Draths raises $5M for engineered microbes
Draths is an Okemos, Michigan company using technology license from Michigan State University. It is working with bioengineered microbes, though the company has been secretive as to specific applications or targets of its technology.
John Frost, the company’s chief scientific officer, is also a professor at the school’s department of chemistry. Microbes from his lab were used to produce Tamiflu and a rocket fuel called butanetriol, according to VentureWire (subscription required), which reported the funding.
However, past companies we’ve reported on that are working with microorganisms, such as LS9 (coverage here), are mainly working toward generation of biofuels using microbes. That purpose would also fit the investment profile of Khosla Ventures, the sole investor in the round.
Of the $5 million total, Khosla only immediately provided half; the other half is contingent on milestones to be achieved by the company. Draths previously took angel funding.
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About the Author, Chris Morrison
Chris Morrison writes about cleantech and environmental issues for VentureBeat, with occasional forays into gaming and semantic technology. He got his start writing about tech for Business 2.0 magazine, but quickly realized new media was the ticket when that institution closed its doors in 2007. Chris has also covered public equities and regulatory issues. He originally hails from southern Virginia, graduated from Evergreen State College in Washington, and now lives in San Francisco.