San Francisco-based MycoWorks, manufacturer of vegan leather alternatives from mycelium mushroom, announces the closing of a $45 million Series B financing round with participants including celebrities Natalie Portman and John Legend, and the opening of a major new Reishi™ production plant in Emeryville, California.
MycoWorks and GM Unveil Cadillac EV SOLLEI, the First Car with Mycelium Leather Interior
Biomaterials innovator MycoWorks and its previous investor, General Motors, partnered to co-develop mycelium materials tailored for car interiors in 2022. Two years later, the companies introduced what they claim to be the first automobile to incorporate a mycelium bio-based material as an alternative to plastic and leather. The automobile, Cadillac’s latest concept EV SOLLEI, features MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium in an iridescent version in the charging mats on the console and door map pockets, showcasing its versatility in sustainable automotive design. As Cadillac’s design director Erin Crossley stated, the new concept aims to redefine travel and material usage with an optimistic, celestial-inspired design. “The SOLLEI concept cultivates the vision for limitless expression and artful integration between travel and leisure,” he added. Pioneering mycelium materials MycoWorks, founded in …