Daotong Investment and OPUS Biotech Launch Shanghai's First Bio-Manufacturing Industrial Fund and Establish 'Bio-Manufacturing Industry Value Partnership'

On October 23, the “Biogenesis of All Things | Bio-Manufacturing Industry Value Partner Conference,” co-hosted by DaoTong Investment and Optimize, was held at the Regent Shanghai Hongqiao Hotel.

The conference brought together representatives from institutions including the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, Shanghai State-owned Capital Venture Guide Fund, East China University of Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Shanghai Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology, Meihua Bio, and Novo Holdings, to discuss technological breakthroughs, industrialization pathways, and capital synergy in biomanufacturing. Luo Dajin, Director of the Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission, attended the event and delivered a speech.

During the conference, two major achievements were officially released:

● Daotong Biomanufacturing Industry Fund Officially Launched

● “Value Partner in the Biomanufacturing Industry” Sets Sail Simultaneously

This marks the official establishment of Shanghai’s first biomanufacturing industry fund, with an ecosystem network centered on supply chain synergy and cross-sector co-creation beginning to take shape.

In his opening remarks, Sun Qi, Founding Managing Partner of Daotong Investment, pointed out that the rise of biomanufacturing represents “the intersection of technological revolution and industrial transformation.”

“The traditional chemical industry, reliant on petrochemical pathways, is nearing its limits, and society is awaiting a new manufacturing paradigm. The convergence of synthetic biology and biomanufacturing is opening the door to reshaping manufacturing systems through biological systems.”

Over the past decade, China’s innovative drug industry has achieved a breakthrough from “zero to one”; in the next decade, biomanufacturing is poised to become a new industrial engine. According to the 14th Five-Year Plan for Bioeconomy Development, biomanufacturing has been designated as a key area of development; in the 2025 Government Work Report, it was further listed as the foremost among the “Four Future Industries,” alongside quantum technology, embodied intelligence, and 6G.

Sun Qi stated, “China possesses three major advantages: two-thirds of the global bio-fermentation production capacity, a rich reserve of engineers and industrial talent, and a complete upstream and downstream industry chain. This means that we are not merely participants, but also have the opportunity to become rule-shapers.”

At the conference, the bio-manufacturing industry fund jointly initiated by DaoTong Investment and Optimize was officially launched.

Guests attending the launch ceremony included:

Wen Zhi (General Manager of Shanghai State-owned Capital Venture Guidance Fund), Sun Qi (Founding Managing Partner of Daotong Investment), Xiao Zhihua (Chairman of Optimize), Shen Liren (Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Changzhou Xitaihu Science and Technology Industrial Park), Shen Kangliang (Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Jinshan Capital), Xia Wei (Deputy General Manager of Putuo Technology Investment), Feng Chengli (Deputy General Manager of Ningbo Yongyuan Investment).

The fund adopts a dual-drive model of “C (lead enterprise in the industrial chain) + VC (professional investment institution)”:

● The C-end represents Optimize’s industrial capabilities, covering the core segments of culture media, raw materials, and processes;

● The VC side represents Daotong Investment’s capital insight and ability to identify early-stage projects.

Coinciding with the fund’s launch, the “Bio-Manufacturing Industry Value Partners” initiative, jointly initiated by DaoTong Investment and six other institutions, was also officially launched at the conference.

The inaugural members include: East China University of Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Daotong Investment, OPM Biosciences, Meihua Bio, Novo Holdings, and Shanghai Synthetic Biology Innovation Center.

The organization aims to build a collaborative network of “resource sharing—technology transfer—capital synergy—ecosystem co-cultivation” through a lightweight, open mechanism.

Sun Qi pointed out: “To break through the industrialization bottlenecks in biomanufacturing, isolated technological innovations are far from sufficient. Only with the joint participation of scientific research, industry, and capital can a truly sustainable industrial ecosystem be formed.”

“Value Partners in the Biomanufacturing Industry” will focus on advancing four key initiatives in the future:

1. Resource and Platform Sharing: Establish a regular dialogue mechanism and open up access to equipment, production capacity, and talent resources;

2. Technology and Achievement Transformation: Support pilot-scale verification and scale-up of scientific research achievements from universities;

4. Co-cultivating Talent and Ecosystem: Jointly fostering interdisciplinary professionals with dual capabilities in scientific research and industrial application.

From an investment perspective, biomanufacturing exhibits the typical characteristics of long cycles, high barriers to entry, and interdisciplinary integration, thereby imposing higher demands for “long-term capital plus industrial synergy.”

Wen Zhi, General Manager of Shanghai State-Owned Capital Venture Guidance Fund, pointed out in his keynote speech, “True industrial capital is not merely a provider of funds, but rather an ‘amplifier’ of the innovation system and an ‘enabler’ of the industrial ecosystem. Over the past decade, Daotong has remained steadfast, consistently investing in the life sciences sector across various economic cycles, yielding substantial achievements. The collaboration between Daotong and Optimize, an industry partner, will inject new vitality and opportunities into the field of biomanufacturing.”

As a representative of industrial capital, Xiao Zhihua, Chairman of Optimize, pointed out that Optimize and Daotong Investment jointly established a biomanufacturing fund and co-hosted this Industrial Value Partner Conference. The aim is to better identify and nurture early-stage projects through this platform, facilitating their growth. He emphasized the hope of leveraging the fund’s strength to propel frontier technologies from laboratories to enterprises and achieve industrialization, thereby effectively promoting the integration of industry, academia, and research and enhancing conversion efficiency. Xiao Zhihua further expressed his belief that, relying on Daotong Investment’s forward-looking layout and the trust of all investors, both parties will jointly drive the biomanufacturing industry to new heights in the new era.

Biomanufacturing is becoming the focal point of a new round of global technological revolution and industrial transformation.

Globally, the United States leads in technological platforms and policy frameworks; Europe boasts maturity in green chemistry and regulatory systems; while China’s unique advantages lie in its “industrial scale + policy implementation + engineering translation capabilities.”

DaoTong Investment believes that over the next 5 to 10 years, China will achieve “three leaps” in the biomanufacturing industry:

● Transitioning from “research-driven” to “engineering-driven”;

● Transition from “substitution” to “creation”;

● Transitioning from “single-point industrial breakthroughs” to “systematic clusters.”

“Biomanufacturing is not an isolated scientific breakthrough, but a systemic transformation at the societal level. It will reshape supply chains, energy structures, economic models, and even the relationship between humanity and nature.”

——Sun Qi, Founding Managing Partner of DaoTong Investment