- Alcolase, a biotech company based in Copenhagen, has raised €1.5 million from Ada Ventures, Delphinus Venture Capital, Antler, Manigoff Invest, and several business angels.
- The company was founded in 2021 by Mikkel Precht, Mads Emil Mikkelsen, and Jeppe Malthe Mikkelsen. It uses liposomal encapsulation to break down alcohol in the stomach before it reaches the bloodstream.
- The new funding will support an in vivo study, help strengthen the company’s patent portfolio, and back its first commercial efforts in Singapore and South Korea.
Alcolase, a biotech company based in Copenhagen, has raised €1.5 million from Ada Ventures, Delphinus Venture Capital, Antler, Manigoff Invest, and a group of business angels.
The startup is developing an enzyme-based treatment for ALDH2 deficiency, a genetic variant that makes it harder for people to break down acetaldehyde, a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism. This condition affects around 540 million people in East Asia and can cause symptoms like flushing, nausea, and a higher risk of cancer, claims Alcolase.
The idea for Alcolase began in autumn 2020, when Mikkel Precht, Mads Emil Mikkelsen, and Jeppe Malthe Mikkelsen were biotechnology students at the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark. They wanted to use their life-science knowledge to solve an unmet need and decided to focus on alcohol intolerance.
Alcolase became an official company in July 2021. Ib Christensen later joined as a fourth co-founder, bringing experience in launching similar products. The company’s technology uses liposomal encapsulation, a method already proven in lactose intolerance treatments, to protect enzymes from stomach acid and keep them active long enough to break down alcohol before it reaches the bloodstream.
“When you speak to people with alcohol intolerance, you realise this is not about wanting to drink more. It is about not being shut out of dinners, work events and family gatherings because of a genetic difference. We want to give people a real choice they are currently denied,” says Precht.
Its closest competitors, US-based ZBiotics and Cheers, use probiotics and supplements to target acetaldehyde after alcohol has entered the bloodstream. Neither company addresses ALDH2 deficiency with an enzyme-based approach in the stomach.
The in vivo study funded by this round will be the first time Alcolase’s method is tested in a living system.
“Alcolase is exactly the kind of company we look for: a science-led team tackling a problem that affects hundreds of millions of people. We’re delighted to support the team as they establish their UK therapeutic subsidiary to develop the wider drug delivery opportunity,” says Check Warner, co-founding partner at Ada Ventures.
The company has also set up a UK-based therapeutic subsidiary, backed by Ada Ventures, to further develop its delivery platform for clinical use. Alcolase plans to launch its product in Singapore first, then expand to South Korea.
The funding will also help the company build commercial partnerships in both countries. Alcolase currently has six employees.
TFN contacted Alcolase for comments about the diversity of its founding and leadership team.
