Korean next-generation white bio manufacturing startup Zetrone has secured seed investment from Bluepoint Partners. White bio refers to an industry that converts organic matter derived from plants and microorganisms into materials for various energy and chemical products through biological processes — recognized as one of the three major bio industries alongside green bio and red bio.

Zetrone integrates low-temperature plasma (LTP), synthetic biology (SynBio), and AI technologies to deliver ultra-efficient bio-chemical manufacturing. Its key differentiation is overcoming the energy barrier of conventional white bio processes using low-temperature plasma technology.

Within just six months of its founding, Zetrone succeeded in developing a proprietary platform technology that controls microbial fermentation without physical electrodes. The company is expected to have a major industry-wide impact by eliminating fundamental yield limitations in bio manufacturing, as well as issues related to electrode contamination and cost.

Notably, Zetrone is pursuing a differentiated strategy by utilizing microbial resources from national biobanks to avoid dependency on overseas genetic resources and associated IP constraints — an approach recognized as contributing to the increasingly important domain of national biosecurity.

Bluepoint Partners stated that it invested in Zetrone based on founder Injin Cho’s unmatched technical expertise, rapid execution capability, and the strong growth outlook of the global white bio industry. The global white bio market is projected to grow at a CAGR exceeding 10%, reaching approx. KRW 802 trillion(USD 560.9 billion) by 2028.

Namki Min, Principal at Bluepoint Partners, commented, “Zetrone has the potential to fundamentally transform the paradigm of bio manufacturing. We will continue to support the company in realizing its ultimate vision of a self-sustaining, decarbonized bio-refinery.”

Zetrone CEO Injin Cho stated, “The name ‘Zetrone’ embodies our strong commitment to leading the net-zero era — an anagram of ‘Net-Zero.’ By combining LTP-SynBio-AI technology with national biological resources, we aim to solve the global challenge of sustainable fuel and chemical production.”

With this funding, Zetrone plans to expand its core R&D team and pursue additional strategic partnerships to maximize the economic scalability of its platform technology.