C16 Biosciences Palm Oil Through

A California-based company, SP Investment Fund is a multi-faceted socially positive investment company that invests in multi-family family real estate and also invests in in emerging health sciences and biotechnologies companies such as C16 Biosciences.

C16 Biosciences is a company that wants to create sustainable and environmentally friendly palm oil. Palm oil can be found in everything nowadays, in clothes, shampoo, and even fuel. To create palm oil, companies destroy rainforests in countries such as Costa Rica and Indonesia to plant palm oil trees. This act can destroy the habitats of people living in nearby areas and endanger wildlife.

The palm oil developed by C16 Biosciences is sustainable and does not come from palm oil trees. Therefore, it does not endanger species of animals or cause deforestation. The alternative palm oil proposed by C16 Biosciences is obtained through fermentation and brewing. In this way, the company can reduce the footprint left by the production of palm oil and not harm the environment and the people and animals living in it.

c16 Biosciences Moves Lab Inside Hudson

Based in Los Angeles, SP Investment Fund, LLC, has managed investments in affordable housing and technology and life science start-ups for more than three decades. One company that SP Investment Fund was an early investor in is c16 Biosciences, Inc., a company working to develop an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to conflict palm oil.

Having recently received financing through Bill Gates's Breakthrough Energy Ventures Fund, c16 Biosciences is relocating its biomanufacturing research facility and executive headquarters to the Hudson Research Center, located at 619 West 54th Street in New York City. The space spans 20,000 square feet on the seventh floor and features preexisting office and lab amenities.

In its new location, c16 Biosciences will utilize microbiology to brew alternatives to conflict palm oil, which is used to manufacture a wide range of everyday consumer products. The global conflict palm oil industry is valued at $61 billion. In creating an alternative, the company seeks to protect wildlife, land, and natural resources. It formerly operated at 180 Varick Street, which housed its incubator facility.

C16 Biosciences Develops a Sustainable Alternative to Palm Oil

Based in California, SP Investment Fund is a private investment company that primarily invests in socially positive investments. SP Investment Fund’s core business has been investing in, developing and/or renovating government-subsidized housing for low and very low income families, seniors and/or disabled individuals. In 2014, SP Investment Fund expanded its focus to include emerging-technology businesses whose businesses will have significant social impacts. One such company that SP has invested in is C16 Biosciences. C16 Biosciences has also received funding from YCombinator. 

C16 Biosciences is a Boston startup that concentrates on developing a sustainable alternative to producing palm oil through biotechnology, by bioengineering yeast to produce palm oil and related compounds. Palm oil is a commodity that has huge global demand and is used widely in food, skin-care, and clothing items. The palm oil industry is currently a $61 billion industry and growing rapidly. 

The sustainability problem is that palm oil can only be harvested in the tropics, and increasing palm oil production is resulting in rain forest deforestation. The resulting deforestation is a huge contributor to global warming, and also is endangering habitats and wildlife. Unfortunately, industry has continued to demand palm oil because there are no good substitutes in nature.