Bengaluru’s Loopworm Raises $3.25M to Scale Silkworm-Based Protein Production Platform

Loopworm, a Bengaluru-based biomanufacturing startup, has closed its $3.25 million Pre-Series A funding round. The round was co-led by existing investor WaterBridge Ventures and Japanese venture capital firm ENRISSION INDIA CAPITAL.

Founded by IIT-Roorkee alumni Ankit Alok Bagaria and Abhi Gawri, Loopworm is reimagining recombinant protein production by using silkworms as bio-factories. Recombinant proteins—typically manufactured by inserting genes into host organisms like yeast or bacteria—require costly bioreactors and energy-intensive infrastructure. Loopworm’s proprietary platform bypasses these conventional methods, enabling faster, cheaper, and more sustainable production.

Loopworm Co-Founders Ankit Alok Bagaria (left) and Abhi Gawri (right).

“Recombinant protein manufacturing has long been limited by expensive infrastructure and scalability issues,” said Ankit Alok Bagaria, Co-founder and CEO. “Our reactor-free approach using silkworms changes the economics entirely. With proven technology, we’re now focused on commercialising our platform, initially for diagnostics, animal vaccines, and applications with lower regulatory barriers.”

Operating a state-of-the-art 6,000-tonne annual insect processing facility in Bengaluru, Loopworm already exports silkworm-derived proteins and oils for aquaculture and pet food across Europe, South America, and ASEAN. The company has also achieved breakthroughs, successfully expressing complex proteins like antigens and growth factors in silkworm pupae.

Loopworm has filed multiple patents, secured regulatory approvals for R&D-scale production, and operates under ISO 22000, GMP+, HACCP, and EU Traces certifications.