There is a phrase from Janine Benyus’s book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature that has never left me: “Life creates conditions conducive to life.”
In a moment when we urgently need systems that regenerate rather than extract, the natural world offers not only metaphors, but a methodology. AskNature.org, our open-source library of biological intelligence, exists to make that methodology accessible to anyone building the next generation of regenerative solutions. It is the most comprehensive database of deep biological knowledge in the world, translated into language that welcomes students, innovators, engineers, designers, policymakers, and curious minds alike.
Today, I’m thrilled to share that we’ve added 20 new pages to AskNature as part of the 2025 Ray of Hope Gallery, our most visited collection. This includes an Innovation page and a Biological Strategy page for each of the ten startups in our 2025 Ray of Hope Accelerator cohort. Each startup is rooted in biological intelligence and led by founders who are not simply developing products, they are shaping a paradigm shift.
🔗 Explore the full collection on AskNature: Ray of Hope 2025 Gallery
To (re)introduce this year’s cohort, I invite you into a narrative, a soft arc through the forest, from seed to soil to fire to new growth, following the pathways of the living world and the ten innovations inspired by it.
Parsons Kinetics | Low-Wind Turbines Inspired by Winged Seeds
In the canopy of the Amazon, the winged seed of Triplaris americana spins into the air, its curved leaf-blade transforming gravity into rotation. Parsons Kinetics brings this phenomenon into the design of their Bioseed turbine blades making clean energy accessible to low-wind regions and rural communities alike.
🌱 Innovation & Biological Strategy
PolyGone Systems | Microplastic Filter Inspired by Aquatic Plant Roots
Beneath still surfaces, the roots of aquatic plants collect microplastics simply by being present: hydrophobic strands, branching fibers, quiet entanglement. PolyGone Systems scales this process into industrial “artificial roots” that remove up to 98% of microplastics from waterways, passively, affordably, and without chemicals.
🌿 Innovation & Biological Strategy
Ecotune | Bio-Based Materials Inspired by Skin’s Microstructure
Skin is a marvel: collagen for strength, elastin for movement, molecular architecture that adapts to pressure and time. Ecotune brings this biological blueprint into materials science, creating fully bio-based, plastic-free alternatives to leather and synthetic materials that are strong, flexible, beautiful, and biodegradable.
👞 Innovation & Biological Strategy
Anew Material | Nontoxic Coatings Inspired by Keratin
Feathers, hair, horns: keratin is one of the most elegant protective materials in the living world. Anew Material mimics keratin’s structures using plant-derived polymers to build high-performance coatings without petrochemicals, VOCs, or microplastics. A modular, green-chemistry platform that challenges an entire industry by using bio-polymers.
💅 Innovation & Biological Strategy
Emboa Medical | Blood Clot Remover Inspired by Snake Teeth
A boa constrictor’s backward-curving teeth hold prey with directional precision. Emboa Medical applies this principle to stroke care, embedding microscale “teeth” that act gently within a catheter to remove clots more effectively, firmly, and safely, improving outcomes in communities disproportionately impacted by stroke inequities.
🐍 Innovation & Biological Strategy
Limax Biosciences | Advanced Surgical Gels Inspired by Slugs
The Dusky Arion slug secretes a mucus that clings even to wet, moving surfaces, a balance of toughness, elasticity, and charge. Limax Biosciences mimics this slug mucus to create a hydrogel adhesive that seals bleeding tissue in seconds, without toxic solvents or cold-chain constraints, reshaping surgical care.
🐌 Innovation & Biological Strategy
New Dawn Bio | Harnessing Nature’s Signals for Custom-Grown Wood
A tree does not manufacture wood, it grows it, guided by internal signals and external forces. New Dawn Bio mimics this process to grow premium wood from plant stem cells in days, not decades, creating grown-to-shape materials that eliminate deforestation and waste.
🌳 Innovation & Biological Strategy
OptionV Energy | Critical Mineral Sourcing Inspired by Mushroom Chemistry
In the forest floor, Amanita mushrooms craft complex molecules like amavadin that bind metals with high selectivity. OptionV Energy translates this chemistry into a low-temperature extraction process for vanadium, a critical mineral for long-duration energy storage, unlocking circular, domestic supply chains from metal waste.
🍄 Innovation & Biological Strategy
Praio | Mini Enzyme Factories Inspired by Protocells
Before cellular life existed, coacervates (microscopic liquid-like droplets formed by phase separation) may have acted as primitive compartments where enzymes concentrated and reactions accelerated. Inspired by these early structures, Praio builds artificial protocells that replicate this compartmentalization, enabling low-energy, high-efficiency enzyme-driven manufacturing for chemicals, fragrances, and beyond.
🧫 Innovation & Biological Strategy
Pyri | Wildfire Detection Device Inspired by Pine Cones
Serotinous pine cones wait patiently for the heat of wildfire to open, releasing seeds into newly fertile soil when the fire clears. Pyri brings that strategy into climate adaptation: a decentralized, heat-activated wildfire detection system made from organic materials, designed to be scattered by air and activated when fire approaches.
🔥 Innovation & Biological Strategy
A new era guided by nature
This is what the future of tech looks like: low-energy, high-performance, circular by design, and built to create the very conditions conducive to life that Janine Benyus wrote about.
As investors, builders, policymakers, and curious innovators look for scalable, resilient solutions, these companies offer a glimpse of a rapidly emerging paradigm: one where biology is the blueprint, sustainability is a growth engine, and regeneration becomes a business strategy.
I invite you to explore the full gallery, follow these teams as they grow, meet them at our upcoming Demo Day in February 2026 (register here), and allow their work to spark your own curiosity and imagination.
Discover the full Ray of Hope Gallery on AskNature: Explore the 2025 Collection
Maëlys Renaud is the Program Manager of the Ray of Hope Accelerator. She is a chemist, open-innovation enthusiast, and former Science Diplomat. Maëlys joined the Institute to identify, support and accelerate nature-inspired startups. Learn more about Maëlys and the rest of the team here.
