Strong by Form, a leading Spanish bio-composite technology company and 2022 Ray of Hope Prize® finalist, has just announced the completion of a $5.2 million seed funding round.
We couldn’t be prouder of the team, and more thrilled to see investment going to nature-inspired sustainability ventures.
What makes Strong by Form so special?
Recognizing the strength and flexibility of wood, humans––like birds and beavers before us––have long used it for construction. But when using wood, we have tended to focus on supporting our structures at the macro scale, using large, straight beams and planks that concentrate intense pressure at specific points and follow relatively limited design options. To use more fluid shapes and designs, and to avoid weak joints, they’ve developed energy-and-resource-intensive materials like reinforced concrete, fiberglass, and plastics.
There hasn’t been a good way to get the sustainability of wood and the functionality of composite materials at the same time.
But now, researchers, materials experts and innovators at Strong by Form have devised a manufacturing process that mimics the way trees themselves shape their materials for structural performance, opening up revolutionary possibilities for the forms wood construction can take.
The result is a lightweight wood product that reduces the amount of material needed to build structures and the costs to transport them. The material is also strong enough to become an alternative to highly polluting materials such as steel, aluminum, concrete, or fiber-reinforced plastics, in buildings, vehicles, and furniture.
Given the potential Strong by Form is bringing to applications like architecture, infrastructure, furniture and more, we’re not surprised to see the seed round oversubscribed by over 25 percent. Funding was led by CMPC Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of CMPC, one of the world’s largest pulp and paper producers. The funding also includes investment from CiRi Ventures, MAIF Avenir Ventures, Teampact Ventures, Climate Insiders, Core Angels, Savia Ventures, Family Offices, and corporate venture capitals Symbia VC, FINSA, and VX Ventures.
Click here to read the full article by Cate Lawrence.
Ray of Hope Prize®
The Ray of Hope Prize celebrates nature-inspired solutions addressing the world’s biggest environmental and sustainability challenges. Created in honor of Ray C. Anderson, founder of Interface, Inc. and a business and sustainability leader, the $100,000 Ray of Hope Prize helps startups cross a critical threshold in becoming viable businesses by amplifying their stories and providing them with equity-free funding. The prize shines a light on the innovative, nature-inspired solutions that we need to build a sustainable and resilient world. Strong by Form was selected as a finalist for the 2022 Ray of Hope Prize.
