Big things are coming…

Over the past few months, you may have noticed that I’ve been tweaking the newsletter and adapting it here and there. Essentially, you’ve been seeing the front end of what I’m working on. This newsletter has become a bird' s-eye view of the sector for those who want to stay ahead, but there’s more to come. If you’re interested in getting first access to what’s coming, hit reply and let me know. 

For now, though let's get into the newsletter.

• Living Ink Lands Investment And Unilever-Backed Accelerator 

• Lululemon Pushes for Sustainable Nylon with ZymoChem Partnership

• Daphni Secures €200M to Back the Next Wave of Climate & Science Startups

• Boreal Bioproducts Release Anti-fog Coating for Clear Swimming & Diving Masks

• Bolt Enters the Haircare Aisle with the Goddess Molecule™

• Can Fermentation Bring Down the Cost of Cocoa?

The BioDesign Newsletter

Issue #043

Living Ink Lands Investment And Unilever-Backed Accelerator 

Living Ink, the company behind the carbon-negative pigment Algae Black™ has raised $3 million (£2.3 million) in their recent round of investments. Investors include Meliorate Partners, Evergreen Climate Innovations, Savia Ventures, Fashion For Good, Norfolk Green Ventures. This investment will allow Living Ink to continue to strive towards its goal of bringing Algae Black™ to price parity with the conventional petroleum-derived carbon black pigment. 

Living Ink plans to use the new funding to explore additional biomass feedstocks and set up a pilot pyrolysis (a thermal process that breaks down organic materials at high temperatures, in the absence of oxygen, to produce useful outputs) site. This facility will serve as a model for future locations at key biowaste sites across North America. The pilot site will also help build a dependable, local supply of waste biomass. By integrating more of the supply chain and tapping into lower-cost raw materials, the company aims to make its black pigments more cost-competitive and lay the groundwork for scaling up to meet growing market demand.

This funding injection comes shortly after Living Ink was accepted onto the 100+ Accelerator. The 100+ Accelerator supports the growth of start-ups working on solutions that support the UN SDGs. The programme is backed by partners such as Coca-Cola, Danone, Colgate-Palmolive, and Unilever which test and validate solutions to transform their global supply chains. 

Lululemon Pushes for Sustainable Nylon with ZymoChem Partnership

Lululemon has teamed up with biotech innovator ZymoChem in a multi-year partnership to scale up bio-based nylon 6,6, a material used in some of its most popular products.

This collaboration builds on an earlier investment Lululemon made in ZymoChem last year, backing its work on producing bio-based adipic acid — a key component of nylon that’s usually made from fossil fuels. The goal now is to move from lab to market, scaling ZymoChem’s process for commercial use.

What makes ZymoChem stand out is its patented Carbon Conserving™ process which creates a renewable version of nylon with the same quality, stretch, and durability as conventional versions, but with a lower carbon footprint.

This move aligns with Lululemon’s broader push to phase out petroleum-based materials. The company is already working with other leaders in the space, like Geno and Samsara Eco, and last year, it unveiled the first-ever enzymatically recycled nylon 6,6 product. 

Daphni Secures €200M to Back the Next Wave of Climate & Science Startups

Paris-based VC firm Daphni has just raised €200 million (£168 million) for its third fund, with a target of hitting €250 million (£210 million) by year-end. The fund is laser-focused on early-stage startups working at the intersection of science, sustainability, and climate tech.

It’s backed by a strong lineup of limited partners, including Crédit Mutuel Arkéa, Bpifrance, Pro BTP, Swen Capital Partners, and the European Investment Fund.

The fund will support startups tackling the climate transition through innovations in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and life sciences – with deep science at the heart of its investment thesis.

Boreal Bioproducts Release Anti-fog Coating for Clear Swimming & Diving Masks

Boreal Bioproducts, a company that creates high-value products from forestry waste streams, has launched a lignin-based hydrophobic treatment – LigNoFog®. Before launching LigNoFog ®, Boreal Bioproducts worked with elite swimmers to test the water resistance and durability of the product.  
Read more here > > >

Bolt Enters the Haircare Aisle with the Goddess Molecule™

A partnership between Bolt, and Goddess Maintenance Company, a new body company led by Lauren Vesler and Manda Mason, has led to a bespoke ingredient, the Goddess Molecule™. The Goddess Molecule™ contains both a micro and macrophyte based on spider silk, working in tandem to support both styling and repairing of hair. This ingredient is being debuted in the Goddess Maintenance Co’s hero product – BioTech Blowout™ Leave-In Restore Mask. Solidifying this partnership is a multi-year $4 million (£3.05 million) annual commitment to purchasing B-silk.

Founders Edward Connaghan and Denise Russell said  "The brand's commitment to biotech-driven, clinically proven formulas and an innovative spirit will set new standards for years to come. More than just a brand, it's a movement”. The Goddess Maintenance Company have termed the use of biotechnology-derived ingredients as BioProtection™ stating they are a “new category of haircare to the industry”. The Goddess Maintenance Company is not the first to explore the use of biotech-derived ingredients in their products. Perhaps this push will help accelerate innovation in a stagnant beauty and cosmetics space to look across to biotech as more novel ingredients with new properties come to light. [There’s definitely more to say on this – stay tuned]

Can Fermentation Bring Down the Cost of Cocoa?

From your croissants to your pralines, to your easter egg, cocoa products have dominated shop shelves. For a long time, the world price of cocoa powder oscillated between £1,500 and £2,300 per tonne, but this changed in 2024 when a series of factors led to bad crops and prices surged to almost £7,800. 

Andy Clayton, CEO of FermTech, sees this cocoa crisis as a canary in the coal mine – an example of the threat climate change poses to food systems. And they have responded in kind with FermTech developing its own flavour enhancer – Koji Cocoa – for chocolate-related products using fermentation technology. 

Read the piece in full here >>>

Share your news

If you have news you would like us to share with the industry email us at: [email protected]

Until next time,

Ariyana & The House of BioDesign Team

The BioDesign Newsletter is an independent publication.

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