The London-based biomaterials startup Eterna has successfully closed a seed round of £3 million (equivalent to $4 million) to scale its innovative tooth enamel regeneration platform.
This round was co-led by Hoxton Ventures, known for early investments in tech giants such as Deliveroo and Darktrace, and also included participation from The Venture Collective.
Eterna was founded in 2024 as a spin-off from King's College London. The company is developing an advanced regenerative platform using a patented material derived from keratin found in human hair and sheep wool.
According to the startup, this biological component is capable of actively restoring damaged human enamel, offering a permanent alternative to the temporary surface strengthening provided by standard fluorides.
Co-founder Sherif Elsharkawi noted that the raised capital will allow the company to accelerate the transition from laboratory proof-of-concept to commercialization. Eterna is potentially targeting market entry by the end of this year, focusing on the massive global oral care industry valued at $43 billion.
Investors are increasingly showing interest in deep-tech startups specializing in repairing biological damage rather than just managing symptoms. Hussein Kanji, a partner at Hoxton Ventures, emphasized that Eterna is an example of the type of early-stage venture projects they prefer to support.
Kanji stated that 'Eterna is a company we love supporting at an early stage: powerful, protected science with a capital-efficient path to market,' adding that broader applications in tissue and bone regeneration could be explored in the future.