of Genoa. He conducted research on materials for energy applications at the University of Tokyo, supported by a research fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), and at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Tsukuba. He then continued his work at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) and is a faculty member at Dongguk University in Seoul. An expert in membranes, energy technologies and CO₂ capture, he is the author of more than 100 scientific publications. At Biodesign Energy, this expertise strengthens the scientific validation pathway and the connection with South Korea’s research ecosystem.
- 101 scientific publications
- h-index 17
- Membranes and gas separation
- Energy, hydrogen and CO₂
Founder working full-time on the project. Scientific advisory is governed by a formal agreement.
Pre-seed round
From patent to a validated product in 18 months.
PRE-SEED ROUND€600,000
First closing €400,000 · 18-month runway
The instrument and valuation are agreed with the first investors. The first closing funds intellectual-property protection, experimental capacity and the start of validation.
Use of funds
R&D and validation
Protein-engineering hire, CRO and partner-laboratory contracts, scientific advisory, synthesis, expression and testing.
Computational platform
Compute, software and engineering.
Intellectual property
Continued prosecution of the Italian application and international extension of the patent application.
Company and operations
Incorporation, administration, full-time founder compensation and operating structure.
18-month roadmap
Three phases, three verifiable outcomes.
The roadmap is structured around measurable milestones so that each phase produces evidence before the next one begins. Technical criteria remain confidential and are agreed with investors and partners under NDA.
Protection and experimental capacity
Corporate vehicle incorporation, protein-engineering hire, CRO and partner-lab contracts, validation-plan definition and international extension of the patent application.
MILESTONEExperimental capacity contracted and validation plan approved.
Synthesis and expression with the CRO partner
The CRO partner synthesizes and expresses the priority sequences and prepares a traceable experimental package for validation.
MILESTONESynthesis and expression completed; data-package quality and completeness accepted against confidential criteria agreed under NDA.
Validation on real biomass
Candidates are evaluated on real biomass with an industrial partner under representative conditions. Preparation for the seed round proceeds in parallel.
MILESTONEMeasurable improvement against a commercial benchmark, assessed using confidential criteria agreed under NDA; seed round launched.
Investor and partner access
Two entry points, one professional diligence process.
The public teaser supports an initial assessment. A 20-minute call confirms fit and interest before opening the confidential data room.
- Corporate venture · energy and chemicals
- Biofuel producers
- Climate-tech investors
- Laboratories and research centers
After an NDAThe full deck, patent documentation and international protection strategy are shared only after an NDA with qualified parties.
Public teaser · 1 page
Thesis, applications, roadmap and round, with no confidential technical data.
Request the teaserQualification call · 20 minutes
A focused conversation for investors, producers and validation partners.
Book 20 minutes