Loopworm Raises USD 3.25 Mn to Scale Silkworm-Based Protein Tech Platform The pre-series A funding round was led by WaterBridge Ventures and ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL, a Japanese venture capital firm.
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Bengaluru-based biotech startup Loopworm has raised USD 3.25 million in a Pre-Series A funding round led by WaterBridge Ventures and ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL, a Japanese venture capital firm.
The funds will be deployed to commercialise Loopworm's breakthrough silkworm-based recombinant protein production technology, targeting diagnostics, animal vaccines, and other high-impact applications.
Loopworm was founded in 2019 by IIT-Roorkee alumni Ankit Alok Bagaria and Abhi Gawri, with the vision to create a sustainable, cost-effective alternative to traditional protein manufacturing. Their novel platform uses silkworms as living bio-factories, eliminating the need for expensive bioreactors and dramatically reducing production costs and timelines.
"Recombinant protein manufacturing has long been constrained by expensive infrastructure and slow scalability," said Ankit Alok Bagaria, Co-founder and CEO. "Our reactor-free approach using silkworms changes the economics entirely. Having proven the technology, we are now focusing on commercialization."
Loopworm currently operates a 6,000-tonne-per-year insect processing facility in Bengaluru, supplying insect-derived proteins and oils to aquaculture and pet food industries across Europe, South America, and ASEAN countries. The company's product line includes soluble proteins, collagen, enzymes, and insect lipids, catering to sustainable feed and bio-nutritional markets.
Their most recent innovation—a reactor-free recombinant protein platform—has demonstrated successful expression of complex proteins like antigens and growth factors in silkworm pupae, opening doors for rapid, scalable biotech applications.
"As biotech evolves, the demand for manufacturing platforms that combine speed, cost-efficiency, and scalability continues to grow," noted Abhi Gawri, Co-founder. "Our silkworm-based platform is uniquely positioned to meet these needs."
Ashish Jain of WaterBridge Ventures stated, "Loopworm is testament to the dominant role Indian startups can play in the global biotech industry." Harsh Deodhar of ENRISSION added, "Loopworm's platform aligns well with Japan's biotech and sustainability priorities."
With this funding, Loopworm is poised to lead India's emergence as a global hub in next-gen industrial biotechnology.
