UK-based sustainable packaging startup Kelpi has raised more than £3M in a seed funding round led by Science Creates Ventures and Green Angel Syndicate. One Planet Capital, Bristol Private Equity Club (BPEC), and private angel investors also participated in the round, along with a £665K grant funding from Innovate UK’s Combined Investor Partnership. The company plans to use the funds to conduct manufacturing pilots for their proprietary coatings for paper and cards, made of high-performance bioplastic packaging materials from seaweed. Kelpi aims to eliminate plastic pollution and end the dependence on fossil fuels to create single-use packaging.
Kelpi has received more than £3M in a seed funding round led by Science Creates Ventures and Green Angel Syndicate. Other investors who participated in the round include One Planet Capital, Bristol Private Equity Club (BPEC), and private angel investors. Kelpi will use the funds to conduct manufacturing pilots for their proprietary coatings for paper and cards.
The funding round for Kelpi included a £665K grant funding from Innovate UK’s Combined Investor Partnership. The UK-based startup has developed high-performance bioplastic packaging materials from seaweed with a uniquely strong water barrier, oxygen barrier, grease, and acid resistance. The company plans to use the funds to scale up their work using seaweed to create bioplastic packaging for clients, with barrier properties that meet their needs.
Kelpi was founded by Neil Morris, Professor Chris Chuck, and Murray Kenneth. The company has developed a biopolymer from seaweed that can be applied as a coating to substrates such as paper and card, resulting in recyclable, compostable, and marine-safe packaging. The company serves various industries, including food and drink, cosmetics, and personal care, and aims to reduce fossil fuel dependency and address climate change.
Kelpi’s groundbreaking approach using deep tech to create bioplastics from renewable feedstocks like seaweed is a vital solution to reducing fossil fuel dependence, addressing climate change, and tackling plastic pollution. The startup’s success in securing funding from specialist deep science and sustainability investors like Science Creates Ventures and Green Angel Syndicate will help them scale up their pioneering work with major food and drink companies worldwide to prove their materials at scale.
