Binance’s venture arm backs Renewal Bio’s mission to harness stem cells’ innate potential to redefine repair and renewal of human biology.
Crypto-backed venture capital giant YZi Labs has made its first investment in biotechnology, backing Renewal Bio, a regenerative medicine company developing “DNA-identical” human cells and tissues known as stembroids. The undisclosed amount of funding will be used to accelerate Renewal Bio’s pre-clinical work on hematopoietic (blood) stem cells and broaden its research into liver, heart, and pancreatic applications.
Previously known as Binance Labs, YZi Labs manages more than $10 billion in assets across over 300 projects worldwide. Founded in 2018 by Binance co-founders Changpeng “CZ” Zhao and Yi He, the VC firm prioritizes technologies with potential for long-term human impact and has generally supported early-stage innovations in digital infrastructure and AI. The investment in Renewal Bio follows a recent expansion of YZi Labs’ investment mandate, as the firm seeks to extend its portfolio beyond Web3 and AI into life sciences. That the firm’s first investment in biotechnology is a longevity-focused startup is an indication of its founders’ interest in technologies that can improve and prolong human healthspan.
“Science, at its best, restores what life has taken away,” said YZi Labs’ general partner Jane He. “Renewal Bio’s work speaks to that truth, using a person’s own cells to heal and renew from within. We’ve followed Jacob and his team’s journey for a long time, and what stands out is their sincerity and courage to tackle one of humanity’s hardest problems. Our support in Renewal Bio represents an investment in the future of how we care, heal, and live longer, healthier lives.”
As global demand for organs and transplantable cells continues to outpace supply, Renewal Bio emerged from work conducted by Professor Jacob Hanna of Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science, alongside co-founders Vladislav Krupalnik and Ohad Gafni, both former doctoral researchers in Hanna’s lab. Building on more than a decade of Hanna’s research into stem cell pluripotency and developmental biology, Renewal Bio focuses on what it calls “stembroids” – three-dimensional developmental models grown from human pluripotent stem cells that mimic the early stages of embryogenesis without requiring fertilization or gestation.
The stembroids function as miniature biological factories, capable of generating multiple authentic human cell types, including blood-forming, cardiac, hepatic, and pancreatic cells. The process starts with reprogramming a patient’s own skin or blood cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, which are then cultivated in a lab environment that replicates natural developmental conditions. Rather than relying on chemical manipulation or overgrowth in bioreactors – approaches that can increase mutation risk – Renewal Bio claims its platform allows cells to differentiate under nature’s own cues, maintaining genetic integrity and low immunogenicity.
The company’s immediate focus is on hematopoietic stem cells, which form the basis of bone marrow transplants for patients with leukemia or bone marrow failure. More than 20,000 people each year depend on compatible donors for these procedures, yet global shortages persist. Renewal Bio’s approach aims to create a self-derived, immunologically matched alternative, removing the need for donor dependence and reducing the risks of rejection. The company expects to begin clinical testing within two years and has initiated discussions with the US FDA to outline a regulatory pathway.
The investment from YZi Labs will provide financial and strategic support for Renewal Bio’s next phase, including scaling laboratory infrastructure and preparing for GMP-grade manufacturing.
Expressing excitement at the YZi Labs investment, Renewal Bio CEO Krupalnik said “Their belief in what we’re building means a lot – it reaffirms that the world is ready for a new approach to healing. Our goal has always been simple: to make regenerative medicine real, scalable, and accessible to everyone who needs it.”
