Earth VC Champions Cambrium’s Sustainable Biomaterials Journey
Earth Venture Capital invests in Cambrium, a Berlin-based startup, to accelerate the development of sustainable biomaterials, building "materials that matter".
Ho Chi Minh City – Earth Venture Capital (Earth VC), a global climate-focused venture capital firm based in Vietnam, has announced its investment in Cambrium’s Seed extension round, led by Gradient Ventures (Google’s AI-focused venture fund). This investment underlines Earth VC’s dedication to supporting solutions that address pressing environmental challenges by speeding up the process of biomaterial evolution. The round also included participation from Leblon Capital, SeaX Ventures, and DG Daiwa.
Why We Invest: Catalyzing the Biomaterials Movement
Cambrium is driven to create materials based on protein, which they see as the new fundamental building block that is going to change the way we make our material world. By leveraging the power of biotechnology and Gen AI, Cambrium is developing biodegradable, sustainable alternatives to conventional petrochemical-based materials. Earth VC’s mission to foster pioneering technologies aligns perfectly with Cambrium’s vision of building materials “from Microbes not Mines, Fermentors not Factory-farms, and Proteins not Petrochemicals.”
The demand for environmentally friendly material is rising rapidly, driven by real use cases and specific product opportunities. Cambrium is already delivering impactful solutions, such as NovaCollTM, a precision-fermented, skin-identical collagen for personal care, which is set to launch by September 2024. The company is also collaborating with a leading synthetic leather producer to develop plastic-free leather alternatives for the fashion industry, with an anticipated launch in 2025.
These products cater to changing consumer preferences and meet stricter regulations on chemical use, positioning Cambrium well in the growing biomaterials market, valued at USD 82 billion in 2023 and projected to grow at an annual rate of 13.4% by 2030. The company is also actively developing and testing new ingredients in hair care, fashion (textile coatings) and nutraceuticals in the next 2-3 years to disrupt the bigger markets.
Cambrium’s Notable Achievements
Since its founding in 2020, Cambrium has quickly scaled up, securing EUR 3M in pre-seed funding and EUR 8M in a subsequent seed round. The latest seed extension will bolster Cambrium’s efforts in expanding its flagship product, NovaCollTM.
The company also has been featured as one of Berlin’s top 10 and one of Europe’s top 100 hottest startups by WIRED! By that, bolstering their vision to revolutionize sustainable ingredients by fusing AI with biotechnology, in order to create real world impact.
“We’re very excited to have Earth VC onboard. This aligns with our strategic goals of expanding our customer base within Southeast Asia and the Earth VC team has directly supported our goal to make materials that matter”, said Mitchell Duffy, Co-founder & CEO of Cambrium.
Cambrium’s Team: Expertise in Biotechnology
Cambrium’s team is composed of experienced professionals with a strong background in biotechnology and material sciences. CEO Mitchell Duffy holds a PhD in Molecular Imaging and has extensive experience in synthetic biology, while co-founder Charles Cotton, PhD, has a background in structural biology. The team is supported by advisors with decades of experience in scaling biotechnological innovations, including experts from leading biotech companies like Impossible Foods and Checkerspot. This collective expertise gives Cambrium the capability to effectively innovate and bring sustainable biomaterials to market.
Earth VC’s Vision: Scaling Sustainable Materials
For Earth VC, investing in Cambrium represents a strategic step in reducing the environmental footprint of materials production. “Investing in Cambrium is a direct bet on the future of sustainable materials, a market projected to hit $138 billion by 2030. With traditional materials responsible for 23% of global emissions, the urgency to disrupt this space is undeniable. Cambrium’s protein-based innovations are the game-changer we need to decarbonize industries at scale. It’s not every day you see a company building proteins from 900 million structures and 100 design metrics—this is the kind of bold innovation that Earth VC stands behind”, said Tien Nguyen, Founding Partner at Earth VC.
Cambrium’s Next Chapter
The funds raised will be used to expand Cambrium’s production capabilities through Contract Manufacturers (CMOs), extend product development into the fashion and nutraceutical sectors, and strengthen strategic partnerships for commercialization. Cambrium aims to introduce its plastic-free leather alternatives and hydrophobic coatings by 2025, positioning itself at the center of the biomaterials market across various industries.
Earth VC’s investment reflects its commitment to supporting impactful solutions for a more sustainable future. As Cambrium moves forward, Earth VC will play a vital role in supporting its expansion, especially across Asia and other international markets.
