Bristol-based climate tech innovator Kelpi landed more than £3 million in seed funding to advance its pioneering technology creating biomaterial coatings from seaweed and bringing sustainable packaging one step closer to retailer shelves.
WHO: UK-based start-up Kelpi manufactures seaweed-based coatings for paper and cardboard packaging that will enable recyclable and home- or industrially compostable packaging to replace single-use fossil fuel plastics, which take hundreds of years to decompose. Throughout the last 2.5 years, the company has developed high-performance materials from seaweed, with a uniquely strong water barrier, oxygen barrier, grease, and acid resistance.
WHY: The climate tech innovator will use the funding to advance its pioneering technology of creating biomaterial coatings from seaweed, conducting manufacturing pilots for their proprietary coatings for paper and card.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS: "This landmark investment enables Kelpi to scale up our pioneering work using seaweed to create bioplastic packaging with the barrier properties required by clients," says Kelpi CEO and co-founder Neil Morris. "Kelpi can now play a key role in eliminating plastic pollution and ending our dependence on fossil fuels to create single-use packaging. We're delighted to receive this backing from specialist deep science and sustainability investors like Science Creates Ventures and Green Angel Syndicate to allow us to accelerate our pioneering work with major food and drink companies worldwide to prove our materials at scale."
Dr. Catherine Fletcher, Principal of Science Creates Ventures, says, "Kelpi stood out to us as a strong combination of world-leading scientific innovation with deep entrepreneurial experience. They're using deep tech to address a highly valuable commercial challenge and we're excited to be backing the company to scale up its solutions in the vital area of reducing fossil fuel dependence in plastics."
Cam Ross, CEO of Green Angel Syndicate, explains why they were also enthusiastic about backing Kelpi: "Our network of specialist members was impressed with Kelpi's team and technology, and their pioneering approach to developing biopolymers from renewable feedstocks like seaweed. At scale, the Kelpi approach will play a vital role in reducing fossil fuel dependency, addressing climate change, and impacting on plastic pollution."
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