A Shared Vision for a Cleaner Planet
51³Ô¹ÏÍø was founded by three postdoctoral researchers—Josephin Holstein, a chemist from Germany; Mariana Rangel Pereira, a biologist from Brazil; and Tomasz Kaminski, a microfluidics expert from Poland. While working at the Professor Florian Hollfelder Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, we were driven by a shared concern for the environmental impact of plastic waste. Inspired by the potential of directed evolution, a technique recognised with a Nobel Prize awarded to Frances Arnold in 2018, we set out to develop enzymes capable of breaking down plastics more efficiently.
Meet Our Team
Dr. Josephin Holstein
Founder and CTO
Josephin is an expert in synthetic chemistry and biocatalysis. She brings specialised knowledge in protein engineering and biocatalysis from her PhD studies and postdoctoral work at the University of Cambridge. Her development of microfluidic screening platforms is crucial for advancing our enzyme technologies.
Dr. Daniel Kaute
Founder and CEO
Daniel has thirty years of experience in high-tech commercialisation, with a strong background in operations and international sales. He has extensive international experience in commercialising high-tech, clean-tech, and medtech innovations. Daniel has worked across Europe and North America, leveraging his global network of business, customer, and academic contacts to bring enabling technologies to market.
Dr. Mariana Rangel Pereira
Founder and CSO
Mariana is an expert in molecular biology and functional metagenomics. She brings extensive experience from her work at São Paulo State University and the University of São Paulo. Mariana’s work in microbial consortia and biocatalyst screening drives our enzyme variant creation and screening activities.
Dr. Adam Allen
Biochemist
Adam adds his robust biochemistry background to the team. With a PhD from the John Innes Centre, Adam has significant experience in process optimisations and novel high-throughput assay developments. His role is pivotal in advancing our enzyme development and application strategies.
Dr. Tom Ogden
Biochemist
Tom, a Cambridge PhD in Biological Science, brings extensive expertise in structural biology. Having honed his skills at the Cambridge startup Nuclera, Tom is passionate about enzyme function, design, and characterization. His experience in a dynamic startup environment makes him a valuable asset to our team.
Meet Our Board
Dr. Juergen Eck
Chairman of the Board
Juergen is the co-founder and former CEO of BRAIN Biotech AG, where he led the company to a successful IPO in 2016. His extensive experience in enzyme development, production, and commercialisation is invaluable to 51³Ô¹ÏÍø. He brings a wealth of experience from his role at BRAIN GmbH, now BRAIN Biotech AG. His leadership transformed BRAIN into a biotech leader, specializing in bio-based products and enzyme technologies. His strategic insights and market acumen will guide 51³Ô¹ÏÍø toward achieving its mission of sustainable plastic recycling.
Dr. Josephin Holstein
Founder and CTO
Josephin is an expert in synthetic chemistry and biocatalysis. She brings expert knowledge in protein engineering and biocatalysis from her Ph.D. and postdoctoral work at the University of Cambridge. Her development of microfluidic screening platforms is crucial for advancing our enzyme technologies.
Dr. Daniel Kaute
Founder and CEO
Daniel has thirty years of experience in high-tech commercialisation, with a strong background in operations and international sales. He has extensive international experience in commercialising high-tech, clean-tech, and med-tech innovations. He has worked across Europe and North America, leveraging his global network of business, customer, and academic contacts to bring enabling technologies to market.
Dr. Mariana Rangel Pereira
Founder and CSO
Mariana is an expert in molecular biology and functional metagenomics, and a research associate at the University of Cambridge. She brings extensive experience from her work at São Paulo State University and the University of São Paulo. Her work in microbial consortia and biocatalyst screening drives our enzyme variant creation and screening activities.
Justin Guest
Board Member
Justin is a Circular Economy Impact-focused VC investor with a background in chemistry and environmental technology. He focuses on investments that contribute to a low-carbon, circular economy.
Fatima Kranc
Cambridge Enterprise Director
Fatima is an investor at Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, supporting innovative University of Cambridge spinouts. With a background in synthetic biology, therapeutics, and AI in drug discovery, she serves on multiple early-stage boards.
Kris Wadrop
CPI Enterprises Limited Director
Kris is the Managing Director of Materials at CPI, part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. He drives strategy and development in materials, including sustainable chemicals, biopesticides, and novel polymers.
Peter Smith
CPI Enterprises Limited Board Observer
Peter has a significant background in private equity, corporate finance, and wealth management. At CPI Enterprises, he focuses on impactful investments, bringing extensive financial expertise to the board.
Meet Our Advisors
Dr. Florian Hollfelder
Advising Founder
Florian is a distinguished Professor of Synthetic and Chemical Biology at the University of Cambridge, and has over 25 years of experience at the intersection of microfluidics and protein engineering. His lab has pioneered droplet-based formats for ultra-high-throughput screenings to improve enzymes for biocatalysis, explore larger fractions of sequence space, and study evolutionary dynamics.
Dr. Tomasz Kaminski
Advising Founder
Tomasz is a leader in microfluidics and high-throughput screening, crucial to advancing 51³Ô¹ÏÍø' technology. He leads a research group at the University of Warsaw and holds a PhD in physical chemistry. His expertise significantly enhances our technical capabilities.
Dr. Liisa van Vliet
Advising Founder
Liisa brings her expertise in biochemistry, microfluidics, and entrepreneurship from the University of Cambridge. She has a track record of transforming scientific research into business ventures.
Investors
