WeiYuan raises RMB1.5B Series B

WeiYuan Synthetic Biology said on May 13 it had completed a 1.5 billion yuan financing round, one of the larger disclosed China synthetic biology financings this year, with proceeds earmarked for an acquisition and new production capacity. Company disclosures carried by 36Kr and reposted by state-linked innovation platforms said the round combined equity financing with long-term bank loans rather than a conventional all-equity venture raise. The funding will be used mainly to acquire Yuxin, described in company-backed coverage as the world's second-largest xylitol producer, and to support large-scale production of several bulk products. ### Why does this round matter beyond the headline number? The 1.5 billion yuan figure stands out because WeiYuan is not pitching a software product or a discovery platform alone; it is financing industrial buildout. The company's own description of the round says the money will fund the acquisition of Yuxin and the scale-up of bulk-product manufacturing, tying the raise directly to production assets. (eu.36kr.com) Synthetic biology manufacturing is capital-intensive, according to the company materials, because fermentation capacity, plant retrofits and downstream processing are central to commercialization. In that framing, the financing is less about extending research runway than about securing feedstock, plants and industrial know-how. That interpretation comes from WeiYuan-linked descriptions of the sector as a "heavy-asset manufacturing industry" where capacity is a core constraint. (eu.36kr.com) ### Who put up the money? 36Kr and a May 13 repost by the National Center for Science and Technology Information platform said the equity side of the financing involved Zhang Qibin, Tan Ruiqing and Xingyin Investment. The long-term loan portion was supported by the Beijing branch of Industrial Bank, according to the same reports. Zhang is identified in the company-backed materials as chairman of Henan Yuxin Sugar Alcohol Co., while Tan is described as a co-founder and former vice chairman of LB Group. (ncsti.gov.cn) Xingyin Investment is described as an Industrial Bank subsidiary established in late 2025. Those names suggest the round drew not only financial capital but also participants tied to sugar alcohol manufacturing, chemicals and bank-affiliated industrial finance. (eu.36kr.com) ### What exactly is WeiYuan buying and building? Yuxin is described in the company-backed coverage as the world's second-largest xylitol producer, with production capacity for sugar alcohol and related products measured in the hundreds of thousands of tons. WeiYuan said combining its synthetic biology processes with Yuxin's existing manufacturing base would help move products including xylitol from smaller-scale output to mass production. (ncsti.gov.cn) The transaction is aimed at sugar alcohols, a category used in food, pharmaceuticals and personal-care products. Company materials say conventional xylitol production depends heavily on chemical synthesis and corn-cob feedstock, while WeiYuan is promoting a fermentation-based route using biological processes to improve efficiency and lower cost. Those claims are from WeiYuan-linked descriptions and were not independently quantified in the financing notices. (ncsti.gov.cn) ### What does WeiYuan already have in market or development? WeiYuan was founded in 2021 and is headquartered in Beijing's Changping Life Science Park, according to company-backed reports carried by Sina Finance. The same report said the company received approval in July 2025 tied to allulose production via biological fermentation and had signed a cooperation agreement with Cargill to expand market applications for that ingredient. (ncsti.gov.cn) Sina Finance also said WeiYuan has been advancing multiple capacity retrofit projects and operates AI-enabled biological computing tools including PoseX. Those details help explain why local coverage grouped the financing with other hard-tech rounds: the company is presenting itself as both a synthetic biology developer and an industrial producer. (finance.sina.com.cn) ### What should readers watch next? The next concrete step is the acquisition of Yuxin, which WeiYuan said this financing will support. Any filing, closing announcement or capacity timetable tied to that transaction will be the clearest marker of whether the 1.5 billion yuan round is translating into operating scale, alongside updates from Industrial Bank, Xingyin Investment or WeiYuan on plant expansion and bulk-product output. (finance.sina.com.cn) (eu.36kr.com)