Sparxell, a College of Cambridge spin-out and innovator of bioinspired color know-how, has raised €4.2 million ($5 million) in pre-Collection A funding to interchange poisonous chemical substances within the €40 billion ($48 billion) world colourants market.
The spherical is led by SWEN Capital Companions’ Blue Ocean 2 fund, with participation from Alpha Star Capital and Cambridge Enterprise. The funding accelerates Sparxell’s transition from pilot programmes to commercial-scale manufacturing, with tonne-scale manufacturing amenities operational by 2026.
Dr Benjamin Droguet, Founder and CEO of Sparxell, says: “Our know-how isn’t simply an alternate – it’s right here to remain as a result of it delivers superior efficiency because of its nature-inspired options. This funding takes us from proof of idea to manufacturing and business launches.”
The 2025–2026 interval factors to a gradual movement of capital into bio-based color, cellulose and sustainable supplies applied sciences, offering context for Sparxell’s pre-Collection A.
In January 2026, Copenhagen-based Octarine Bio added €5 million to its Collection A to advance its pure pigment platform for purposes together with textiles and cosmetics. Earlier, in June 2025, Danish biotech Cellugy secured €8.1 million to scale cellulose-based supplies designed to remove microplastics in private care merchandise, reflecting adjoining momentum round biofabricated cellulose options. In April 2025, Finland’s Fiberdom raised €3.5 million to commercialise plastic-free wood-fibre supplies for round purposes.
Taken collectively, these rounds characterize roughly €16.6 millioninvested into intently associated sustainable supplies and color know-how segments, positioning Sparxell’s funding inside a broader European sample of backing for scalable, bio-based options to petrochemical-derived pigments and supplies.
“We’re at an inflexion level. Manufacturers are beneath stress to remove artificial toxins from their provide chains. Momentum is constructing in Europe round banning ‘without end chemical substances’ equivalent to PFAS. The EU microplastics ban can also be now in pressure, whereas the FDA is reassessing artificial color components,” provides Droguet.
Based in 2023 by College of Cambridge scientists Dr Benjamin Droguet and Professor Silvia Vignolini, Sparxell is a color platform know-how that creates pure color pigments, inks, glitters, sequins, and movies which can be reportedly plastic-free, toxin-free, and totally biodegradable.
Its patented know-how makes use of cellulose from wooden pulp, extracting and assembling cellulose crystals into buildings that replicate particular wavelengths of sunshine to create “100% plant-based structural color” – the identical precept that creates vibrantly colored butterfly wings – eliminating petroleum-based chemical substances, artificial dyes, poisonous heavy metals and minerals.
Utilizing bodily buildings slightly than poisonous chemical substances to create color, their capabilities span pigment powders, glitters, inks, sequins, and movies for purposes throughout textiles, cosmetics, meals and beverage, packaging, paint and coatings, automotive sectors and extra.
Based on the corporate, their tech outperforms artificial options while additionally lowering water use and power consumption – in addition to eliminating microplastics and chemical air pollution.
Mélanie Le Guen, Funding Director, SWEN Capital Companions’ Blue Ocean technique, shares: “Sparxell’s innovation is totally aligned with the ambition of our SWEN Blue Ocean 2 fund. By reinventing color via a bio-based, biodegradable strategy, Sparxell provides a tangible response to a serious environmental problem whereas enabling world industries to transition towards safer and extra sustainable practices. We’re delighted to accompany them on this subsequent part of progress.”
The textile business alone releases 1.5 million tonnes of toxic synthetic dyes into waterways annually. And in contrast to artificial dyes which persist within the atmosphere and complicate recycling, Sparxell’s 100% cellulose pigments are biodegradable and combine into round economic system techniques essentially reworking end-of-life situations for colored textiles and packaging.
Earlier this yr, Sparxell secured a €1.9 million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC). Sparxell additionally introduced a collaboration with British luxurious model Patrick McDowell and launched commercially accessible plant-based textile inks with Constructive Supplies.
Chris Gibbs, Funding Director, Cambridge Enterprise, says: “This funding is a crucial milestone in Sparxell’s growth, enabling extra sustainable colourants based mostly on pure, biodegradable pigments delivering tangible environmental advantages because the know-how scales.
“We’re happy to have labored alongside the group since their earliest phases and to proceed to help them via this subsequent part. The group has constructed an incredible spherical and an incredible investor syndicate to take the know-how world.”
The Pre-Collection A funding will drive three strategic priorities:
- Scaling manufacturing to tonne-scale manufacturing
- Accelerating product certification for textiles, cosmetics, and automotive purposes,
- Hiring key new workers, together with for enterprise growth
Alexandre Cadain, Co-Founder & Managing Companion, Alpha Star Capital, provides: “We had been drawn to Sparxell’s technique and management: As a substitute of making an attempt to retrofit sustainability into present chemistry, they rebuilt color from first rules utilizing a pure construction. It provides a transparent reply to a long-standing business problem, and it really works at a scale that issues.”
