Bioindustrial
In 2021, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Novo Holdings increased their focus on researchers and companies working with ideas and products that advance the green transition.
Case 01 BioMASON
Biomason is the leading company in the world using biology to produce cement commercially. Since 2012, we’ve used natural microorganisms to grow structural Biocement® in ambient temperatures, harnessing the power of biotechnology to reinvent traditional cement and offer a more planet-friendly alternative.
bioMASON, Inc. is a unique biomaterials startup whose technology provides a better solution for reducing the CO2 emissions generated by global masonry manufacturing.
BioMASON
Investment
2019
BioMASON
Biomason, Inc. is a unique biomaterials startup whose technology provides a better solution for reducing the CO2 emissions generated by global masonry manufacturing.
Biomason creates cement in a fundamentally different way, addressing the root cause of emissions.
Biomason employs natural microorganisms to grow biocement® in ambient temperatures without emitting carbon dioxide. Its patented biocement® technology mimics nature’s use of carbon as a building block, creating cement in a biological, circular system, rather than relying on the 200-year-old climate-intensive Portland cement (OPC) production process.
OPC production accounts for over 8% of global carbon emissions—that’s four times more than the aviation industry. Concrete, of which cement is the key ingredient, is the second-most consumed material in the world after water
As a long-term investor, Novo Holdings is committed to support sustainable solutions to the world’s most predominant building material. As the global building stock is set to double by 2060, it is more important
Case 02 Mycoworks
MycoWorks is a San Francisco-based materials company focused on the development and manufacturing of sustainable products. The company’s first product, Reishi ™, is the first non-plastic, non-animal material that performs like leather.
With its exciting and unique manufacturing platform, MycoWorks meets this criterion perfectly, offering a unique product where we can add value towards the scaling and commercialisation of this technology.
Mycoworks
Investment
2019
Mycoworks
Founded in 2013, MycoWorks is dedicated to bringing new mycelium materials to the world. Its first product, Reishi™, a new class of sustainable material that performs like cowhide leather, has been developed using MycoWorks’ patented Fine Mycelium™ biotechnology. As such, it is a unique material that offers a sustainable solution for the fashion and footwear industries without compromising on performance, quality or aesthetics. Novo Holdings first invested in the company’s Series A in 2019.
With its exciting and unique manufacturing platform, MycoWorks meets this criterion perfectly, offering a unique product where we can add value towards the scaling and commercialisation of this technology.
The company's Reishi™ production plant in Emeryville, California, will meet the demand for Reishi™ materials by introducing proprietary systems that will boost the company's production capacity by more than 10x.
Case 03 AMSilk
AMSilk GmbH, headquartered in Neuried near Munich, is the world’s first industrial supplier of smart biotech materials based on silk proteins. We are a team of more than 70 ambitious and talented individuals from a variety of interdisciplinary backgrounds who are pushing boundaries in the field of bio-based materials
As an innovation-driven company we are dedicated to developing breakthrough technologies for the production and commercialisation of next generation materials.
AMSilk
Investment
2021
AMSilk
AMSilk is a world leader in supplying innovative high-performance bio-based silk materials with a vision to use its proprietary technology platform to lead the change to better and more sustainable products. Its products are made from plant-based raw material via bacterial fermentation, are extremely versatile with extraordinary mechanical and biochemical properties, and have applications across many industries. The environmentally friendly, sustainable silk biopolymers can be fully recycled and are 100% biodegradable. These materials are revolutionizing products such as high-performance sports clothing as well as driving state-of-the-art biomedical developments including medical implants.
AMSilk’s technology has the potential to revolutionise a number of industries, and be part of the decarbonisation push needed to overcome the biggest environmental challenges of our time
The company is making immense progress in enhancing its high-performance bio-based materials. Novo Holdings’ investment in AMSilk underscores our commitment to backing companies that will have a long-term, sustainable impact on society.
Case 04 Lanzatech
LanzaTech’s carbon recycling technology is like retrofitting a brewery onto an emission source like a steel mill or a landfill site, but instead of using sugars and yeast to make beer, pollution is converted by bacteria to fuels and chemicals.
Imagine a day when your plane is powered by recycled GHG emissions, when your shampoo bottle started life as emissions from a steel mill. This future is possible today using LanzaTech technology.
Lanzatech
Investment
2019
Lanzatech
LanzaTech’s platform takes pollution and recycles it, thereby eliminating single-use carbon. Examples of the uses of this technology include converting steel mill emissions in China and unsorted, unrecyclable household waste in Japan into ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel, or polyethylene for consumer goods. When a product has reached the end of its useful life, it can go, unsorted and uncleaned, to a LanzaTech facility and be recycled repeatedly, without losing any properties of the original material. This process locks carbon into a cycle and supports the transition to a circular economy.
LanzaTech is addressing our planet's collective need for sustainable fuels and materials, enabling industrial players to be part of building a truly circular economy
Novo Holdings’ investment in LanzaTech will expand the company's carbon recycling platform and enable LanzaTech to accelerate the commercialization of Carbon Smart™ products. This allows consumers to choose the carbon source in their products—recycled carbon or fossil carbon.