British Startup BoobyBiome Raises €2.8 Million Funding

The round was led by DeepTech investor Empirical Ventures, with participation from The Helm, XFactor Ventures, Lavender Ventures, Kayan Ventures, Evenlode Investment, and several angel investors.

Dr Lydia Mapstone Chief Executive Officer BoobyBiome said "This funding marks a major milestone in our mission to revolutionise infant feeding and ensure every baby has equal access to a healthy future. It represents five years of dedication to understanding breast milk and harnessing its power for infant health."

Founded in 2019 by scientists-turned-entrepreneurs Dr. Lydia Mapstone, Dr. Sioned Jones, and Dr. Tara O’Driscoll, BoobyBiome aims to address rising infant health issues by leveraging the breast milk microbiome. Conditions like food allergies, asthma, type 1 diabetes, and obesity are increasingly linked to poor microbiome development.

Breast milk contains a rich mix of beneficial bacteria that help build strong immune defenses. While breastfeeding provides proven benefits, medical, physical or personal challenges mean not all families can rely on it exclusively.

Dr Sioned Jones, Chief Operating Officer, BoobyBiome, said: "In closing this gap, we also aim to reduce the stigma often faced by parents who, for many reasons, cannot breastfeed. This support will allow us to advance our research, bring our live microbiome drops closer to market, and deliver meaningful improvements to infant health worldwide."

BoobyBiome is working to close the gap in infant feeding. Backed by over five years of research at UCL’s Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, the company has built the world’s largest high-resolution breast milk microbiome database and a biobank of proprietary strains capturing the diversity of beneficial bacteria in human milk.

This has allowed them to identify, characterize, and preserve strains vital for infant gut and immune development. Using this unique data, BoobyBiome has developed two solutions to give every baby access to a healthier microbiome.

Dr Tara O’Driscoll, Chief Technology Officer, BoobyBiome, said: "We founded BoobyBiome in response to rising infant diseases linked to low breastfeeding rates and underdeveloped microbiomes. Like many issues in infant health, it remains under-researched and under-funded, and we hope our work helps drive greater investment into this vital field."

For stored breast milk, BoobyBiome has created a patented device that fits any storage bottle and improves the quality of expressed milk. It preserves the natural microbiome, maintains antioxidants and vitamins, prevents contamination, and keeps milk fresh. This innovation came from their finding that removing oxygen during storage better protects vital breast milk components linked to infant health.

The company is also developing a live microbiome drop, made from beneficial bacteria isolated from breast milk, to support babies who are formula-fed, born via c-section, or premature helping strengthen their developing microbiomes and close the health gap.

Dr Ben Miles, Co-founder and General Partner, Empirical Ventures, said: "We’re proud to support the brilliant team at BoobyBiome as they advance their research and bring their groundbreaking technology to market. Lydia, Sioned, and Tara’s combined expertise makes them exceptionally well placed to transform infant health, and their work addresses a critical gap that has been overlooked for too long.

"At Empirical Ventures, we believe entrepreneurial scientists like the BoobyBiome team are uniquely capable of driving real, positive change in the world. We’re excited to back their journey and to see the impact this innovation will have on families everywhere."

The new funding will support the commercial launch of BoobyBiome’s patented storage device, including collaborations with leading infant bottle manufacturers. It will also drive further R&D of the live microbiome drop and strengthen the company’s commercial team, enabling BoobyBiome to scale its impact and expand globally.

About BoobyBiome

Founded in 2019, BoobyBiome is a London-based biotech company harnessing the power of the breast milk microbiome to improve infant health. Backed by years of research, it has developed a patented breast milk storage device and a live microbiome drop, aiming to support babies worldwide with stronger immune and gut health.