cultivated leather

VitroLabs Cell Cultivated Leather

© VitroLabs
Leather Alternatives

France’s Faircraft Secures VitroLabs’ Patent Portfolio Through US Asset Acquisition

French biotechnology company Faircraft has acquired key assets from VitroLabs, a California-based firm specializing in the development of lab-grown leather. The acquisition includes a portfolio of 30 patents and expands Faircraft’s intellectual property and technological capabilities in preparation for industrial-scale production. Founded in 2016 in Silicon Valley, VitroLabs was among the first companies to produce viable samples of lab-grown leather targeting the luxury market. Its early research centered on engineering multilayered skin structures and refining cellular cultivation techniques suitable for scalable leather production. Investors in VitroLabs included French luxury conglomerate Kering and environmental advocate Leonardo DiCaprio. Strengthening market position The deal strengthens Faircraft’s position within the in vitro leather sector, consolidating nearly a decade of combined R&D between both companies. Faircraft, founded in 2021, has …

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Cultivated leather

© Pelagen
Materials

Meatable and Pelagen Partner to Improve Scalability of Cultivated Leather

Cultivated meat company Meatable has partnered with animal-free leather producer Pelagen to improve the efficiency and scalability of cultivated leather. Through the partnership, Pelagen will explore the use of opti-ox™ — a technology developed by Meatable co-founder Mark Kotter to program stem cells into any cell type — to enhance the production of skin tissue from animal cells. The two Netherlands-based companies will also collaborate to develop the most effective cell culture media composition and process, with the aim of lowering costs, improving quality, and increasing speed and efficiency. Pelagen specializes in creating biologically comparable leather alternatives by engineering skin tissue without animals. The collaboration is significant for Meatable since it marks the company’s expansion outside the food industry. “We are proud to partner with …

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Cultivated leather tissues under the microscope.

© Faircraft
Investments & Finance

French Cultivated Leather Startup Faircraft Secures €15M to Meet Demand for Ethical Materials

France’s Faircraft, a cultivated leather startup based in Paris, announces it has raised €15 million to expand its team and scale up operations to meet the increasing demand for sustainable materials. Faircraft was founded in 2021 by CEO Haïkel Balti, an engineer in materials science, and biochemist César Valencia Gallardo. Leveraging cell biology and unique tissue engineering techniques, they aim to offer a new class of materials with a lower environmental impact, starting with “real leather without the animal.” Kindred Ventures (USA), Cap Horn (France), BPI France, Blue Wire Capital (UK), Sake Bosch (Netherlands), Entrepreneur First (UK), Alliance for Impact (France), and Heirloom (USA), backed the startup’s sustainable leather in this round. “Lab-grown leather represents a major evolution that goes far beyond the fashion industry …

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Qorium, a Dutch biotech startup founded by cultivated meat pioneer Mark Post, has announced a significant milestone in scaling up the production of cultivated leather.

Image courtesy of Qorium
Materials

Mark Post-Founded Qorium Unveils 35x35cm Cultivated Leather Sample as “Tangible Proof” of a Promising Future

Qorium, a Dutch biotech startup founded by cultivated meat pioneer Mark Post, has announced a significant milestone in scaling up the production of cultivated leather. Qorium’s platform combines specifically developed cultured cells with tissue engineering processes to create a product with the same strength, durability, and appearance as animal leather but without its environmental impact. Using a newly scaled-up tissue bioreactor, the biotech company says it has produced a 35x35cm sample of cultivated leather — the first proof of concept for full-scale commercialization of its production process. CEO Michael Newton shared, “This sample is tangible proof that a future where high-quality, high-performing leather can be produced on-demand, without the animal welfare and environmental disadvantages of traditional material, is just around the corner. The challenge of …

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Natural colors

© Lantana Bio
Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Biotope Unveils Fifth Cohort Focused on Solutions for Leather, Food Waste, and Natural Colors

Biotope, a Belgian biotech incubator and early-stage investor, has revealed the three startups selected to be part of its fifth and latest cohort: Corium Biotech, I-Challenge, and Lantana Bio. Launched by the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB), Biotope aims to bring agrifood startups to seed-stage readiness within 18 months, de-risking biotechnology investments to drive innovation in the biotech space. Annick Verween, Head of Biotope, shared: “Biotope focuses on potentially impactful solutions which can benefit from a dedicated biotech ecosystem to support them. Our new, fifth cohort is a perfect reflection of this mission – all of the startups represented are passionate entrepreneurs with groundbreaking biotech solutions that have the power to create lasting change for people and the planet.” Leather, food shelf life, and natural …

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vitrolabs_leather

© VitroLabs
Leather Alternatives

Vegan Bio-Based Leathers to Grow by 37.4% Annually Over the Next Decade

The push for sustainable alternatives to animal and plastic leathers has led to a burgeoning market of vegan bio-based leathers. According to a 10-year market forecast by IDTechEx, the vegan bio-based leather industry production capacity will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 37.4% from 2024 to 2034. Leather is a sought-after material for its durability, strength, and aesthetic appeal. However, the report points out that according to UN estimates, animal leather production exceeds 20 billion square feet annually, contributing significantly to greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. Additionally, the tanning process of leather production releases hazardous chemicals and gases, including lead, chromium, arsenic, and carcinogenic arylamine. Meanwhile, vegan leather made from plastics, a common alternative due to its low cost, has environmental issues, including …

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Michael Newton of Qorium

Michael Newton. © Qorium
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Qorium: “Our Product Creates Consistent, Beautiful, and Easily Workable Leather”

Founded in 2014, Dutch biotech startup Qorium is developing cultivated leather to provide an ethical and sustainable alternative to animal leather with no compromises on performance. The company’s technology enables the development of leather alternatives with consistent quality and adjustable properties. The result is a premium material with dramatically reduced carbon emissions and waste compared to conventional leather. In 2021, Qorium raised €2.6 million to scale up its technology. The company then announced earlier this year that it had secured further funding as part of its journey towards commercial scale, and revealed it had appointed former Nike senior executive Michael Newton as CEO. We spoke to Newton to find out more about Qorium’s technology and its benefits. What challenges does Qorium face in terms of …

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3DBT cultivated meat steak

Image courtesy of 3D Bio-Tissues

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

3DBT Receives £2.9M in Capital To Expedite Production of Cultivated Meat and Leather

London’s BSF Enterprise, a biotech company focused on lab-grown meat that wholly owns clinical and cellular agriculture company 3D Bio-Tissues (3DBT), has raised £2.9 million via an oversubscribed placing at 17p/share, reports Vox Markets.  BSF will use the new investment to provide working capital for 3DBT to accelerate its progress and increase its capacity to produce cultivated meat and leather using its serum-free media platform, City-Mix. Serum-free media, City-Mix  Following its acquisition by BSF in May 2022, 3DBT said it was working to produce the UK’s first cultivated meat cut. Five months later, the biotech announced the successful development of three small cultivated meat prototypes using its tissue templating platform, City-Mix, which does not use scaffolding as structural support for cell attachment. In February, 3DBT announced it had …

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a piece of cultured leather that looks like animal leather

© VitroLabs
Leather Alternatives

DiCaprio Backed VitroLabs Appoints Industry Figures to Bring World’s First Cultivated Leather to Market

VitroLabs, which raised $46 million in a Series A from high-profile investors including Kering and Leonardo DiCaprio this May, has appointed a notable Board of Directors as part of its mission to create luxurious next-gen leather from cells. The San Francisco-based startup says it has been officially manufacturing its cell-cultivated leather in its pilot plant and that its R&D team is working on advancing its proprietary tissue engineering processes to develop the next-gen leather that luxury brands seek for their products. Appointed to the Board of Directors this week are Anthony Chow, co-founder of Agronomics; and Martin Avetisyan, chief growth officer and member of the Executive Board at FARFETCH. Agronomics is a cellular agriculture investment group headed by billionaire philanthropist Jim Mellon, while FARFETCH is …

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©Gucci
Leather Alternatives

VitroLabs Cultivated Leather Raises $46M from Fashion Giant Kering & Leonardo DiCaprio 

Luxury giant Kering has backed VitroLabs, a San Francisco startup developing cell-cultivated leather. The French fashion company, whose brands include Gucci and Saint Laurent, has participated in a $46 million funding round to accelerate VitroLabs’ commercialization. The Series A funding was led by Agronomics, the UK cellular agriculture investment group headed by billionaire philanthropist Jim Mellon, and also received funding from environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio amongst others. VitroLabs is a Bay-Area-based biotech company leading the development of a new scientific process to grow what it claims is the world’s first cellular cultivated animal leather. The funds will be used to accelerate commercialization for the biotech startup, including the building and scaling of pilot production. Global luxury group Kering, with assets of over €27 billion, will continue …

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