First Bight Ventures

Industrial Microbes designs and builds microbes that produce better chemicals with lower costs and lower carbon emissions. We use greenhouse gases as the raw materials, including biogas, natural gas, and carbon dioxide. We scale our process with global chemical producers.

Algenesis is a material science and technology company based in San Diego, California, founded in 2016. The company focuses on producing renewable polyurethanes derived from algae and non-food plant oils, aiming to combat pollution associated with fossil fuel-based products. Algenesis develops biodegradable polyurethane foam products, including soft foams for footwear and hard foams for surfboards. By partnering with various companies, Algenesis seeks to address the global plastic pollution crisis through innovative material redesign, promoting environmentally friendly alternatives to conventional plastics.

Visolis is a bioengineering company based in Berkeley, California, focused on developing carbon-negative and sustainable chemicals. Established in 2012, the company employs a systems approach that combines innovations in synthetic biology, chemical catalysis, and process scale-up to create new bio-based manufacturing platforms. Its technology facilitates the production of chemicals that can be utilized in performance polymers, allowing industrial clients to blend these polymers directly into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel through straightforward and cost-effective chemical transformations. By enabling true carbon-negative chemical synthesis, Visolis aims to advance sustainable practices in the chemical industry.

Persephone Biosciences develops healthcare technology designed to focus on microbial therapeutics for immuno-oncology applications. The company's technology uses artificial intelligence and omics techniques on multiple cancer patient gut microbiome and blood samples to identify microbes needed for normal immune function for population-scale patient data analytics, enabling lab researchers to design microbial drugs that prevent and fight cancer. Persephone Biosciences was founded in 2017 and is based in San Diego, California.