US-based precision fermentation company Melazyme, which develops high-performance functional biomolecules, has closed its US$2 million seed funding round led by SeaX Ventures, with participation from Stellaris Venture Partners and Plug and Play Ventures.

The funding will support platform development, production scale-up and early commercial deployment across the company’s portfolio of target molecules.

The company, founded in 2025 by Perumal Gandhi, co-founder of Perfect Day, and Bonney Oommen, former chief product and strategy officer at Perfect Day, is building “a fermentation platform defined by functional depth rather than commodity output, supported by patent-pending proprietary technology covering both the production platform and its applications across multiple industries”.

The company develops fermentation-derived specialty proteins with commercial partners and is expanding its platform into high-value molecules where fermentation delivers functional advantages that conventional chemistry cannot match.

Near-term commercial activity is centred on cosmetics, where melanin’s ultra-violet protection and natural pigmentation properties are driving early engagement with global manufacturers.

Precision fermentation is emerging as a major industrial platform with the global market expected to grow from approximately US$20 billion today to over US$70 billion by 2030, and potentially reaching US$200 billion by 2040 as food, materials and specialty ingredients transition toward bio-manufacturing.