Seaweed-to-packaging spinout scoops £4million-plus private investment
9 Jun 2024
Bath university spinout Kelpi has secured £4.35 million in funding from a slew of City firms to launch its seaweed-based biomaterial technology in several commercial sectors.
The company, founded by Professor Chris Chuck from the University of Bath’s Department of Chemical Engineering, will use the money to fund manufacturing pilots and gain regulatory approval for proprietary coatings for paper and card, focused on the food and drink and cosmetics and personal care sectors.
Kelp claims its bio-material can match or exceed plastic’s properties, thanks to its strong water barrier and resistance to greasy contents or acidic foods. As it uses renewable feedstocks, the firm says it offers positive environmental gains given that seaweed sequesters substantial amounts of carbon dioxide as it grows.
The commercial roll-out has won the firm R&D contracts with L’Oréal, Diageo, Waitrose and tropical fresh fruit supplier Blue Skies. Latest investors include Blackfinch Ventures, Green Angel Ventures, Kadmos Capital, QantX, Evenlode Foundation and the South West Investment Fund, as well as follow-on investment from Bristol Private Equity Club (BPEC), One Planet Capital and private angel investors.
Kelpi CEO Neil Morris claimed the company could now play a key role in ending dependence on fossil fuels to create single-use packaging and eliminate a major source of plastic pollution.
Founder Chuck paid tribute to the university for its support in developing its early work. He commented:
“It has been fantastic to be able to leverage the university’s capability in sustainable technology research, and with support in those early months, develop an idea all the way through to creating genuinely novel materials on scale. The materials themselves not only have advanced functionality but will readily biodegrade if released into the environment.”
NEWS: Bactery, another University of Bath spinout company, has developed bacteria-powered batteries – dubbed ‘bacteries’ – to harvest green energy from soil by taking advantage of natural processes that occur in microorganisms within it.
CEO Dr Jakub Dziegielowski, a Bath chemical engineering PhD, commented: “Our initial goal is to leverage the unique Bactery technology to accelerate the shift toward digitalisation within the agriculture sector.”
He said the technology had a lifespan of more than 25 years, and an anticipated cost of around £25 per unit, with no maintenance expenses.
