Helaina
Helaina is a Precision Fermentation company founded in 2019 and based in New York, United States. It has raised $83M in total funding, most recently a Series B in 2024.
Founded in 2019 by food scientist Laura Katz, New York-based Helaina uses precision fermentation to produce human-equivalent bioactive proteins, beginning with lactoferrin, an immune-supporting protein found in human milk. Its flagship ingredient, effera, is positioned as the first bio-identical human lactoferrin and is aimed at women's health, active nutrition, healthy aging and early-life nutrition. In September 2024 Helaina raised a $45 million Series B led by Avidity Partners, bringing total equity funding to about $83 million, and has publicly described work with Nestle on early-life nutrition. The company frames its proteins as functionally equivalent to those the human body already produces.
Targets human-identical milk proteins like lactoferrin, an emerging frontier of precision fermentation aimed at infant formula and high-value nutrition rather than commodity dairy.
myhelaina.com ↗·Precision Fermentation·
United States·private 
