# Element Drive

Startup profile on Capital Atlas: https://capitalatlas.ai/startups/element-drive

- Industry: Materials
- Headquarters: Hangzhou, China
- Total disclosed funding: $28M
- Latest round: Series A (Oct 22, 2024)
- Investors on record: 4

## About

Established in 2021 and based in Hangzhou, China, Element Drive is a biotech company focused on providing synthetic biology services. Dr. Kechun Zhang, the company's founder and chief scientist officer, graduated from California Institute of Technology and has more than 20 years of research experience in the field of synthetic biology. It has a partnership with Muyuan Foodstuff Co., Ltd. In October 2024, it raised a series A funding for approximately CNY 200 million.

The company’s main business is the research and development of biodegradable materials and soy-free feed technologies. The company’s self-developed MiNT X Platform is a cutting-edge research platform that utilizes enzyme engineering and metabolic pathways for predictable design. Its products are used in the field of sustainable packaging, agriculture, and animal feed, targeting applications such as disposable tableware, express packaging, and agricultural films.

Element Drive generates revenue by providing biodegradable materials and collaborating with downstream enterprises for product development.

The company plans to build a 150,000-ton biodegradable materials project in Jiande, and the first phase of the project will be completed by the end of 2025 with a planned capacity of 30,000 tons. The company will use the series A funding for synthetic biotechnology research and development and marketing.

## Funding rounds

- Series A, Oct 22, 2024, $28M — Sky 9 Capital, China Merchants Venture Investment Management, Hangzhou Chengtou Capital Group, West Lake Photonics (Hangzhou) Enterprise Development

## Investors

- Sky 9 Capital (https://capitalatlas.ai/funds/sky-9-capital) — Series A
- China Merchants Venture Investment Management (https://capitalatlas.ai/funds/china-merchants-venture-investment-management) — Series A
- Hangzhou Chengtou Capital Group — Series A
- West Lake Photonics (Hangzhou) Enterprise Development — Series A