BoobyBiome Raises £2.5m to Preserve Breast Milk’s Microbiome

Our Finance Office client BoobyBiome just closed a £2.5m Seed round led by Empirical Ventures, with participation from The Helm, XFactor Ventures, Lavender Ventures, Kayan Ventures, and Evenlode Investment, with angels including Dominic Hollamby, Lord Ara Darzi, Yael Cohen, Vanessa Colomar, and others.

The lead investor specialises in deep tech early-stage ventures and the funding round was oversubscribed.

BoobyBiome is a biotech startup focused on understanding and preserving breast milk’s microbiome. After developing the world’s most advanced database of breast milk microbiome, Dr Sioned Jones, Dr Tara O’Driscoll, and Dr Lydia Mapstone realised that many of the strains of bacteria that are fundamental to infant health and development are adapted to survive only in low-oxygen environments.

This led them to the development of their first product, launching in 2026, which extends the shelf-life of breast milk by absorbing oxygen in order to maintain microbiome viability. Developed with universal compatibility in mind, the company plans to partner with global breast milk bottle manufacturers, selling the device alongside existing products.

BoobyBiome’s long term mission is to develop a platform of science-backed, parent-friendly solutions to preserve and replicate the breast milk microbiome, delivering its full benefits to infants regardless of feeding method.

Dr Lydia Mapstone, CEO & Co-founder of BoobyBiome said:

“This investment marks a major milestone in our mission to revolutionise infant feeding and ensure every baby has equal access to a healthy future. It represents five years of dedication to understanding breast milk and harnessing its power for infant health.”

Dr Ben Miles, Co-founder and General Partner, Empirical Ventures, said:

“We’re proud to support the brilliant team at BoobyBiome as they advance their research and bring their groundbreaking technology to market. Lydia, Sioned, and Tara’s combined expertise makes them exceptionally well placed to transform infant health, and their work addresses a critical gap that has been overlooked for too long.”

At Finerva, we are proud to have worked with BoobyBiome toward this achievement, supporting them through our Finance Office services.

Congratulations to Sioned, Tara, Lydia, and the entire BoobyBiome team on this milestone. It is always a privilege to see our clients in the Healthcare space succeed, helping make a real difference in millions of (very young) lives.