About NovoNutrients
NovoNutrients is an Agriculture company based in Sunnyvale (United States) founded in 2017 by Brian Sefton and Russell Howard, and was acquired by Biosphere in June 2026. CO2 emissions are converted into single-cell proteins for aquaculture feed. It operates in the Agriculture and Environment sectors. NovoNutrients has raised $30.25 million across 5 funding rounds from investors including Leland Stanford Junior University, Woodside Energy and E²JDJ. The company has 14 employees. NovoNutrients offers products and services including Single Cell Protein Ingredients and Carotenoids. Its focus areas include Environment Tech, Air Pollution Management Tech, Carbon Management and Carbon Capture. Its legal entity is OAKBIO INC.
Company details
NovoNutrients was established in 2017 in Sunnyvale, United States, within the biotechnology sector focused on sustainable proteins. An online platform is maintained to process carbon dioxide emissions, hydrogen, and oxygen through microbes and custom bioreactors. Single-cell protein ingredients are generated for applications in food and animal feed, particularly for seafood production. CO2 is further utilized to create alternative protein options for the industry.
- Headquarters Sunnyvale, United States
- Employees 14
- Founders Brian Sefton, Russell Howard
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsAgricultureEnvironment
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website novonutrients.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Biosphere (Jun 2026)
- Legal Name Oakbio Inc
- Total Equity Funding$30.25M (USD)
in 5 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$18M (USD), Series A
Jul 2024
- InvestorsLeland Stanford Junior University
& 12 more
- Employee Count14
- Acquired byBiosphere
(Jun 2026)
Products & Services of NovoNutrients
NovoNutrients offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Single Cell Protein Ingredients and Carotenoids.
Fermented proteins from CO2 for sustainable food and feed
Nutritional additives via fermentation for enhanced products
Funding Insights of NovoNutrients
NovoNutrients has successfully raised a total of $30.25M across 5 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $18 million completed in July 2024. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $30.25M
- Total Rounds 5
- Last Round Series A — $18M
- First Round $250,000
(Sep 2018)
- Investors Count 12
All 5 funding rounds of NovoNutrients with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2024 | $18M | Series A | – | Woodside Energy, CM Venture | |
| Apr 2023 | $3M | Series A | – | Woodside Energy | – |
| Jul 2021 | $9M | Series A | – | Happiness Capital | |
| Nov 2019 | Seed | – | Chevron Technology Ventures | – | |
| Sep 2018 | $250,000 | Seed | – | IndieBio | – |
13 investors in total: 13 institutional.
Investors in NovoNutrients
NovoNutrients has secured backing from 13 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Leland Stanford Junior University, Woodside Energy and E²JDJ.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| cmventure.net | ||||
Biotech startups are accelerated through IndieBio's focused programs. | indiebio.co | San Francisco, United States | ||
Early-stage investments are targeted globally by this VC fund. | happinesscapital.com | Hong Kong, China | ||
| audacyventures.com | ||||
Early-stage investments are made in food and biotech companies. | purpleorange.com | Berlin, Germany | ||
Venture capital fund focused on tech sectors | joyancepartners.com | San Francisco, United States | ||
Seed & early stage multiple stage focused corp VC firm funding companies in the US and Canada | chevron.com/technology/technology-ventures | Houston, United States | ||
Oil and gas exploration, drilling, and production services are provided. | 1954 | woodside.com | Perth, Australia | |
| granthamfoundation.org | ||||
Investor details for NovoNutrients
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
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People of NovoNutrients
11 people are tracked at NovoNutrients (3 in leadership, 4 in board & advisors, 4 in team); the tracked headcount is 14.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Brian Sefton | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Russell Howard | Co-Founder | Leadership |
Satish Lakhapatri | VP, Engineering | Leadership |
Matt Lucas | Adviser | Board & advisors |
Thomas Nagy | Adviser | Board & advisors |
Mitchell Presser | Adviser | Board & advisors |
Heyward Robinson | Adviser | Board & advisors |
Bill Coleman | Distinguished Scientist | Team |
Arkady Glazman | Senior Research Associate | Team |
Matthew Lankford | Senior Project Manager | Team |
Aruna Varshney | Scientist I | Team |
Complete people profiles for NovoNutrients
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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Timeline of NovoNutrients
4 dated milestones of NovoNutrients across 9 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded NovoNutrients is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $250K.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series A, of $18.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Biosphere.
Top companies in Aquaculture Tech & Equipment
2 companies that operate in the same segment as NovoNutrients (Aquaculture Tech & Equipment) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Protein nutritional feeds for animals are produced via natural fermentation. | 2011 | Menlo Park, California, United States | USD 177.22 M | 21 | ||
AI-based software platform for aquaculture monitoring is provided. | 2017 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 48.37 M | 22 |
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Frequently Asked Questions about NovoNutrients
NovoNutrients was founded in 2017 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
NovoNutrients is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States. It is registered at Sunnyvale, California, United States.
NovoNutrients is a funded company, having raised a total of $30.25M across 5 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $250K, raised on Sep 2018.
NovoNutrients has 14 employees.
NovoNutrients was established in 2017 in Sunnyvale, United States, within the biotechnology sector focused on sustainable proteins. An online platform is maintained to process carbon dioxide emissions, hydrogen, and oxygen through microbes and custom bioreactors. Single-cell protein ingredients are generated for applications in food and animal feed, particularly for seafood production. CO2 is further utilized to create alternative protein options for the industry.
NovoNutrients offers Single Cell Protein Ingredients and Carotenoids.
NovoNutrients has 13 investors. Key investors include Leland Stanford Junior University, Woodside Energy, E²JDJ, Biosphere, and CM Venture.
NovoNutrients operates through Oakbio Inc.
Yes. NovoNutrients was acquired by Biosphere in June 2026.

