Our Big Idea
Umkele's award-winning bioprocess is capable of producing products in the pharmaceutical, agriculture, packaging, fashion, and materials industries.
Pharmaceuticals
We're able to produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their excipients.
Agriculture
The end products of our process will be fully biodegradable, biocompatible, and from a bio-origin so they can safely be used as fertilizer.
Packaging & Fashion
Plastic-free packaging that is environmentally friendly plus clothing and other products for the fashion industry.
Materials
Next-gen materials which improve on existing products and are produced with sustainable practices.
SDGs
We are pioneering the use of synthetic biology principles to develop innovative products that will enable sustainable economies through the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Meet the Team
Stephen Mukuze
CEOPublished research on starch bioplastic
A chassis engineer at a syn-bio start-up
BSc Agriculture
MSc Systems & Synthetic Biology
Kenani Kenani
CIODeveloped award-winning publications
BSc Software Engineering
Petros Chigwechokha, PhD
CTOExpert in recombinant technologies
PhD Molecular Biology
Stephen Opiyo, PhD
COOData Science & Bioinformatics expert
PhD Bioinformatics
Our Partners
Awards
2021 - NOW
iGEM EPIC - Bio-Hackathon
First Place
(2021)
iGEM EPIC - Venture Creation Labs
First Place
(2021)
Greentech Festival Bootcamp
First Place
(2021)
Illumina Accelerator
Sequencing Grant
(2021)
Panacea Stars - Programme
Cohort
(2021)
Science Entrepreneur Club - Cohort III
Cohort
(2021)