Hydrosome Labs, a pioneer in the nascent field of ultrafine bubbles, today announced $3.7 million in seed funding to scale its operations, expand sales efforts, and continue to innovate.
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Hydrosome’s platform technology has the potential to improve products across multiple industries, including fermentation and skin care. (Photo: Business Wire)
The patented process that creates Hydrosome H2O delivers active ingredients to cells more efficiently and completely. Commercial uses include improving nutrient uptake in skincare, driving more efficient and sustainable processes for precision fermentation, delivering faster, longer-lasting, enhanced hydration in performance drinks, and helping plants grow faster and healthier with less fertilizer.
Established Technology
“History is filled with natural substances improved upon for the benefit of society—carbon into carbon fiber, silica into computer chips, and more. What if water itself could be improved naturally and sustainably? That’s what our technology does,” said Bob Jacobs, Hydrosome Labs President.
At its core is a new process leveraging established science to improve the ability of water to deliver active ingredients to cells more effectively and efficiently. How does it work? A common occurrence in water is the formation of bubbles, which create a structure that traps gases. But not all bubbles are created equal. About 30 years ago, scientists began to investigate the formation of very tiny bubbles in water, sometimes called ultrafine bubbles. These bubbles, invisible to the naked eye and among the smallest ever detected, have unique properties. Hydrosome’s ultra-fine bubbles, “Hydrosomes,” have characteristics no other water technology has.
- A significantly higher surface area versus bubbles in regular water (1 trillion fit in 1 champagne bubble), making them excellent transporters to cells.
- Products leveraging “Hydrosomes” have a longer shelf life (up to 18 months or more) than any other ultrafine bubble technology. The closest shelf life in the emerging nanobubble category is four to six months.
- The process is sustainable. The patented process does not add chemicals or consumables and requires little energy to operate.
Multiple Markets
The company is prioritizing the beauty and fermentation verticals. However, they have projects in the pipeline in agriculture and beverages, with future potential in pharmaceuticals with the ability to better deliver drugs to the body. Nick Jackowetz, Hydrosome Labs’ Chief Scientist, says, “We are making changes to the properties of water no one imagined possible. The possible applications are almost limitless.”
Ushering in a New Era in Precision Fermentation
Innovation has been slow in fermentation production, a process that involves customizing yeast and/or bacteria to produce specific molecules for use in a wide variety of applications, including food, ingredients, biofuels, industrial enzymes, and pharmaceuticals. Hydrosome H2O technology doubles precision fermentation yields and decreases production time. Why is this important?
The bottom-line benefits to the industry include faster fermentations, higher yields, lower energy and nutrient inputs, lower labor costs, higher efficiencies, and no added chemicals. The technology also has the potential to help solve a global industry bottleneck in fermentation capacity and equipment.
Skincare
Meaningful Beauty by Cindy Crawford is the first beauty firm to use Hydrosome H2O Technology. “We’re excited to introduce Hydrosome H2O® as the latest technology innovation in our hero product, Youth Activating Melon Serum Advanced Formula,” said Laura Lum, Co-President of Meaningful Beauty. “Hydrosome H2O combines with Meaningful Beauty’s proprietary Melon Leaf Stem Cell Technology to visibly plump, firm, and deeply hydrate skin and increase elasticity as it helps protect from environmental aggressors.”
Hydrosome H2O technology helps deliver Meaningful Beauty’s cutting-edge ingredients deeper into the skin. “For the first time, it transforms water from a filler to a ‘super-carrier,’ delivering nutrients to hard-to-reach areas with remarkable speed and efficiency,” said Lum.
Strong Company Traction
Paul Gadbut, Hydrosome CEO, said, “2024 marks a pivotal year for the company as we transition out of stealth mode. We anticipate significant growth in 2025, with 94 deals currently in the pipeline, valued at over $150 million, including ongoing negotiations with leading Fortune 500 companies in the beauty, food processing, and food and beverage sectors. Additionally, the seed round brings our total capital raised to $10 million. This technology represents a triple win—for consumers, manufacturers, and investors,” he concluded.
Innovation Grant
In related news, the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition — an economic development arm of state government – awarded a $71,000 grant to Hydrosome Labs through its Illinois Innovation Voucher Program. The grant will allow Hydrosome to further study and improve the fermentation process to improve nutrient and gas delivery to cells. This grant, also designed to further Illinois’ position as an innovation hub, will aim to increase production efficiency in the fermentation space, which can have significant operational and economic impact across various industries that utilize fermentation.
ABOUT HYDROSOME LABS
Hydrosome Labs is a Chicago-based B-to-B biotechnology company on a mission to change lives by changing water. Its technology, Hydrosome H2O, is a natural and chemical-free process that improves the power of water through the emerging science of ultrafine bubbles. The innovative process delivers active ingredients to cells more efficiently and completely with multiple applications across precision fermentation, personal care and cosmetics, beverages, and controlled environment agriculture. The company and advisors include business and R&D executives from Fortune 500 companies like P&G, Constellation Brands, Goldman Sachs, Nestle Health Sciences, and the Intercontinental Exchange, owner of the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.hydrosomelabs.com.
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