£15m to commercialise lab-grown leather, fund cornea trials and boost cell media
This article covers BSF Enterprise, a Newcastle-listed startup, and its new equity funding of £15m to speed the commercial roll-out of three technology lines: lab-grown leather, corneal repair and cell culture media supplements. The funding is intended to advance early-stage tissue-engineered products towards market, support subsidiary trials and regulatory engagement, and enable potential acquisitions and partnerships.
BSF Enterprise, a Newcastle-listed company, has secured fresh equity funding to speed the commercial roll-out of three technology lines: lab-grown leather, corneal repair and cell culture media supplements. The move could accelerate product launches, regulatory work and potential acquisitions across its subsidiary businesses.
Why it matters
The capital will be used to move early-stage, tissue-engineered products towards marketable offerings and to strengthen intellectual property and commercial partnerships. For a company operating across consumer-facing materials and regulated medical devices, fresh funding can shorten timelines for trials, regulatory engagement and first sales — all critical steps that determine whether lab-developed technologies reach customers or stall in the lab.
The announcement also signals investor appetite for companies combining biomaterials and regenerative medicine, where commercial and regulatory paths differ sharply between consumer luxury goods and veterinary or human medical devices.
Inside the product
BSF is prioritising three areas.
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Lab-grown leather: A significant portion of resources will be directed to the company’s lab-grown leather work and the commercial launch of Elemental X, a platform intended to integrate bioengineered cellular structures into new leather applications. BSF says initial revenue-generating products will target the ultra-luxury segment and be sold directly through design-led partners.
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Corneal repair (Kerato): Around £500,000 of the new funding is earmarked for Kerato, BSF’s corneal repair subsidiary. That funding is intended to support a liquid cornea veterinary trial, with a Canadian government grant covering 50% of the required funding. Kerato plans to begin collecting animal data in early 2026. The grant is also slated to support medical device development and early regulatory engagement.
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Cell culture media (3D Bio-Tissues / 3DBT): Investment will support growth in food-safe cell culture media components and commercial activity for CytoBoost REVIVE, an additive launched to restore biological materials from low-temperature storage. BSF reports CytoBoost REVIVE can improve cell revival after cryostorage by up to 100%.
The company also says some funds will be used to expand IP protection, recruit scientific and commercial staff, and pursue acquisitions or joint ventures to broaden technology reach and hasten time-to-market.
Who are the investors?
The equity raise is backed by Blackstone Mercantile Group. BSF described the backing as a major milestone in executing its growth strategy and said proceeds will be used to scale products, strengthen IP and deepen partnerships across its subsidiaries.
The raise totals £15 million in new equity for BSF Enterprise. BSF also noted the new capital should support its subsidiaries’ independent fundraising activities during 2026 and enable targeted M&A or joint-venture activity to augment the company’s technological footprint and commercial pipeline.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Che Connon, CEO at BSF Enterprise, said:
We are hugely excited by the potential Blackstone Mercantile Group’s investment provides to BSF’s subsidiary companies.
The funds will accelerate the commercial and technological roadmaps of LGL, Kerato and 3DBT and will support their further independent fundraising activities during 2026.
In addition, they provide the resources to allow BSF to deliver against its strategic goals to acquire, invest in, or enter joint ventures with promising complementary companies to expedite their development and time-to-market. We look to the future with renewed confidence and enthusiasm.
The bigger picture
BSF’s funding round sits at the intersection of two trends in UK and European biotech: the move to commercialise engineered biomaterials for consumer markets, and the persistent need for capital to advance regenerative medicine through regulatory pathways. Targeting ultra-luxury buyers could offer an early route to revenue for lab-grown materials, while veterinary trials can provide clinical data and regulatory experience for corneal technologies before human trials.
The deal also highlights how corporate and institutional investors continue to back ventures that span consumer products and regulated healthcare, and how M&A is being used as a strategy to build out product lines and accelerate commercialisation.
This development will be watched by biotech investors and companies across the UK and Europe as an example of capital deployment aimed at bridging laboratory innovation and market-ready products.
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