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 Unveils World’s First Commercial Mycelium Facility for Luxury Animal-Free Leather
Biomaterials innovator MycoWorks announces it will open the world’s-first commercial-scale mycelium production plant to produce luxury animal-free leather on the 20th of September, 2023. Located in South Carolina, the 136,000-square-foot facility, employing over 350 people, will use MycoWorks patented Fine Mycelium technology to produce “millions of square feet” of Reishi — a luxury leather alternative with the strength, durability, and hand feel of the finest animal leather but with a lower environmental impact. “Fine Mycelium platform is an unprecedented advancement in materials. Opening the doors on the first commercial-scale factory has MycoWorks poised to answer the luxury industry’s desire to craft objects with natural alternatives to leather,” says Kiersten Stead, MP at DCVC Bio and board member at MycoWorks. Scalable manufacturing Since Reishi’s introduction, the company has partnered with major …