EnsiliTech® raises £4.5M to enhance medicine formulation and reduce global biopharmaceutical supply-chain emissions
EnsiliTech’s patented formulation technology protects life-saving medicines in transit and storage, eliminating the need for costly cold-chain refrigeration
Bristol, 28th August 2025: EnsiliTech, an award-winning biotechnology startup, has raised its second oversubscribed funding round, securing £4.5M in seed funding to improve the way life-saving medicines are stored and transported globally. The round was led by Eos Advisory and followed on by Calculus Capital with participation from Empirical Ventures, Fink Family Office, QantX, Angel Investors Bristol (AIB), HERmesa, Penn Park Capital, chANGELS, and other individual angel investors. The funding will accelerate proof-of-concept uptake for existing and novel biopharmaceuticals by increasing throughput with new hires and enhanced infrastructure capabilities. It will also support the generation of key validation data required to integrate Ensilication into pharmaceutical manufacturing workflows. The company is proud to have predominantly female leadership and R&D teams, reflecting EnsiliTech’s commitment to driving innovation through diversity, an inclusive culture and scientific leadership. This strong female-led team attracted investment from HERmesa, which only supports female-led businesses.
Today, biopharmaceuticals rely on a 50-year-old global ‘cold chain’ system. This is a costly and energy-intensive system for refrigeration and freezing during transit and storage. Cold chain failures are reported to cost the pharmaceutical industry an estimated £26 billion annually. In developing economies, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that up to 50% of vaccines are wasted due to cold chain breakdowns, leaving millions without access to vital treatments.
EnsiliTech’s patented Ensilication technology preserves the integrity of vaccines, antibodies, and other biopharmaceuticals, eliminating the need for a cold chain, which allows medicines to be stored and transported at temperatures up to 50°C. This means that life-saving medicines can be transported anywhere across the globe, particularly to underserved regions where access to reliable refrigeration can be a major barrier to healthcare.
Using Ensilication, tiny layers of an inorganic material are applied to the biological material, rendering it stable outside the fridge or freezer. The technology utilises silica, the material from which sand is made, to create an individual, tailored protective coat around the active ingredient. These cages keep the biological material intact, meaning its properties won’t change regardless of variations in outside temperature or humidity. Silica is biocompatible, inert and cheap. When the vaccine or other biological material is ready to be administered, the silica cage cracks open and falls away, leaving the active ingredient in its pure, fully functional form.
Co-founder and CEO of EnsiliTech, Dr. Asel Sartbaeva said: “Our mission is to ensure that life-saving medicines and vaccines reach everyone, everywhere, regardless of infrastructure or geography. By eliminating the need for refrigeration, our technology significantly reduces supply-chain costs and drug waste, while also lowering the environmental impact of pharmaceutical distribution. This investment is a major step forward for the team, and we’re thrilled to have the backing of partners who share our vision for a more equitable and sustainable future in global healthcare.”
Anne Muir, Director of Portfolio at Eos, said: "EnsiliTech has the technology to transform how vaccines and other therapeutics are transported and stored. Reducing wastage, reducing cost and vastly improving health outcomes across the globe, this kind of science and this scale of potential sits at the core of our investment thesis at Eos.”
Elizabeth Klein-Edmonds, Investment Director at Calculus, said: “We are thrilled to support EnsiliTech at this pivotal stage in its growth journey. Its patented, highly differentiated product platform is already demonstrating strong commercial traction. The potential applications for vaccines and antibody treatments are transformative, with the ability to improve accessibility and enhance patient care across global health systems. We look forward to collaborating with Asel and her talented team, whose deep market understanding, and expertise position them for exceptional success.”
Johnathan Matlock, Co-Founder at Empirical Ventures, said: "EnsiliTech exemplifies our evidence-based approach: it has progressed from academic publication to licensing negotiations within three years, while systematically de-risking technical, regulatory, and commercial challenges. We believe EnsiliTech has the potential to become the category leader in biologics thermostabilisation, unlocking new global markets for vaccines, mRNA therapies, and antibodies. Our conviction is grounded in data: demonstrated technical efficacy, early in vivo safety validation, and live commercial negotiations with billion-euro pharma partners. This is an investment where we see the opportunity for both strong financial returns and significant global health impact."
EnsiliTech is a member of Spin Up Science Ventures. EnsiliTech’s growth, and its regulatory and commercial plans, have been further catalysed by taking part in the Innovation to Commercialisation of University Research (ICURe) programme, the Enterprise Fellowship from the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Pioneer LAUNCH programme, SETsquared Scale-up programme, Royal Academy of Engineering Shott Scale-up accelerator and Royal Society of Chemistry Change Maker. The start-up has won numerous awards, including Royal Society of Chemistry Emerging Technologies Competition, AHNTI Production Showcase audience choice (2024), Start-up of the Year South West – Innovative start-up, MedTech & HealthTech start-up and overall regional award winner (2025), EntreConf Science and Female Entrepreneur of the Year (2024), Leadership awards South West (2025) – Emerging entrepreneur (Asel Sartbaeva), Young leader (Matt Slade).
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About EnsiliTech
Ensilicated Technologies Ltd is a pioneering biotechnology company dedicated to enhancing the stability and accessibility of biopharmaceuticals through its proprietary Ensilication technology. EnsiliTech is a Bristol-based startup, which spun out from the University of Bath in 2022. Our mission is to democratise access to therapeutics and biologicals by making them room-temperature stable; improving logistics whilst reducing overall environmental impact.
For more information about EnsiliTech please visit www.ensilitech.com or connect on LinkedIn.
About Eos Advisory
Eos invests in and supports the growth of early stage, globally relevant science & technology businesses, with a focus on improving lives. Founded in St Andrews, Scotland in 2014, Eos is a trusted link between non-specialist investors & highly specialist investments. Eos works in long-term partnerships with family offices, individuals, companies & institutional investors who invest through an annual Innovation Fund (EIS) and an investment syndicate. All portfolio companies are focused on either improving the quality of life or environmental sustainability.
About Calculus Capital
Calculus pioneered tax-efficient investing through the launch of the UK’s first approved EIS in 1999. It has subsequently launched a VCT and a Knowledge Intensive EIS Fund. Calculus gives investors access to a portfolio of high-growth, UK-based private companies across the fastest growing sectors in the UK - Technology, Healthcare and Entertainment. Over the past 25 years, Calculus has built a strong reputation of delivering profitable portfolio company exits. www.calculuscapital.com
Press contact
Asel Sartbaeva, Co-Founder and CEO of EnsiliTech