Breakthrough Energy Ventures leads $12M seed investment in ArkeaBio to develop and commercialize technology reducing on-farm methane emissions

BOSTON, Dec. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Arkea Bio Corp. (ArkeaBio), a pioneer in developing technology to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural sector, today announced the successful close of a $12 million Seed Series financing round led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV).

On-farm methane emissions from the world's 1+ billion cattle are responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to the worldwide emissions from passenger vehicles. ArkeaBio, a BEV incubated company, was founded on the premise that a simple vaccine could be a powerful tool in fighting climate change.  ArkeaBio is developing an innovative vaccine to drastically reduce methane emissions from ruminant animals (including cattle, sheep, and goats) and expects ruminant vaccinations to be one of the most scalable and cost-effective solutions to rapidly decarbonize global meat and dairy production.  These funds, and the ArkeaBio partnership with BEV, will enable the company to rapidly accelerate its research program and will position ArkeaBio as a leader in the global effort to decarbonize the agricultural sector.  

"BEV's investment in ArkeaBio provides the opportunity to address agricultural emissions reductions in a manner that is safe, cost effective, and executable at large scale using traditional agronomic practices," said Colin South, ArkeaBio Chief Executive Officer. "We are embracing the opportunity to work with the most committed investor in the climate sector to enact rapid and meaningful progress in the urgent issue of reducing global agricultural GHG emissions."

"The last few years have shown that vaccines can be both scalable and cost-effective, furthering our belief that vaccines can be a critical tool when applied to the fight against climate change," said Chris Rivest, Breakthrough Energy Ventures. "With its proven scientific team and methane emissions reduction technology, we believe ArkeaBio has the potential to redefine the agriculture industry's environmental footprint." 

ABOUT ARKEABIO
ArkeaBio is using innovative vaccine technologies to create solutions to reduce the on-farm methane emissions responsible for 6% of global GHG emissions. ArkeaBio technology will be integrated into proven delivery systems and farming practices to safely reduce global methane emissions from multiple ruminant species across a variety of geographies and agronomic systems.

Visit www.arkeabio.com to learn more.

ABOUT BREAKTHROUGH ENERGY VENTURES
Founded by Bill Gates and backed by many of the world's top business leaders, BEV has raised more than $2 billion in committed capital to support cutting-edge companies that are leading the world to net-zero emissions. BEV is a purpose-built investment firm that is seeking to invest, launch and scale global companies that will eliminate GHG emissions throughout the economy as soon as possible. BEV seeks true breakthroughs and is committed to supporting these entrepreneurs and companies by bringing to bear a unique combination of technical, operational, market and policy expertise.

BEV is a part of Breakthrough Energy, a network of investment vehicles, philanthropic programs, policy advocacy and other activities committed to scaling the technologies we need to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Visit www.breakthroughenergy.org to learn more.

MEDIA CONTACT
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SOURCE Arkea Bio Corp