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LS9

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Biotechnology company developing UltraClean™ fuels and sustainable chemicals made with the power of synthetic biology

San Francisco, United StatesFounded 2005Energy
Valuation $0–100M Latest valuation · 2014
Total funding $50–100M Disclosed equity funding
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About LS9

LS9, Inc. was an industrial biotechnology firm established in 2005, focusing on the development of renewable petroleum and sustainable chemicals. The company was co-founded by Steve del Cardayre, who has over 25 years of experience in microbial engineering and industrial biotechnology. LS9's core technology centered on synthetic biology, specifically engineering microorganisms like E. coli to convert renewable feedstocks into tailored hydrocarbon biofuels and chemicals. This proprietary process involved a one-step fermentation where microbial catalysts performed all chemical conversions, secreting an immiscible final product that could be separated efficiently without distillation, offering a significant cost and energy advantage.

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The company's versatile technology platform was designed to utilize a variety of feedstocks, including sugar cane, corn syrup, glycerin, and cellulosic sugars, allowing for strategic flexibility based on cost and availability. This enabled the production of over 1,000 unique products, such as drop-in fuels, detergents, and chemicals for the personal care market. LS9's innovations were recognized with the U.S. EPA's highest environmental honor in 2010. The company operated a demonstration production facility in Okeechobee, Florida, to scale its technology from the lab to pilot production capable of producing thousands of liters.

LS9 secured significant funding from notable investors including Khosla Ventures, Flagship Ventures, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Chevron Technology Ventures. In January 2014, LS9 was acquired by Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (REG) for a total potential consideration of up to $61.5 million in stock and cash. Following the acquisition, the majority of the LS9 team was integrated into a new subsidiary named REG Life Sciences, which continued to operate from LS9's headquarters in South San Francisco, California. The deal was structured to combine LS9’s advanced biotechnology platform and robust patent portfolio with REG's established production and commercialization capabilities to accelerate the market entry of renewable chemicals.

Source: Dealroom company data

At a glance

Status
Acquired
Founded
2005
Headquarters
San Francisco, United States
Open positions
None listed
Dealroom signal
55.3/100
Industry
Energy
Sector
Energy, Biotechnology, Chemistry, Hard Tech
Client focus
b2b
Links
Website

Latest news

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Funding history

6 recorded events

Company financing events and reported valuations.

Deal typeDateAmountValuationInvestorsSource
ACQUISITIONOther financing Jan 2014 $62M $62M Renewable Energy Group
SERIES DOther financing Dec 2010 $30M $120M Lightspeed Venture Partners · Khosla Ventures · Chevron Technology Ventures · Flagship Pioneering
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Growth signals

LS9 website traffic

Latest recorded traffic for LS9 is 150 monthly website visits.

Latest monthly visits150
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Similar companies

Closest operating peers by Dealroom taxonomy

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Investors

7 investors on the cap table

From Dealroom's funding and investor records, grouped by the round each investor first entered.

Series A3 investors entered at this stage

Series B and later3 investors entered at this stage

  • Leader Ventures
  • Chevron Technology Ventures
  • BlackRock

Other known investors1 additional known investor

  • Renewable Energy Group
Team profiled 11 named & role-tagged
Founders Hidden — book a demo/100 quality score
Key operators 5 quality Hidden — book a demo/100
Potential founders Hidden — book a demo likely future founders
Startup mafia Hidden — book a demo alumni-founded startups
Talent movements Hidden — book a demo in · Hidden — book a demo out past 12 months

Source: Dealroom Talent Intelligence.

Global footprint

Workforce and web traffic by country
Workforce by country
🇺🇸 United States · San Francisco HQ
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Market sentiment

Posts on X, past 7 days

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