01Life Completes RMB 100 Million Series B1 Financing to Accelerate Development and Application of Human Microbiome Resources

VCBeat has learned that Shenzhen Aimi Life, a platform for high-throughput screening and translational application of the human microbiome driven by big data, recently completed a RMB 100 million Series B1 financing round. The round was jointly invested by Sinowood Capital, Yunshi Capital, Green Future, and Danen Capital, with Joywise Capital serving as the exclusive financial advisor for this financing.

Zero One Life is the industry leader in human big data-driven high-throughput screening and application transformation platforms for the human microecology. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Shenzhen, the company has built a "Three Libraries, Three Platforms" system—including a human microecology big database, live strain library, metabolite library, high-throughput screening platform, bioinformatics platform, and application development platform—leveraging its leading capabilities in human microecology big data analytics and high-throughput strain screening. This infrastructure has increased high-throughput screening efficiency by hundreds to thousands of times, enabling the translation and development of products for microbial pharmaceuticals and consumer health applications.

Unlike the common industry strategy of accumulating large numbers of strains with unknown functions from the environment, the core team at Aimi Life was among the first in China to deeply engage in microbiome scientific research and translational studies. The company has established a comprehensive research system ranging from data-driven in silico experiments to theory-driven wet-lab experiments. Adopting an indication-first approach, Aimi Life identifies and predicts strains and their metabolites associated with specific diseases. Over the past decade, the team has been accumulating cohort data for target diseases, thereby building a library of live bacteria and metabolites with well-defined functions. This capability constitutes the company’s key differentiating advantage.

Leveraging the Company’s exceptional platform capabilities and advanced scientific research strength, it has initiated and participated in organizing multiple large-scale cohort studies in China in recent years. These data-driven efforts feed back into the “Three Libraries and Three Platforms” infrastructure. For instance, as a co-lead with Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, the Company launched the first Chinese Oral Microecology Project involving 10,000 participants, which will establish the largest oral microecology database in China. As a key participant in Phase I of the National Brain Science Initiative, the Company is contributing to the exploration of complex mechanisms underlying depression and the human microbiome. Based on big data accumulation and high-throughput screening and analysis, the Company has amassed over 20 million cases of human multi-omics big data. It possesses leading strain libraries in China related to indications such as dermatological conditions, obesity, and diabetes, as well as a domestically leading library of small-molecule compounds derived from the human microbiome. The Company will continue to strengthen its foundational technology platforms, laying a solid cornerstone for the future translation and application of more products.

Launch Ceremony of the Chinese Oral Microbiome Project per 10,000 Population

In the field of microbiome-based pharmaceuticals, the company has accumulated a skin microbiome library with a leading scale in China. It has taken the lead in entering the atopic dermatitis pipeline, where there is currently a lack of therapies that combine both safety and efficacy for pediatric patients. Microbiome-based therapies possess inherent advantages in terms of safety. The current pipeline covers multiple technological pathways, including small-molecule metabolites, live biotherapeutic products, and engineered bacteria. The company is jointly developing these therapies with one of the top two dermatological medical institutions in China and is preparing to submit Investigational New Drug (IND) applications in both China and the United States. It is also actively negotiating license-out collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies. Future pipelines in diabetes and metabolic diseases, psychiatric disorders, and oral health will be advanced sequentially.

In the consumer health sector, the company has established strategic partnerships with CR Jiangzhong and Mengniu Tuoluoyi. These collaborations focus on gut microbiota health for Chinese users, personalized data analysis and report interpretation, recommendations for probiotic product usage, and joint research and development of innovative products, all aimed at jointly advancing the human microecology industry. As is well known, strains used in China’s food, dietary supplement, and other sectors have long been monopolized by imported brands such as DuPont (USA) and Chr. Hansen (Denmark). The localization of strains adapted to the Chinese constitution is imminent. Shenzhen Aimi Life Technology Co. Ltd. aims to build extensive partnerships with more downstream manufacturers, including but not limited to those in the food and dietary supplement, pharmaceutical, and beauty and skincare industries, to jointly promote the screening, discovery, and translational application of novel domestic strains, working together to cultivate a trillion-yuan market ecosystem for domestically produced microbial strains in the life sciences sector.

In the future, the company will continuously strengthen and upgrade its core “Three Libraries and Three Platforms” infrastructure, lead the initiation of large-scale cohort studies to feed back into platform development, focus on enhancing front-end screening, discovery, and analytical capabilities, and consistently deliver upstream core value to the microbiome pharmaceutical sector and the consumer market for domestically produced strain substitution.

Wang Xiaokai, CEO of Aimi Life“We express our sincere gratitude once again to the Haoyue Capital team for their professional services in facilitating this round of financing and shaping our future capital planning. This financing round provides crucial support for us to continue implementing our corporate development strategy and exploring diversified business pathways. In the coming period, we aim to achieve new milestones in the regulatory filing of our innovative drug pipeline for dermatological diseases and in commercial collaborations with downstream clients in the pharmaceutical, food, and cosmetics sectors. We also look forward to further exchange and cooperation with more industrial investors and industry clients.”

Shenwei CapitalIt was stated that the gut microbiome is closely associated with a variety of human diseases. Shenzhen Aimi Life Technology Co. Ltd. has been strategically engaged in the gut microbiome sector for many years, possessing a complete technological chain that encompasses core competencies in gut microbial genetic testing, big data analytics, clinical trial design and execution, as well as novel strain screening and commercial application. The company maintains deep and close collaborations with numerous research institutes and top-tier (Grade 3A) hospitals across China. Its first product, developed in partnership with Huashan Hospital and the Institute of Dermatology in Nanjing, is poised to enter clinical trials. We are pleased to continue supporting Shenzhen Aimi Life’s further expansion in the field of gut microbiome, aiming to benefit the general public comprehensively through both clinical applications and health solutions.

CloudTime CapitalIt was stated that in recent years, research on the human microecology has garnered increasing attention. Whether judged by the advancement of national human microbiome research projects, the volume of academic publications, or the strategic focus and industrial collaborations of traditional global pharmaceutical giants, microbial data R&D platforms demonstrate significant potential for value discovery and creation. The team at Shenzhen Aimi Life Technology Co. Ltd. has been deeply engaged in the microbiome field for over a decade, possessing robust underlying data capabilities through its “Three Databases and Three Platforms” infrastructure. With extensive experience in scientific research and clinical translation, the company has achieved notable success in developing products for both microbial pharmaceuticals and the broader consumer health market.

Yang Zhenjun, Managing Partner at Haoyue CapitalHaoyue Capital stated that it was honored to serve as the exclusive financial advisor for Aimi Life’s current round of financing, assisting the company in completing the transaction. Aimi Life has accumulated profound technological expertise and big data capabilities in building its underlying high-throughput strain screening platform. As its products are progressively translated into commercial applications, the platform’s capabilities and competitive advantages have become increasingly prominent. By focusing on upstream discovery capabilities, Aimi Life has already gained significant recognition from downstream B2B clients. Looking ahead, Aimi Life will continue to collaborate with major downstream pharmaceutical companies to advance the commercialization of its pipeline, partner with consumer sector enterprises to accelerate the substitution of imported strains with domestically produced alternatives, and provide novel strains as chassis cells for downstream synthetic biology companies, demonstrating immense potential and promising future prospects.

Shenzhen Aimi Life Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Aimi Life”), established in 2016, is a national high-tech enterprise specializing in the field of human microecology, with its own R&D theoretical framework and core technology platform. The company’s core technology platform consists of a distinctive foundational tool layer and a product application layer, driving the innovative development and utilization of human microbial resources. To date, Aimi Life has launched seven pipelines of original novel drugs, six “probiotic+” products, and five genetic testing products. It operates a 7,000-square-meter R&D center, has established industry-academia-research collaborations with over 100 medical institutions and research institutes, published more than 30 high-impact academic papers, filed over 200 intellectual property rights, and successfully completed six rounds of financing.

Shenzhen Capital Group was founded by Mr. Li Wei and Mr. Luo Fei. With over two decades of experience in technology investment, its core team has witnessed China’s technological advancement firsthand and possesses clear insights into industry trends. Committed to identifying and fostering technological innovation and entrepreneurship in China, the firm strives to become a globally influential technology investment institution. Shenzhen Capital Group focuses on early-stage and growth-stage investments, with an emphasis on three core hard-tech sectors: digital technology, precision medicine, and advanced materials. Its portfolio includes companies such as SenseTime (00020.HK), BGI Genomics (300676), Kintor Pharmaceutical (09939.HK), Dynanonic (300769), and DJI Innovations.

Yunshi Capital, founded in 2019, is a thematic investment fund focused on structural innovation opportunities. Centered around three core themes—globalization, sustainable development, and the integration and application of multiple technologies—Yunshi aims to uncover long-term value characteristic of this era through in-depth research and independent insights. The firm primarily invests in early-to-growth stage companies, with a particular focus on global opportunities in inclusive enterprise services, exclusive trading platforms, and product brands with high repurchase rates. Currently, Yunshi manages two funds: an 11-year USD fund and a 10-year RMB fund. Its primary limited partners include entrepreneurs from various industries worldwide, listed companies, and institutional investors.

Founded in January 2014, Haoyue Capital is a leading industry-focused investment bank in China specializing in the healthcare sector. Headquartered in Shanghai, the firm maintains regional offices in Beijing and Shenzhen. Committed to leveraging capital and research-driven insights, Haoyue Capital helps outstanding Chinese healthcare companies successfully access the capital markets, thereby creating value-added benefits for its clients. The partnership team comprises senior investment bankers with extensive experience in China’s healthcare sector, supported by a professional team of over 70 members. Haoyue Capital closely monitors dynamics and trends in the healthcare investment market, with its research and transaction coverage spanning multiple sub-sectors, including innovative pharmaceuticals, innovative medical devices, IVD and life sciences, health services, and smart healthcare. In 2022, Haoyue Capital completed more than 50 complex transactions involving private equity financing, M&A integration, and spin-offs of listed companies, with a total transaction value amounting to tens of billions of RMB, maintaining a comprehensive lead across various healthcare sub-sectors.