Antarka, the Uruguayan biotechnology company that develops cosmetic active ingredients from Antarctic Extremophilic microorganisms, closed a round of US$ 3.5 million with funds from Brazil, Chile, the United States and South Korea. The capital arrives to scale production and go out to conquer global clients.
What Antarka does and where it comes from
Antarka was born in the laboratories of the University of the Republic of Uruguay, where a group of scientists discovered that certain microorganisms that survive in the extreme conditions of Antarctica have unique properties to repair solar damage to the DNA of the skin.
The startup was founded by Célica Cagide, Juan José Marizcurrena, Betania Martínez and Stefano Valdesolo. It has been producing at a pre-industrial level for a year and already has the capacity to supply regional clients, with a view to expanding into Asian, American and European markets.
Why this group of investors
The combination of funds was not coincidental. Natura Ventures provides not only capital but also a direct gateway to the Latin American cosmetics market. The Korean funds GS Future and CTKCLIP, global leaders in the development of cosmetic formulas, lead the way to Asia. SOSV, which had previously opted for Antarka, reaffirmed its confidence in the proposal.
“Working with Korean funds is something super strategic, considering that they are number one in cosmetics,” declared Célica Cagide, COO and co-founder of Antarka.
What’s coming for Antarka
With the US$ 3.5 million, the startup has three priorities: add scientists, expand the commercial team and reduce validation costs by developing its own cell culture platform, thus avoiding the expense of sending each test abroad.
The first client on the horizon is Natura, with whom there are already advanced conversations to launch a product on the market in the short term. But the ambition goes further: global brands of the largest in the sector have already signed agreements to carry out tests with Antarka’s active ingredient.
