Rheom Materials has closed its latest oversubscribed round of funding with $550,000 to help make its biotextile solution a reality. The round saw participation from a number of VCs, including New Climate Ventures, Lifely and MicroVentures among others, as well as angel investors Cary Pinkowski, Nicholas Valeriano, and Fiona and George Sobek.
“With demand from conscious consumers on the rise, the Material Innovation Initiative (MII) predicts that this next-gen material sector will follow the trajectory of the alt-protein industry and become a $2.2 billion market by 2026.”
Proceeds from the round will help Bucha scale its flagship luxury biotextile, Shorai™. It’s made from infinitely renewable bacterial-nanocellulose and could displace animal-based and plastic-based leathers.
Rheom grows its novel biobased material, Shorai™, from fermented bacterial nanocellulose and plants. It is 100% plant-based, contains no plastics and petrochemicals, and is completely biodegradable.
The alternative, which looks and feels like leather, can be incorporated into existing fashion designs and replace the use of petrochemical and animal-based fabrics, which are damaging the environment and are non-cruelty-free.
Note: Bucha Bio rebranded to Rheom Materials in January 2024 to better reflect their process and offerings. The new name combines the Greek word "rhéō" (meaning "flow") and "form," describing how a melt-extruder works, where the biopolymers flow into place and then solidify, or form, the final product.
