Estonian Taavet+Sten backs natural ingredients developer for cosmetics and food applications Insempra

Taavet+Sten, the investment firm of Wise’s co-founder Taavet Hinrikus and Teleport’s co-founder Sten Tamkivi, has participated in Series A of German-based biotech startup Insempra. Existing investors Swedish EQT Ventures, Berlin-based BlueYard Capital, Munich-based Possible Ventures, and the US Acequia Capital participated in the round. New investors were the German corporate venture fund of international FMCG company Henkel, Henkel dx Ventures, German government-backed Bayern Kapital and the US Alante Capital.

Founded in Munich in 2021 by Jens Klein, Insempra "сreates natural ingredients for cosmetic and food applications at an industrial scale. Insempra designs and builds these ingredients with atomic precision to rapidly produce and manufacture them at scale, offering new solutions to agricultural and petrochemical sourced oils and materials".

The startup produces lipids for cosmetic and food applications. It is also developing a technology that offers a bio-based alternative to everyday materials such as polymers and textiles and progressing its biological solutions to create new natural molecules for use in functional ingredients, such as antioxidants and preservatives as well as flavours and fragrances.

The startup will use the investment to advance the development of bio-based alternatives in the beauty and food industries.

Based in Tallinn, Taavet+Sten is an investment partnership between Taavet Hinrikus and Sten Tamkivi. According to the company, it is an “evergreen” firm, not backed by any LPs. It leads early-stage tech deals with venture fund Plural, founded by Sten Tamkivi, Taavet Hinrikus, Ian Hogarth, and Khaled Helioui.