Leadsynbio Secures Over RMB 400 Million in Series C and C+ Financing Led by Hillhouse, Sherpa, and LAV

Recently, synthetic biology company Leadsynbio has consecutively completed its Series C and Series C+ financing rounds, raising over RMB 400 million in total. The Series C round was co-led by Hillhouse Venture Capital and Sherpa Capital, with participation from GF Qianhe, Houxin Health Investment, Hunan Caixin Industry Fund, Green Spring Capital, and existing shareholder Yuanhe Holdings. The Series C+ round was exclusively invested by Lilly Asia Ventures. The proceeds will be used to accelerate the commercialization of Leadsynbio’s existing products, advance its R&D pipeline, and expand its production base in Hunan Province.

Leadsynbio is a high-tech company that leverages synthetic biology technologies to transform the production methods of existing chemical and biological products, with a product portfolio spanning pharmaceuticals, health supplements, and agricultural products. The company boasts a comprehensive synthetic biology technology platform and an R&D team of over 100 professionals. It has established R&D centers in Suzhou Industrial Park and San Francisco, USA, and operates an industrialization base in Jinshi, Changde, Hunan Province, which has achieved an annual production capacity of 5,800 tons. Phase II and III expansion projects at this facility are poised to commence shortly.

Leadsynbio’s core R&D team comprises several senior scientists in the industry. Dr. Xie Xinkai, the founder and CEO, has nearly 20 years of experience in synthetic biology research and industrial translation. Dr. Xie earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he studied under Professor Yi Tang, and completed his postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley, under Professor Jay Keasling. Professor Keasling is the inventor of the biosynthetic pathway for artemisinin and one of the founders of synthetic biology. As the primary inventor of the biosynthesis of simvastatin, a lipid-lowering drug, Dr. Xie received the 2012 U.S. Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award. This national-level award recognizes pioneering work by academia or industry that has significantly improved human health and the environment through green chemistry, either already achieved or anticipated. Prior to returning to China, Dr. Xie worked at Codexis, a leading international synthetic biology company, where he made significant contributions to projects with multiple multinational pharmaceutical and energy companies.

Since its establishment in 2015, Leadsynbio has demonstrated remarkable growth. Currently, multiple products have achieved mass production through globally pioneering green manufacturing processes, and its R&D pipeline includes more than 20 new product candidates. Florfenicol is a widely used amphenicol veterinary antibiotic with a market size exceeding RMB 3 billion. The production of its key intermediate (D-ethyl ester) has been plagued by high energy consumption and significant waste generation (wastewater, waste gas, and solid waste), leading to substantial instability in supply and pricing. The Leadsynbio team developed a globally unique enzymatic process and successfully achieved scaled-up production, disrupting the existing manufacturing methods for D-ethyl ester. The company has currently reached a designed annual capacity of 2,000 tons and is further expanding its production capabilities.Notably, Leadsynbio has also developed a biosynthetic method for L-glufosinate, the active ingredient of glufosinate, the world’s second-largest herbicide. L-glufosinate exhibits twice the potency of conventional racemic glufosinate. With a market size exceeding RMB 10 billion, L-glufosinate is gradually replacing conventional glufosinate on a global scale. Leadsynbio’s joint venture has already achieved industrial-scale production of L-glufosinate with an annual output of 1,000 tons and is currently accelerating capacity expansion to 33,000 tons per year.

In recent years, with the widespread adoption of synthetic biology concepts, a wave of synthetic biology companies has emerged both in China and abroad, driving disruptive innovations across sectors such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food, materials, and fine chemicals. Nevertheless, technological breakthroughs and successful industrialization remain their core developmental bottlenecks. Dr. Xie stated, “We appreciate the investors’ recognition and support for Leadsynbio. Leveraging our advanced platform technologies, robust product pipeline, and efficient team collaboration, we continue to strengthen our synthetic biology platform and enhance our industrialization capabilities. Seizing the opportunities presented by this rapidly growing market, and building on the more than 20 products already commercialized or nearing commercialization, we will consistently launch green, innovative process-based products, expand the application boundaries of synthetic biology, and accelerate the realization of China’s dual carbon goals—peaking carbon emissions by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.”

Hillhouse Capital Venture Investment Project Lead“The green manufacturing of chemical products through synthetic biology holds not only critical significance for energy conservation, emission reduction, and achieving China’s ‘dual carbon’ goals, but also embodies substantial industrial value,” stated the representative. “Under the leadership of Dr. Xie Xinkai, Leadsynbio has established a systematic and highly efficient enzyme-catalyzed biosynthesis platform, built an industry-leading synthetic biology production base, and rapidly achieved the transition from laboratory development to large-scale mass production for several products. We are honored to participate in this investment and believe that Leadsynbio will emerge as a key leader in advancing the low-carbon transformation and sustainable development of China’s chemical industry.”

Zhang Zhenyu, Investment Director at Sherpa Capital“Leveraging synthetic biology to achieve more efficient, environmentally friendly, and safe green biomanufacturing represents an industrial iteration direction with immense commercial and social value. In this exciting field, Leadsynbio is one of the few companies we have identified that has already achieved commercial production across multiple product lines on a global scale. Dr. Xie and his team, drawing on their profound understanding of synthetic biology and their interdisciplinary expertise in biology, chemistry, and other fields, have successfully established an end-to-end chain spanning project selection, process route design, the development and optimization of biotechnology platforms—particularly multi-enzyme catalytic systems—and final industrial-scale upscaling. Sherpa Capital is honored to participate in Leadsynbio’s current funding round, and we will provide long-term support for the company’s industrialization efforts in the field of synthetic biology.”

Project Director, Yuanhe Holdings“The severe global environmental challenges underscore the critical role that synthetic biology and green bio-manufacturing technologies will play in the transformation and upgrading of traditional manufacturing industries. Leadsynbio is dedicated to the development of synthetic biology technologies and their application in industrial bio-manufacturing, possessing comprehensive industrialization experience spanning from design to production. Yuanhe Holdings is pleased to witness the industrial implementation of Leadsynbio’s innovations. We look forward to the Leadsynbio team bringing more environmentally friendly and economically viable products to the market, continuously creating value and driving a new wave of change in the industrial manufacturing sector.”

Dr. Hu Jin, Head of the Healthcare Investment Department at GF Qianhe“It stated: ‘Synthetic biology has been a key area of our focus. The wave of its industrialization is attracting significant attention from capital and the market. Leadsynbio’s synthetic biology technology platform has been validated through multiple dimensions, including the team’s background and experience, as well as the successful commercialization of mature products. The company is currently in the take-off stage of its business development. We are optimistic about its future and look forward to seeing it stand out amidst the rapid growth of the synthetic biology industry, thereby creating greater value for society.’”