Bioweg secures USD 18.7M to scale microplastic alternatives
The financial aid will help to advance the development of sustainable ingredients designed to replace intentionally added acrylic polymer-based microplastics in cosmetics and other products.
GERMANY – German biotech company Bioweg has secured €16 million(USD 18.77 million) in a Series A funding round led by Axeleo Capital’s Green Tech Industry Fund, with participation from the EIC Fund, NBank Capital, BonVenture, and seed investor Dr.-Ing. Frank Jenner.
This financing will accelerate the scale-up, commercialization, and construction of Bioweg’s first industrial-scale bacterial cellulose plant in Germany, marking a significant step from their pilot operations to complete industrial manufacturing.
These ingredients serve as sustainable alternatives to fossil-based polymers, addressing the growing regulatory and consumer demand to eliminate intentionally added microplastics from products.
This capital will support the scaling up, commercialization, and construction of Bioweg’s first industrial bacterial cellulose plant in Germany and fast-track market expansion across Europe.
Bioweg’s co-founder and CEO, Dr Mahalwar, emphasized this investment, stating, “Today’s funding allows us to move decisively into industrial manufacturing and to support customers as they transition away from microplastics.
“Our focus is on matching and expanding polymer-level performance with bio-based, biodegradable ingredients produced at European scale.”
Founded in 2019 by Dr Prateek Mahalwar and Srinivas Karuturi, Bioweg utilizes precision fermentation to convert food industry side streams from sectors like potato, beer, and sugar production into bacterial cellulose.
This cellulose is refined through green chemistry to create drop-in replacements for fossil-based polymers commonly found in microplastic formulations.
Bioweg’s product range includes Micbeads, which are biodegradable leave-on micro-powders for cosmetics notable for their premium sensorial performance, and RheoWeg, a bio-based solution providing rheology and suspension control for use in personal and home care products.
The company currently operates a six-tonne pilot plant in Quakenbrück and maintains a materials science, formulation, and applications laboratory in Monheim, located on Bayer Crop Science’s campus.
The new funding round brings the company’s total capital raised to €22 million(USD 25.71 million), enabling the transition from pilot to industrial production scale.
This involves constructing an industrial bacterial cellulose facility in Germany designed to meet the increasing demand from industrial customers seeking sustainable microplastic-free ingredients.
The plant is strategically co-located with a major sugar producer, benefiting from feedstock synergies and reducing operating expenses.
During the plant’s construction phase, Bioweg plans to upgrade its Quakenbrück pilot line to fulfil near-term customer orders.
The funding will also fuel growth in commercial, regulatory, and production teams to support deeper expansion into the European market.
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