Vickers Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm focused on deep tech investments worldwide. The partners’ track records include hits such as Baidu.com, Inc, Focus Media Holding Ltd, Kongzhong Corp, Cambridge Real Estate Investment Trust, Sunfun Info Co., Asian Food Channel, UUCUN, TWG Tea, RTG Asia, JJE, Hillstone, M-Daq and Mainspring. The total market value of the companies that the partners have helped grow exceeds US$70 billion today. Vickers Venture Partners was founded by Dr Finian Tan together with his co-founders Dr Khalil Binebine, Dr Jeffrey Chi, Dr Damian Tan, Linda Li and Raymond Kong in 2005. It is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, Miami, Silicon Valley and London.

Vickers Venture Partners

WI Harper Group is a venture capital firm that focuses on early and early expansion investments in Mainland China, Taiwan and Silicon Valley.  It was founded in 1993. Made 300+ investments with 80+ exits.  Manages 9 funds and over $1B in capital through 19 dedicated investment professionals located in Beijing, Taipei and San Francisco.  The firm's focus is technology, clean technology and healthcare. Its track record includes [DivX](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/divx), Focus Media, Vizio, SiRF and Commerce One.

WI Harper Group

EverSource is the fund manager of the Green Growth Equity Fund (GGEF or the Fund), established with anchor investment from India’s National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) and the Department for International Development (DFID).

EverSource Capital

Flint Hills Resources was born out of a desire to better compete and pursue opportunities in the refining and chemicals industries. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of [Koch Industries](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/koch-industries), and has independent leadership and separate financial decision-making authorities. Flint Hills Resources was named for the Flint Hills of Kansas, an area that features lush tall grass prairies, pristine natural springs and beautiful vistas. The company’s headquarters is in Wichita, Kan., near the Flint Hills.  Flint Hills Resources is an independent refining, chemicals and biofuels company. It strives to create value for its customers and society – through the way its facilities operate, its efficient use of resources, the products it produces and markets, and its involvement in its communities. The company has expanded its operations through capital projects and acquisitions worth more than $7.6 billion since 2002.  Its refineries produce fuels that power much of Texas, the Midwest and the Alaska interior. The company's ethanol and biodiesel plants produce fuels that are used across the United States. Its petrochemicals are used to manufacture goods from plastics to building products to packaging materials. The asphalt it produces is used in communities across the Midwest and Alaska. The base oils it markets are the principle raw material used to produce premium motor oil, commercial lubricants and sealants and coatings.  Flint Hills Resources’ manufacturing capability is built upon six decades of refining experience. The company has expanded its production capacity – through acquisitions and capital projects – to meet customer needs in the markets it serves in Alaska, the Midwest and Texas, as well as the global polymers, olefins, aromatics and intermediate chemicals industries.  With its strong manufacturing, marketing and product innovation capabilities, Flint Hills Resources’ employees work to anticipate customer demands and then efficiently and profitably meet those needs.  Flint Hills Resources operates refineries in Alaska (North Pole), Minnesota (Rosemount) and Texas (Corpus Christi East and West) with a combined crude oil processing capacity of about 670,000 barrels of crude oil per day. These facilities are served by strategically located terminals and pipelines, some of which are operated by [Koch Pipeline Company, L.P.](http://www.crunchbase.com/organization/koch-pipeline-company-l-p) Flint Hills Resources' interests in Canada include Calgary-based crude oil marketing, transportation and storage. Supply for the refineries is secured through crude oil purchasing offices located in Calgary, Denver and Houston.   Flint Hills Resources operates ethanol plants in Iowa (Fairbank, Iowa Falls, Menlo and Shell Rock) and Nebraska (Fairmont); and has a regional office in Ames, Iowa. The plants have a combined annual capacity of 550 million gallons of ethanol. Flint Hills Resources, a leading producer of transportation fuels in the Upper Midwest, is the largest purchaser of ethanol in Minnesota, where it has utilized ethanol and other biofuels in its fuel distribution system since the mid-’90s. The company also has made equity investments in bioenergy companies, and operates a biodiesel plant near Fort Worth, Texas.  Flint Hills Resources is a leading producer of chemicals and related products with manufacturing facilities in Illinois, Michigan and Texas. The company produces aromatics, intermediates and EPS, olefins and polymers. End uses for these chemicals include: synthetic fibers, agricultural chemicals, packaging, coatings, and appliance and automotive parts.

Flint Hills Resources

CPV / CAP Pension Fund Coop. is a pension fund.

CPV / CAP Pension Fund Coop.

International is a company that improves lives by building better businesses through trusted partners. It is a small International team that loves to see the world from different angles. The diversity of talents and competencies within its team allows the company to tackle any challenge from a wide range of perspectives.

International SA

Temasek Holdings is a lender provider. The company offers debt financing and focuses on transforming economies, increasing middle-income populations, developing comparative advantages, and emerging champions. Financial services, transportation, industrial, consumer, real estate, telecommunications, media, technology, and life sciences are among the industries served by the firm.

Temasek Holdings

Optimas Capital Partners Fund provides financial assistance to various businesses. It is based in Central, Hong Kong.

Optimas Capital Partners Fund

RWDC Industries

RWDC develops biodegradable bioplastic that can be used to make cutlery, drinking straws and cup lids, foodand beverage packaging, as well as diapers, among other things. It produces medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoate(mcl-PHA), which are naturally produced by bacterial fermentation of plant-based oils or sugar. RWDC’s PHA is certified to be fully biodegradable in soil, water and marine conditions.

Based in Singapore, RWDC Industries offers “Solon,” a biodegradable biopolymer that replaces petroleum-derived, single-use plastics. Solon is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material that is produced naturally with the microbial fermentation of sugar or oil. It can be utilized in the production of coated-paper products, single-use foodservice articles, and other packaging products. The company’s solution is being trialed as of November 2021 by packaging and consumer product manufacturers.&nbsp;

Earth-friendly biotech solutions for the textile, packaging and construction industries.

Bio-based Materials

Lummus Reinforces Commitment to Biopolymer PHA Commercialization with New Investment in RWDC Industries

Trinseo

To develop PHA dispersions for paper and paperboard

Reinforcing recycling, rerouting refuse, and reducing wasteflows

Waste Recovery & Management Tech

Startups developing recycling technologies, including the pyrolysis process or a recycled propylene technology, to convert plastic waste into products such as pure propylene, recycled plastic, crude oil, and furniture.

Based in Singapore, RWDC Industries offers “Solon,” a biodegradable biopolymer that replaces petroleum-derived, single-use plastics. Solon is a polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) material that is produced naturally with the microbial fermentation of sugar or oil. It can be utilized in the production of coated-paper products, single-use foodservice articles, and other packaging products. The company’s solution is being trialed as of November 2021 by packaging and consumer product manufacturers.&nbsp;The company has built a 400,000 sq ft facility in Georgia, and reported in May 2020 that the facility could produce up to 5,000 tons of PHA. Upon the funding received in November 2021, the company reported plans to increase the capacity of its Georgia facility to 50,000 tons per year (10x the 2020 capacity level), with further plans to construct a new facility in Singapore. As of November 2021, the company has been scouting a suitable site for the new facility.&nbsp; Key customers and partnershipsThe company partnered with California-based material company Cove to develop bio-based water bottles using Solon (May 2021). Consumer care company Kimberly-Clark has also partnered to develop sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic consumer products (June 2021). RWDC states that it expects its solution to accelerate the adoption of bio-based packaging and aims to support packaging companies to use fully biodegradable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025. To further develop and commercialize its bio-based solution, the company partnered with Lummus, a technology solution developer, to expedite PHA production through global licensing opportunities and leverage the expertise of both companies to enhance the accessibility and mass adoption of the product (April 2023). Funding and financials<a href="https://sp-edge.com/sectors/sustainability/updates/6853">In November 2021,</a> RWDC Industries raised USD 95.1 million in an oversubscribed series B2 funding round co-led by <a href="https://www.vickersventure.com/">Vickers Venture Partners</a> and Temasek. The funds are expected to be allocated to scale the production of Solon.

<div>
 
 Bolt Threads manufactures vegan &ldquo;spider&rdquo; silk and mycelium-based materials. Bolt Threads develops isolated silk proteins from proteins inspired by spider silk through a yeast fermentation process. The company&rsquo;s Microsilk products are sold under its clothing brand, Best Made Co. The company has also developed another biomaterial using mushroom-based mycelium, an alternative leather product branded as Mylo, which was expected to be produced on a larger scale.&nbsp;
 
 
 In September 2021, Bolt Threads announced its plans to produce Mylo on a commercial scale by the end of 2022 and expected to collaborate with mushroom farmers to heighten its mycelium crops. Though the company reported 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19867">
 halting production of Mylo
 </a>
 in June 2023 due to inflationary pressure and lack of funding, in October 2023, the company announced entering a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/22431">
 SPAC deal
 </a>
 to go public on the Nasdaq.&nbsp;
 
 
 For its Microsilk product, Bolt had a production capacity of 32,000 sq ft per annum as of 2018. Since Microsilk remains significantly more expensive than traditional silk, the founders were seeking ways to scale up.&nbsp;
 
 
 Key customers and partnerships
 
 
 For its Microsilk product, Bolt Threads launched its first collaboration in 2017 with fashion designer Stella McCartney and introduced its second prototype in the form of a biodegradable tennis dress.
 &nbsp;
 
 
 The leather alternative Mylo has been used in collaborations with Stella McCartney, Seattle-based leather bag manufacturer Chester Wallace, and Canadian athletic apparel retailer Lululemon. In October 2020, the Mylo Consortium was also formed including Adidas, Stella McCartney, Kering, and Lululemon, who collectively have made a seven-figure investment into Bolt Threads to produce Mylo. In return for their investments, these brands would have access to a large supply of the product.&nbsp;
 
 
 Stella McCartney has been experimenting with Mylo to create clothing prototypes with plans to use the material in upcoming collections. Adidas used Mylo to produce high-performance footwear for the first time in April 2021 by making a vegan version of its &ldquo;Stan Smith&rdquo; sneaker design that dates back to 1965 and had plans to expand the use of Mylo material in its other products including handbags, wallets, shoes, jackets. In February 2022, 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8404">
 Lululemon
 </a>
 launched a Mylo-based yoga bag collection, which included a multipurpose yoga bag and a storage bag for workout gear. Mylo was also used by Danish luxury brand Ganni for the launch of its limited edition Mylo-based wallet range and one-of-a-kind saddle-bags in June 2022. Ganni&rsquo;s partnership with Bolt Threads included plans to release more Mylo-based products in Q1 2023. With growing demand for its Mylo product, 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8884">
 in February 2022, 
 </a>
 the company partnered with Mycelium Materials Europe (MME) for the commercial production of Mylo but had not been able to materialize its plans.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 The company&rsquo;s last funding round was a USD 123 million Series D in January 2018 led by Baillie Gifford. The funds were used to commercialize the company&rsquo;s Microsilk&nbsp;products.
 
 
 
</div>

Bolt Threads

MycoWorks is a manufacturer of alternative leather using mushroom-based fungi. Its proprietary brand, Reishi, is manufactured using a patented process called “Fine Mycelium”, which uses fungi’s capacity to bind to itself and carbon-based materials in producing durable three-dimensional material. The benefits of Reishi, according to MycoWorks, include its tensile strength (the force needed to pull material to its breaking point) at 10 Megapascals (MPa), compared to the average cowhide tensile strength of 8.5 MPa. Reishi is also customizable (in terms of sizing and specifications) allowing growing direct-to-design products that eliminate waste from cutting and trimming.Mycoworks operates three Reishi plants as of January 2022. The third plant in California has an annual production capacity of 80,000 sq ft of material per year, increased the company’s production tenfold, and reportedly reached a milestone of producing 10,000 trays of Fine Mycelium after a year of operation. The company is also building a new USD 107 million worth manufacturing facility in Union, South Carolina, with operations expected to commence in 2023. The new facility reportedly is expected to produce several million sq ft of Fine Mycelium per year. In August 2023, the company announced opening a <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/20757">136,000 square foot plant </a>&nbsp;which will produce Reishi that has been embraced by luxury brands like Hermès and Ligne Roset for various applications and was expected to begin operation on September 20, 2023.Reishi remains in the prototype development and testing phase. The company announced that the material is currently being tested in clothing, shoe, wallet, and handbag design. Key customers and partnershipsThe company indicated in November 2020 that the first luxury fashion and footwear products containing Reishi will be launched in partnership with leading fashion and footwear brands in the coming months. MycoWorks also partnered with Hermès, the French luxury goods manufacturer, in March 2021 to use a material named “Sylvania”(a Fine Mycelium-based material developed by the two companies over three years) in a sustainable version of Hermès’s “Victoria” travel bag, by the end of 2021. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/24584">November 2023</a>, the company partnered with YUME YUME for interactive Reishi-based installation at Stedelijk Museum. Funding and financials<a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7804">In January 2022</a>, MycoWorks raised USD 125 million in a Series C funding round led by Prime Movers Lab. The funding was expected to accelerate commercial production of Reishi and support in R&amp;D, technology development, and hiring new employees.

MycoWorks

Checkerspot is a manufacturer of microalgae-based performance materials which are used to produce consumer products, including skis and surfboards. The company modifies microalgae’s genes to derive new molecular building blocks and then bioengineers production of consumer products. Microbes are optimized to biomanufacture unique, natural structural oils that were previously not accessible on a viable, commercial scale. The company’s primary focus is on high-performance polyurethanes and coatings made from bio-based oil via fabrication.The company’s commercialized products include Algal Core (a light-weight urethane-based composite) and Algal Wall (cast urethane), both products are offered under the WNDR Alpine brand while algal oil is sold under the miDori bioWick. In February 2021, WNDR Alpine, Checkerspot’s outdoor brand, received the B Corp Certification, private certification granted to for-profit companies by the B Lab, a global non-profit organization formed to support the movement of using businesses as a force for good. Key customers and partnershipsThe company has partnered with Beyond Surface Technologies (BST) to commercialize miDori BioWick, an algal oil used in BST’s wicking textile finish. As of August 2020, the company’s co-development partners also included W.L. Gore and DIC Corporation.Funding and financialsIn its latest funding round in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16362">February 2023, </a>Checkerspot raised USD 55 million in Series C funding led by ArrowMark Partners to accelerate the development and commercialization of biobased alternatives for everyday products and expand into markets, such as industrial applications, personal care, and food and nutrition.

Checkerspot

Mi Terro converts milk waste into sustainable yarn, using a self-developed technology known as Pro-Act that extracts casein protein molecules from milk. The protein is purified and undergoes a dynamic flow shear spinning process, converting the casein to sustainable fiber. The resulting yarn is claimed to be three times softer than cotton and has applications in textiles, food packaging, bedding, personal care, and medical sectors. Mi Terro has also developed a limited-release ocean-waste duffle bag. Key customers and partnershipsThe company has partnered with Nike, Danone, Toyoshima, DFA, Mitsubishi, Lair East Labs, Dole, Budweiser, and Harada. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/23179">October 2023</a>, the company partnered with Lipton to develop dissolvable tea pods. Funding and financialsThe company completed two rounds of funding in 2020, raising USD 100,000 in January 2020 and USD 50,000 in March 2020. In January 2021, the company also won the Meda Million Dollar Challenge and received a USD 300,000 prize. In March 2022, the company raised USD 1.5 million in a Seed round led by Astanor to scale up production.

Mi Terro

Modern Meadow develops collagen-based materials from plant proteins, using a range of biofabrication processes including the creation of bio alloys, solution dyeing, protein design, and fermentation. The focus of the company is on the luxury branded market with its fully biodegradable proprietary brand, “ZOA”. Modern Meadow also reports that it is developing “Bioleather1 (BL1)”, an alternative to chrome tanned bovine leather made using its proprietary BioAlloy process. According to research published by the company in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/8431">February 2022 </a>, BL1 reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80% and 20% compared to traditional and synthetic leather respectively. It also reduces water consumption from groundwater sources, land use, and the subsequent degradation of water bodies during the process by 95% compared to conventional leather production.In April 2020, Modern Meadow announced plans to commence commercial production later that year and was actively looking for manufacturing partners. As of the same date, Modern Meadow employed between 70-90 staff at its 72,000 sq ft factory in New Jersey.Key customers and partnershipsModern Meadow announced a partnership with Evonik in March 2018, to develop and scale-up the commercial production of fermentation-based products.In April 2021, the company reported that it would announce collaborations with fashion brands and industry partners during the following six to nine months. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15657">January 2023 </a>, Modern Meadow partnered with Taiwan-based sustainable fabric company, Singtex to develop biomaterials for various applications, beginning with a sustainable, waterproof, membrane-based material for the outdoor apparel market. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16786">February 2023 </a>, the company partnered with US luxury brand, Tory Burch, to launch Tory Burch’s first plant-based leather alternative tote, the Ella Bio, powered by Modern Meadow technology, Bio-Alloy.In June 2023, it also formed a strategic partnership with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19178">Navis TubeTex </a>, a provider of textile machinery, to develop a sustainable textile manufacturing process. During the same month, it also formed a strategic partnership with <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/19868">BASF </a>to create an animal-free material called Bio-VERA that replicates the look, feel, and aging properties of traditional leather, suede, or chamois.In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/30500">June 2024</a>, the company partnered with Earthletica to unveil the Bronte Jacket which used Bio-Alloy Shield technology.Funding and financialsIn April 2021, the company raised USD 130 million in a Series C funding round led by Key Partners Capital to (i) develop the company's biofabrication technology, used in creating an alternative to fossil-fuel-based textile coatings; and (ii) scale-up and commercialize its collagen-based leather material.

Modern Meadow

Developers of materials with applications across apparel, automobile, home goods, etc.

Developers of non-leather material alternatives such as wool, silk, and viscose—mostly for apparel

Developers of alternatives to plastic and other materials used in packaging

Developers of alternative materials for industrial applications such as sporting goods, electronic components, and automotive parts

Reuses waste to create bio-based materials

Sustainable alternatives to materials like animal leather, silk, plastic

Singapore-based biopolymer producer RWDC Industries has signed a Joint Development and Commercial Cooperation Agreement (JDCCA) with Lummus Technology, a refining and petrochemical technology company, for the manufacturing and global licensing of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Lummus has shown interest in the partnership due to RWDC's technology innovation, engineering capability, commercial value proposition, and existing global brand partnerships. The two companies had previously signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in April of this year to collaborate on global PHA deployment initiatives.

RWDC Industries

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