Living in a material world, and Sophie is a (bio)material girl

The chemical processes that underpin our modern world are overdue for disruption. From fuels and fertilizers to plastics and packaging, chemical manufacturing drives ~5% of global GHG emissions—more than double that of aviation. Despite its massive footprint, the industry has seen little innovation since the mid-20th century. But that’s changing. Advances in AI, synthetic biology, and industrial automation are opening the door to a $5 trillion materials market transformation—and we’re looking for the teams that will lead it.

In her latest thesis work, Sophie did a deep-dive into materials and the investible whitespace of biomanufacturing. By using engineered microbes to convert renewable feedstocks into high-value materials, biomanufacturing offers a credible path to decarbonize the products we rely on every day. Read Sophie’s article to explore the technical and commercial challenges to scaling this sector—and what it will take to unlock investable opportunities. As always, send exciting companies and founders our way!