Let’s start with the basics: what is a CDMO?
CDMOs (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations) are companies specialized in the development and manufacturing of products for their clients. Their role is therefore central, particularly for startups that do not yet have their own production facilities.
The mission of CDMOs is to provide a comprehensive and tailored solution, covering both:
• Development, including scale-up, which makes it possible to transform a laboratory process into a reproducible large-scale process;
• Manufacturing and industrialization, whose goal is to produce at scale in a consistent and compliant manner, involving quality control among other aspects.
It is important to distinguish a CDMO from a CMO (Contract Manufacturing Organization), which focuses solely on manufacturing. A CDMO acts as a strategic growth partner, present at every key stage of industrial development.
Startups and CDMOs: an essential partnership
Today, startups and CDMOs form an indispensable strategic partnership for turning innovation into industrial success. CDMOs offer numerous advantages to young companies, including:
• Access to industrial capabilities and expertise
By relying on the technical capabilities and expertise of CDMOs, startups gain access to already operational infrastructures. This allows them to avoid significant investments in equipment and human resources while accelerating time to market.
• Focus on core concepts and innovation
Outsourcing production also enables startups to maintain an agile structure by focusing on their strengths and strategy: R&D, product development, innovation, and fundraising.
• Access to regulatory and quality expertise
Finally, CDMOs also provide valuable expertise in regulatory affairs and quality control. Many have dedicated in-house departments, enabling them to support startups in preparing compliance documentation or anticipating market-specific requirements (food, nutraceuticals, etc.) thanks to their sector-specific knowledge.
Ennolys, your fermentation expert CDMO
As a CDMO, Ennolys places its full expertise in industrial fermentation at the service of innovative startups and SMEs. Through its Ennatech service offering, each client is supported in the industrialization of their processes, ensuring a smooth transition from R&D to large-scale production in a rigorous and reliable manner.
How?
-
Through an initial project assessment at the R&D scale. This key technology transfer step enables process optimization to ensure adaptation to industrial scale, guaranteeing reproducibility and performance. It also includes the identification of critical parameters to determine the necessary improvement levers.
In addition, Ennolys teams conduct trials under conditions close to the industrial environment and manufacture prototypes that faithfully reflect industrial quality. -
Through quality control and compliance, notably thanks to site certifications (FSSC 22000, ISO 9001, FAMI-QS, Halal, Kosher), and the involvement of the quality team from the very beginning of the project. This ensures traceability at every stage of the process. Ennolys also supports its clients in regulatory procedures and market launch.
As a CDMO partner with recognized industrial expertise, Ennolys therefore offers comprehensive and tailor-made support, representing a true strategic and credibility lever with your various stakeholders.
CDMOs play a vital role for startups by supporting them from development through to the industrial production of their innovations.
Collaborating with a CDMO is a unique opportunity to benefit from all the advantages of an industrial partner: technical, regulatory, and quality expertise that helps reduce operational costs and development-related risks, while accelerating time to market.
Choosing the right partner therefore depends on the relevance of their expertise, the quality of their support, and their alignment with the startup’s objectives.
Through its reputation and the one from Lesaffre, its infrastructures, its recognized know-how in industrial fermentation, its Ennatech offering, as well as the expertise of its teams and its understanding of the specific challenges of the biotech market, Ennolys provides tailor-made technical and strategic support to help innovative startups turn their ambitions into reality.
