Sway is a San Leandro, CA–based cleantech startup led by CEO Julia Marsh that develops seaweed-based, home-compostable replacements for plastic packaging. Its core technology is a patent-pending Thermoplastic Seaweed resin (TPSea™), a 100% biobased, home-compostable, microplastic-free ingredient made from a regenerative ocean crop. Sway’s product portfolio built with TPSea™ focuses on flexible packaging applications such as polybags, retail bags, and food wrappers. Flexible packaging applications represent approximately 30% of all single-use plastic packaging, which the company targets. Sway plans to scale its product portfolio and catalyze adoption by fashion, food, and home goods brands, including J.Crew, Burton, and others associated with the TOM FORD Plastic Innovation Prize. The company emphasizes environmental benefits that can replenish ecosystems and support coastal communities. Sway is a materials company developing seaweed-derived, bio-based, nontoxic packaging designed to be rapidly compostable in home and industrial environments. Its initial product focus is on high-performance polybags and retail bags intended to replace thin-film petroleum-derived plastics. The company emphasizes regenerative seaweed supply chains that are carbon-negative and support ocean health and livelihoods. Sway plans to use its recent financing to accelerate product development and run initial pilots with mission-aligned partner brands in 2022. The team includes co-founder and CEO Julia Marsh and was founded in 2020; the company is based in Berkeley, California. Sway frames its work as both material innovation and cultural change toward a plastic-free future.

Total raised

$8M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Seed

Latest activity

Feb 2024