Epic Angels, the Largest Global Female Investor Collective Invests in New Zealand-based Startup Opo Bio to Advance Bio-manufacturing from the Cell Up

Singapore – May 14, 2025 – Epic Angels, the world’s largest all-female investment collective, has announced its investment in Opo Bio, a New Zealand based BioTech startup that is creating the gold standard for cell line manufacturing.

This round of funding is led by WNT Ventures, with participation from Epic Angels, Booster NZ, and Inventors Fund, along with subordinated funding through Callaghan Innovation. Funds from this round will be directed towards building their research and business development teams, continued R&D efforts, and expanding their patent portfolio.

Solving Global Sustainability Concerns by Making Bio-manufacturing Scalable

Opo Bio has developed patented cell line manufacturing technology that serves the cultivated meat, collagen, and medical industries. Founded by Olivia Ogilvie and Laura Domigan at the University of Auckland, the company addresses a critical need in bio-manufacturing.

Livestock production currently generates 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. While bio-manufacturing can reduce animal use and environmental impact, scaling this technology has faced significant barriers including regulation and cost efficiency. By specializing exclusively in cell line manufacturing, Opo Bio is solving this key bottleneck in the industry, allowing their customers in the cultivated meat and collagen sectors to focus on product development and reducing their carbon footprint rather than struggling with cell cultivation challenges. By making high-quality cell lines more accessible and affordable, Opo Bio is helping to transform sustainable bio-manufacturing from a promising concept into a commercial reality.

“With Opo having two female founders, we are so stoked to have Epic Angels backing us! We are particularly looking forward to leveraging the connections of our angel investors throughout the APAC region as we form critical partnerships over the next 18-months!” says Olivia Ogilvie, CEO of Opo Bio.

Why Epic Angels Invested

“Opo Bio has cracked the code to make bio-manufacturing not just sustainable but also scalable,” says Hester Spiegel-vdSteenhoven, Founding Partner of Epic Angels. “Opo Bio has identified a clever way to revolutionize the bio-manufacturing industry by unbundling the value chain. This in combination with the strong IP developed by Olivia and Laura, will set them up for success and we’re excited to support them with their growth plans by leveraging our global network of investors.”

About Opo Bio

Opo Bio is a New Zealand based Biotechnology startup that develops and supplies high quality cell lines to the cultivated meat and collagen industries for them to grow meat/collagen without animals as well as scale cost effectively. Their offerings include sale of primary cells, cell line licenses, cell line development services, and B2B ingredients.

About Epic Angels

Epic Angels, the largest female-only investment collective investing in APAC and LATAM and the 4th most active angel network in Asia, is on a mission to democratize angel investing and make early-stage startups investments accessible to all. Their goal is to empower women through education and a peer-community, giving them the confidence to make informed investment decisions. They support early stage, female-led startups in APAC with capital, mentoring and a global network. The network counts over 500 female angel investors and they have invested in 30 companies till date across industries.