NunaBio raises £6.5m to build UK enzymatic, cell-free synthetic DNA capacity
This article covers NunaBio, a biotech startup, which has raised £6.5m in a growth funding round led by Northstar Ventures, with participation from HIT Investments, Maven Capital Partners, Ascension Ventures and Pioneer Group. The funding will be used to scale an enzymatic, cell-free DNA manufacturing platform to increase domestic capacity for high-fidelity synthetic DNA, supporting biotech startups and researchers and sectors including personalised medicine, mRNA vaccines, diagnostics and DNA-based data storage.
NunaBio, a biotech startup, has raised £6.5 million in a growth funding round led by Northstar Ventures, with participation from HIT Investments, Maven Capital Partners, Ascension Ventures and Pioneer Group. The funding will be used to scale an enzymatic, cell-free DNA manufacturing platform intended to increase domestic capacity for high-fidelity synthetic DNA—a capability the company says is critical as demand rises across personalised medicine, mRNA vaccines, diagnostics and DNA-based data storage.
Why it matters
Synthetic DNA is an enabling input across a swathe of biotech applications. Demand is growing fast, but current chemical and biological manufacturing routes are cash- and waste-intensive and struggle to produce complex sequences at scale. NunaBio positions its technology as a potential alternative at a time when, the company warns, about 80% of global DNA manufacturing capacity is concentrated in a single country, creating supply-chain and resilience concerns for European researchers and companies.
For UK biotech startups and researchers, a nearer-term, diversified supply of longer or structurally complex DNA could shave months off development timelines and reduce reliance on overseas vendors. The funding therefore reflects not just a commercial bet but a response to a broader industrial bottleneck.
Inside the product
NunaBio develops an enzymatic DNA manufacturing platform that runs without living cells. The firm says this cell-free process can produce high-fidelity DNA of virtually any length, complexity or structure, and that it is able to generate formats that conventional approaches cannot scale efficiently.
The company highlights commercial and technological progress to date, including strategic partnerships and an expanding customer base, without naming specific partners in the announcement. NunaBio also outlines a longer-term vision of deploying compact, automated "DNA micro-foundries" that apply semiconductor-style standardisation and modularisation to biological manufacturing—turning DNA production into a repeatable, industrialised process.
The announcement frames the platform as both more scalable and more sustainable than established chemical synthesis routes, which generate hazardous waste and face throughput limits when producing long or complex constructs.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by Northstar Ventures. Other participants named in the announcement are HIT Investments, Maven Capital Partners, Ascension Ventures and Pioneer Group.
Northstar positions the investment as part of its regional commitment to backing companies that can define new industrial capabilities. The fund and its co-investors will support NunaBio’s plan to industrialise its enzymatic approach and expand commercial production.
In the announcement, Alex Buchan, Investor at Northstar Ventures, said:
The North East has a growing reputation as hub for synthetic biology, a foundational technology reshaping global healthcare, industrial productivity and food security. NunaBio is an integral part of this cluster and has the capability to transform DNA manufacturing economics. Ensuring innovators at this stage have access to the capital required to scale is essential. Northstar Ventures has always been committed to backing the companies that will define the next era of their respective industries.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Joe Hedley, CEO at NunaBio, said:
This investment marks an important step in scaling a fundamentally new approach to DNA manufacturing. Our focus is on enabling DNA that others cannot produce and translating that capability into a robust, industrial platform. Our long-term vision is a globally deployable network of DNA micro-foundries—compact, automated production units applying semiconductor-style manufacturing principles to biology. By standardising and modularising production, we can deliver scalable, high-performance DNA manufacturing without the constraints of traditional approaches.
Hedley’s framing underlines the company's dual technical and operational ambitions: not only to make novel DNA formats but to build a repeatable, deployable manufacturing model.
The bigger picture
The raise comes amid wider interest from biotech investors in de-risking supply chains and building onshore capacity for critical inputs. If NunaBio can validate its claims around fidelity, length and sustainability, it would address clear pain points for labs, therapeutic developers and emergent industries such as DNA data storage.
For the UK and Europe, the deal is notable for its regional angle: it underlines continued investor attention on clusters outside London and the potential for local manufacturing solutions to reduce dependence on a concentrated global supply base.
They've invested in NunaBio
Get to know these biotech investors
| Investor | Sector | Stage | Activity | Team | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Northstar Ventures | 6 investments investments | 6 contacts contacts | |||
 HIT Investments | 1 investment investment | more info | |||
 Maven Capital Partners | 28 investments investments | 5 contacts contacts | |||
 Ascension Ventures | 24 investments investments | 6 contacts contacts | |||
 Pioneer Group | 4 investments investments | more info |
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