Pitch: US-based startup launching a yeast-based GLP-1 biomimetic supplement to support weight loss and glucose control.
Source: Evolv
ID card
- HQ: USA
- Founded: 2022
- Funding: $5.8M
- Last Funding: $5.8M pre-seed (01/24)
- Corporate investors: Ø
- Partnerships: Ø
- Innovations: Biomimetic supplement containing engineered baker’s yeast (EV1 peptide) that activates GLP-1 and GIP receptors.
- Competitors: Israeli startup Lembas, developing a GLP-1-boosting peptide.
- Regulation: Filed an New Dietary Ingredient Notification (NDIN) with FDA (not yet visible on FDA’s site), a prerequisite for supplement marketing in the US.
More insights
- Evolv positions itself in the emerging field of “biomimetic nutrition”, bridging the gap between dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals.
- The supplement is sold direct-to-consumer at around $148 for a 30-tablet bottle.
- Each tablet contains inactivated Saccharomyces cerevisiae carrying a proprietary peptide that mimics GLP-1 activity and does not require purification.
- The peptide resists rapid enzymatic breakdown (DPP-4 resistant), providing 24–48 hours of activity according to preclinical data.
- A 90-day human clinical trial with 120 participants is currently ongoing to assess effects on weight loss, appetite suppression, and blood glucose control.
- It leverages existing US yeast-manufacturing cGMP-compliant infrastructure, avoiding CAPEX for its own production facilities.
- Evolv also plans to expand beyond direct-to-consumer sales, with new channel, strategic, and brand partnerships expected to roll out over the next 12 months.
For Symrise
Why did we select the startup?
Evolv introduces a novel biomimetic approach using engineered yeast to deliver GLP-1 and GIP-activating peptides. It embodies this new focus on GLP-1 biomimetics which could be a game-changer for the food industry.
Why now?
Demand for GLP-1 natural alternatives and boosters is surging both from consumers and from the industry. Evolv’s early launch and ongoing clinical trial position it among the first players shaping this emerging space.
Source: Evolv