Bioplastics from food waste
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Reducing the heavy footprint of plastics
Genecis is creating earth-friendly plastics from industrial food waste
The Opportunity
The world is looking for solutions to the plastics problem. With our reliance on plastics to create so many products, and the harmful impact it has on our climate, oceans and our bodies, the urgency to find sustainable alternatives is real. Genecis has developed an innovative way to create sustainable building blocks of plastic (PHAs) using bacteria to convert food waste into a myriad of products.
The Challenge
Many innovators developing bio-based plastics have faced the harsh reality of cost. Bioplastics can be 4X the cost of traditional petroleum-based plastics – or more. Genecis’ unique and proprietary approach can greatly reduce that cost making sustainable and earth-friendly plastics an even more attractive option. They were ready to build their own demonstration facility, and needed to hire a senior engineer to ensure it would meet their scale-up needs.
Hiring this expert made such a difference to our ability to scale our technology. Of course it’s always a team effort, but key hires at crucial times are critical. NPC understood this and was a valuable champion of our success. We couldn’t be more grateful.
NPC’s Solution
NPC provided Genecis with $50,000 through its Access To Talent Program to hire a senior biofermentation engineer to design their demonstration facility. The results were spectacular. The company went from pre-revenue and no customers to securing four major industrial partners with over $10M in purchase orders. The new hire was also instrumental in leading the successful application for $2.67M from NGen. Genecis has continued to attract both investor and industry attention with its innovative approach to the plastics problem.
NPC is committed to the creation of natural products that are better for people, animals and the planet. We propel early-stage Canadian innovators with the advice, connections and capital they need to develop and de-risk their solutions quickly and efficiently.
Genecis Bioindustries
Description:
Sector(s):
Packaging, Apparel, BiomaterialsFunding Type:
Access to TalentProvince:
OntarioFunding Amount:
$50,000
Year of Funding:
2020Name:
Luna Lu