Participated · Series A · Jul 2026

Syntetica has developed a novel approach to recycling two hard-to-separate nylons—Nylon 6 and Nylon 6,6—into pellets that can be used by manufacturers to make yarn. The company was co-founded by CEO Marco Bertone and chemistry researcher Louis Monsigny and has built early industrial partnerships, including with Michelin’s Centre for Sustainable Materials and apparel makers such as Lululemon, Victoria’s Secret and Etam. Syntetica does not produce finished textiles itself; instead it supplies recycled pellets to downstream manufacturers like MAS Holdings. The startup has received public backing from Bpifrance’s Ecotechnologies 2 fund and support from the European Innovation Council alongside private investors including EQT Ventures and SWEN Capital Partners. With its Series A funding, Syntetica aims to demonstrate production at the scale of hundreds of tons per year and then expand by building facilities near waste sources and textile production hubs. The team has added technical leadership and industry advisors to support scaling and commercialization.

Participated · Equity · Mar 2026

Epoch Biodesign develops enzymatic processes that depolymerize pre- and post-consumer plastic and textile waste into monomers, recovering more than 90% of desired monomers through a cascade of enzyme treatments. The company sources industrial enzymes rather than using live microbes and captures dyes as a separate byproduct to be treated independently. Its current commercial focus is nylon 6,6, a high-strength synthetic fiber used in apparel, airbags, carpets and other applications, with plans to adapt the platform to other plastics over time. Epoch is building a demonstration-scale facility near Imperial College London and plans a commercial-scale plant expected online in 2028 with capacity targeted at 20,000 metric tons per year of monomer. The company was founded and is led by CEO Jacob Nathan and has secured strategic investor support including Lululemon through its recent $12 million funding round.

Participated · Equity · Jun 2024

Samsara Eco develops and sells fossil-free polymer resins and enzyme-based recycling technology (EosEco) intended to replace fossil fuel–derived plastics in packaging, textiles and other products. The company has built an enzyme library that can recycle polyester, nylon 6 and the more difficult nylon 6,6, and it launched its first product made from enzymatically recycled polyester in partnership with Lululemon. Samsara is constructing facilities in Jerrabomberra, New South Wales to provide partner testing and creation services, and plans additional facilities in Southeast Asia and its first North American facility. It was founded in 2020 in collaboration with the Australian National University, Woolworths and Main Sequence and currently employs about 60 staff across Australia and North America, with plans to expand headcount to 90 by the end of 2025. The company says its EosEco process operates at lower temperature and pressure than conventional recycling and achieves a life-cycle assessment well below the carbon footprint of virgin plastics. Samsara aims to scale to recycling 1.5 million tonnes of plastic per year by 2030 and is targeting expansion into apparel, consumer packaged goods, automotive and electronics sectors. Samsara Eco develops enzyme-based technology that rapidly depolymerizes plastics into their core molecules, enabling repeated recycling. The company launched last year in partnership with the Australian National University and has expanded an enzyme library now capable of depolymerizing several plastic types. It plans to build its first commercial recycling facility in Melbourne later this year, targeting full-scale production by 2023 and claiming the facility will infinitely recycle 20,000 tons of plastic starting in 2024. Initial processing will focus on PET and polyester, and the technology is described as tolerant of contamination and able to handle colored, mixed and multi-layered plastics. Samsara says the new funding will be used to expand its enzyme library, fund the commercial facility, grow its engineering team and expand operations into Europe and North America. The company is preparing to launch enzymatically recycled packaging with Woolworths next year and aims to recycle 1.5 million tons of plastic per year by 2030, with Woolworths committed to turning the first 5,000 tons into branded packaging. Samsara Eco has developed an enzyme-based process that breaks plastics into their molecular building blocks (monomers) for infinite recycling or upcycling. The company says its process achieves full depolymerization in about an hour at room temperature and can be run in a carbon-neutral way, saving an estimated three tonnes of CO2 for every tonne of plastic recycled. Launched in 2021, Samsara has a 13-person team of scientists, engineers and researchers, including collaborators from the Australian National University. It has commercial partnerships with Woolworths Group, which committed to using the first 5,000 tonnes of recycled Samsara plastic in own-brand packaging, and with Tennis Australia to recycle 5,000 bottles. Samsara raised $6 million to build its first recycling plant later this year and expects full-scale production to start in 2023; it is targeting an additional roughly $50 million raise later this year to fund a first commercial-scale facility to recycle 20,000 tonnes per annum. Investors named in the current raise include the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), W23 and Main Sequence.

Participated · Series A · Jan 2024

ZymoChem offers a carbon-efficient bio-manufacturing platform built on proprietary Carbon Conserving (C2) microbes. Its microbes convert renewable feedstocks into a variety of high-performance, bio-based, biodegradable polymers via a proprietary fermentation process that yields near-zero CO2 emissions. The company says its process can improve yield by up to 50% versus alternative processes, creating a cost advantage. ZymoChem promotes bio-based manufacturing through partnerships across the value chain and provides drop-in solutions for existing infrastructure. Led by CEO Harshal Chokhawala, the company says its technology has already catalyzed multiple partnerships with world-leading companies. ZymoChem intends to use new funding to expand operations and its business reach. ZymoChem develops Carbon Conserving (C2) microbes and processes that convert renewable feedstocks into high-value, biodegradable bio-based materials intended to replace petroleum-based ingredients in consumer goods. The company emphasizes cost, performance, scale, and sustainability while minimizing CO2 loss during production. ZymoChem was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Leandro, California, with a satellite division in Burlington, Vermont. Its technology targets near-term chemical commercialization via fermentation and downstream purification to produce low-cost, high-performing materials derived from sugars. In 2023 ZymoChem was selected for the Department of Defense's BioMADE program and has now received DOE support to advance bioprocessing research and scale-up. The company aims to contribute to industrial decarbonization, job creation, support for underserved economies, and growth of the U.S. bioeconomy. ZymoChem develops microbes and bioprocesses to produce eco-friendly chemicals from renewable feedstocks such as sugar. The company's work focuses on engineering microbial strains and bioprocess routes for sustainable chemical production. ZymoChem closed a $350,000 seed round according to the article. Early-stage investor Breakout Labs was the sole investor in that round. The article does not report any operating metrics, location, founding year, or prior financings. No use-of-proceeds or detailed strategic plans were disclosed in the coverage.

Participated · Series B · Oct 2019

MIRROR makes a nearly invisible, interactive home gym that combines cutting-edge hardware, responsive software, and live and on-demand fitness content. The device is designed to transform any room into a connected workout space, offering personalized and community-oriented studio-style classes. MIRROR launched in September 2018 and reports devices in homes in every state within the continental U.S. The company has opened a brick-and-mortar store in New York City and announced a content partnership with fitness pioneer Tracy Anderson. MIRROR says it will use new funding to fuel continued momentum and to expand into new areas and content verticals. Its founder and CEO is Brynn Putnam, and the company is headquartered in New York City. Mirror builds a full‑body smart mirror that streams Peloton‑style live and on‑demand classes filmed in‑studio in New York City. The hardware combines an LCD, one‑way mirror, microphone, speakers and camera to provide a two‑way interactive experience. At launch Mirror offers more than 50 classes across cardio, strength, yoga, Pilates and boxing, and tailors workouts using goals, preferences and biometrics pulled from connected devices like heart‑rate monitors or an Apple Watch. Instructors provide feedback and real‑time stats that are displayed on the mirror. The device is sold for $1,495 and content is available via a $39 monthly subscription. The company was founded by Brynn Putnam, who previously founded the Refine Method and worked as a dancer in the New York City Ballet, and it came out of stealth at TechCrunch Disrupt. Mirror produces an at-home device that looks like a mirror but streams virtual fitness classes, letting users see instructors and classmates. The device also displays key performance metrics on-screen to provide real-time feedback during workouts. Founder and CEO Brynn Putnam describes it as a "complete home gym in a sleek high-design item" and aims to offer personalized workouts across disciplines like barre, yoga, boxing and Pilates. Mirror plans to launch in spring and will sell directly to consumers via its website, with an additional content subscription planned. The New York-based startup has raised $13 million in funding led by Spark Capital, with participation from Lerer Hippeau Ventures, First Round Capital, BoxGroup and others. Pricing has not been disclosed but is expected to be in the ballpark of other high-end machines.