SAN LEANDRO – ZymoChem, creators of a carbon-efficient bio-manufacturing platform, has closed a $21 million Series A round. The investment was led by Breakout Ventures with participation from new investors including lululemon athletica, inc. and Toyota Ventures, and existing investors including GS Futures, KdT Ventures, and Cavallo Ventures. By pairing this financing with existing revenues from commercial partnerships and funding from the Department of Energy, ZymoChem will launch its first high-performance material and advance its first partnered product to commercial scale.
To help address the climate crisis, ZymoChem rethinks how everyday products, from personal hygiene items to textiles, are produced. ZymoChem redesigns manufacturing with products that do not come from fossil fuels, require carbon-intensive production, or persist for generations. Improving sustainability within manufacturing via ZymoChem’s patented technology is what interested Toyota Ventures. ZymoChem’s approach also aligns well with lululemon’s goal of improving sustainability within its product portfolio.
“We’re upending the materials industry,” said Harshal Chokhawala, Co-Founder and CEO. “Our technology delivers sustainability without compromising performance, scale, and importantly economics. This unlock already catalyzed multiple partnerships with world-leading companies and we’re thrilled to expand our impact with our key stakeholders.”
ZymoChem accelerates the real-zero economy by relieving carbon emissions in product development, use, and end of life via:
Platform Approach: Converting renewable feedstocks into a variety of high-performance, bio-based, biodegradable polymers.
Patented, Carbon-Efficient Bio-manufacturing: Creating materials with near-zero CO2 emissions via a proprietary fermentation process.
Superior Economics: Improving yields by up to 50% versus alternative processes creating a dramatic cost advantage.
Visionary Partnerships: Promoting benefits of bio-based manufacturing by partnering with stakeholders across the value chain with drop-in solutions for their existing infrastructure.
“ZymoChem has the most compelling technology we’ve seen to scale bio-based chemicals and materials while remaining cost competitive to petroleum-derived products,” said Lindy Fishburne, Managing Partner at Breakout.
