Wanwu Capital's Bio-Manufacturing Industry Partners Conference Convenes in Shanghai! Shanghai's First Bio-Manufacturing Industry Fund Launches, Partners Discuss the Golden Decade

On the afternoon of October 23, 2025, the "Sheng Yan Wan Wu | Bio-manufacturing Industry Value Partners Conference" co-hosted by Dalton Venture and OPM Biosciences [688293] was held in Shanghai. Centered on the theme "Sheng Yan Wan Wu" (Life Derives All Things), the conference brought together government representatives, academic researchers from universities and research institutes, industry-leading entrepreneurs, fund investors, and ecosystem partners to explore cutting-edge trends in bio-manufacturing and paths for industrial collaboration.

Attendees included Zhi Wen, General Manager of Shanghai SDIC Pioneer Fund Management; Zhihua Xiao, Chairman and General Manager of Shanghai OPM Biosciences; Haifeng Yan, Vice President of East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST); Guocheng Du, Former Vice President of Jiangnan University; Zhongmin Pi, Group Vice President of Meihua Holdings Group; Yongxiang He, Partner at Novo Holdings and Head of China; and Yesi Qi, Deputy Director of Shanghai Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology.

Qi Sun, Founding Managing Partner of Dalton Venture; Yuchen Jin, Executive General Manager of the Healthcare Group at Guotai Haitong Securities; Bangce Ye, Dean of the School of Bioengineering at ECUST; Qin Liu, Vice Dean of the School of Bioengineering at ECUST; Yu Deng, Professor at the School of Bioengineering at Jiangnan University; Zhimin Wang, Founder of Jinggou Biotechnology; and Shengying You, Founder of Yuan Tian Biotechnology, also participated throughout the conference, discussing new opportunities in the bio-manufacturing industry.

At the conference, Shanghai's first bio-manufacturing industry fund was officially launched, with the "Bio-manufacturing Industry Value Partners" alliance established simultaneously, injecting dual momentum of "capital + ecosystem" into industrial development.

Strategic Deployment Takes Shape:

Shanghai's First Bio-manufacturing Industry Fund Officially Launched

As one of the core agenda items, the bio-manufacturing industry fund co-launched by Dalton Venture and OPM Biosciences was officially inaugurated in the presence of attending guests. As Shanghai's first bio-manufacturing industry fund, it carries the mission of building China's first innovative high-end bio-manufacturing cluster. The fund adopts a dual-wheel drive model of "industry chain leader + professional VC institution" — leveraging OPM Biosciences' industrial advantages in cell culture media and biological CDMO, combined with Dalton Venture's investment experience in early-stage healthcare and synthetic biology, integrating resources from universities and research institutes to focus on driving breakthroughs in key bio-manufacturing technologies and enterprise growth, and helping Shanghai build China's first innovative high-end bio-manufacturing cluster.

(Photo: Launch ceremony of Shanghai's first bio-manufacturing industry fund)

In his keynote address, Zhi Wen, General Manager of Shanghai SDIC Pioneer Fund Management, stated that true industrial capital is not merely a provider of funds, but an "amplifier" of innovation systems and an "enabler" of industrial ecosystems. Over the past decade, Dalton Venture has maintained steadfast focus, consistently deploying in the life sciences sector through different cycles, yielding abundant results. This collaboration between Dalton Venture and industry partner OPM Biosciences will bring new vitality and opportunities to the bio-manufacturing field.

In his address on behalf of the co-host, OPM Biosciences Chairman Zhihua Xiao stated that OPM Biosciences and Dalton Venture jointly established this bio-manufacturing fund and co-hosted this industry value investment conference with the aim of deeply integrating OPM Biosciences' industrial experience with Dalton Venture's investment expertise through this platform to discover, cultivate, and support "rising stars" with core technologies along the bio-manufacturing industry chain. Xiao further expressed his belief that, with Dalton Venture's forward-looking deployment and the trust of various investors, they will collectively build a more resilient and innovative Chinese bio-manufacturing industry.

Ecosystem Collaboration Upgraded:

Bio-manufacturing Industry Value Partners Alliance Sets Sail

In addition to the industry fund, another important outcome of the conference — the "Bio-manufacturing Industry Value Partners" alliance — was simultaneously announced. The inaugural alliance members include seven institutions: East China University of Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Dalton Venture, OPM Biosciences [688293], Meihua Holdings [600873], Novo Holdings, and Shanghai Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology, covering four domains of capital, universities, research institutes, and enterprises.

(Photo: Launch ceremony of the "Bio-manufacturing Industry Value Partners")

Representatives of the inaugural alliance member units:

• Haifeng Yan, Vice President of East China University of Science and Technology
• Guocheng Du, Former Vice President of Jiangnan University
• Qi Sun, Founding Managing Partner of Dalton Venture
• Zhihua Xiao, Chairman and General Manager of Shanghai OPM Biosciences
• Zhongmin Pi, Group Vice President of Meihua Holdings Group
• Yongxiang He, Partner at Novo Holdings and Head of China

In his address launching the alliance, Qi Sun, Founding Managing Partner of Dalton Venture, pointed out that industrial breakthroughs in bio-manufacturing require overcoming three major challenges: "resource matching gaps, bottlenecks in technology commercialization, and misalignment between capital and application scenarios." The alliance will center on being "lightweight and open for collaboration," implementing four key initiatives: First, establishing a regular open dialogue mechanism to open communication channels for industrial needs, technical bottlenecks, and policy information; second, promoting resource sharing, with industry partners opening equipment and production capacity, research partners sharing talent and technology, and capital partners matching funding needs; third, accelerating technology commercialization, providing full-chain support for research achievements from technology validation to pilot-scale amplification; fourth, cultivating interdisciplinary talent, partnering with universities to build professional teams that "understand both science and industry," jointly building a sustainable bio-manufacturing ecosystem.

(Photo: Qi Sun, Founding Managing Partner of Dalton Venture, delivering the launch address)

The platform will focus on four core objectives for future collaboration:

1. Promote effective sharing and matching of industrial resources including equipment, production capacity, capital, and talent, reducing innovation costs and improving resource utilization efficiency;
2. Support frontier technology validation and technology commercialization at universities and research institutes, continuously supplying fresh innovation to the industry;
3. Promote open industrial application scenarios, facilitate precise integration of capital and technology, and accelerate product launch and commercialization for innovative enterprises;
4. Jointly cultivate interdisciplinary talent with both scientific literacy and industrial vision, building a sustainable industrial innovation ecosystem and reserving core strength for long-term industry development.

Cutting-edge Perspectives:

From Technology Innovation to Industrial Breakthrough

The conference featured keynote speeches and roundtable forums, focusing on technological breakthroughs, technology commercialization, and industrial applications in bio-manufacturing, with multiple experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs sharing frontier perspectives.

(Photo: Keynote speech by Professor Guocheng Du, Former Vice President of Jiangnan University)

Professor Guocheng Du, Former Vice President of Jiangnan University, delivered a keynote titled "Bio-manufacturing of Functional Nutraceuticals," detailing application achievements of bio-manufacturing in novel proteins, functional sugars, vitamins, and sweeteners.

(Photo: Keynote speech by Professor Bangce Ye, Dean of the School of Bioengineering at ECUST)

Professor Bangce Ye, Dean of the School of Bioengineering at ECUST, analyzed the development logic of "Synthetic Biology and Bio-manufacturing" from a philosophy of science perspective. "The essence of bioengineering is 'engineering modification' and 'engineering implementation' — the former corresponds to breakthroughs in synthetic biology technology, the latter corresponds to industrialization of bio-manufacturing. Only through synergy between both can industrial upgrading be achieved," Ye emphasized.

(Photo: Roundtable — The New Wave of Bio-manufacturing: Differentiated Opportunities and Collaboration Among Giants, Rising Stars, and Engines)

Currently, with its core value of "replacing traditional chemical manufacturing and enabling green economy," bio-manufacturing has become a focal point of global industrial competition and technological innovation. This track is entering a period of multi-dimensional resonance featuring major corporate deployments, breakthrough efforts by emerging players, and technology commercialization from research. Among these, listed industry leaders with mature supply chains and market channels serve as the "ballast stone" for bio-manufacturing implementation; outstanding sci-tech enterprises with disruptive technologies and flexible strategies serve as the "vanguard" for track breakthroughs; and research experts from universities and institutes as "innovation engines," deeply engaged in fundamental research and technology commercialization, serve as the "source of living water" for continuous iteration in bio-manufacturing. In the roundtable forum "The New Wave of Bio-manufacturing: Differentiated Opportunities and Collaboration Among Giants, Rising Stars, and Engines," guests including Yuchen Jin, Executive General Manager of the Healthcare Group at Guotai Haitong Securities; Di Zhang, Innovation Center Director at Shanghai OPM Biosciences; Qin Liu, Vice Dean of the School of Bioengineering at ECUST; Yu Deng, Professor at the School of Bioengineering at Jiangnan University and Chief Scientist of a National Key R&D Program in Synthetic Biology; Zhimin Wang, Founder of Jinggou Biotechnology; and Shengying You, Founder of Yuan Tian Biotechnology engaged in lively discussion from technology, capital, and commercialization perspectives.

Conference Conclusion:

The Golden Decade of Bio-manufacturing Begins, Ecosystem Collaboration for the Future

This conference was not only a concentrated matchmaking of bio-manufacturing industry resources, but also marked the substantive implementation phase of Shanghai's strategic deployment in bio-manufacturing. Qi Sun, Founding Managing Partner of Dalton Venture, stated, "The past decade was China's decade of innovative drugs; the next decade will be China's decade of bio-manufacturing. Dalton Venture is willing to use the fund as an 'engine' and the alliance as a 'connector,' building a cross-boundary collaboration platform with partners, reshaping the manufacturing system with living systems, and embracing the golden decade of bio-manufacturing."

The successful convening of the "Sheng Yan Wan Wu | Bio-manufacturing Industry Value Partners Conference" built a bridge for "policy — capital — technology — industry" collaboration in bio-manufacturing. Going forward, it will continue to drive integration of innovation resources, help Shanghai build a global bio-manufacturing innovation highland, and inject new momentum into national future industry development.

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