Qorium secures investment to scale lab-grown leather

Dutch biotech start-up Qorium, which is pioneering cultivated leather from cultured cow cells, has secured a 22-million-euro investment to scale production of its lab-grown leather.

The round was led by Invest-NL, a fund owned by the Dutch government, and LIOF, the regional development agency for the Limburg region in the Netherlands, alongside existing investors Brightlands Venture Partners and Sofinnova Partners, as well as an “influential group of high-net-worth individuals”.

This latest round builds on 8 million euros in seed funding, which was invested in a new bioreactor system at its Maastricht facilities to support the biotech firm’s mission to bring its sustainable real leather material to market.

The Series A investment comes as the cultivated leather market is projected to grow rapidly, as demand increases for consistent and high-quality real leather. Qorium’s technology produces “beautiful, uniform real leather” from a few animal cells, eliminating the need for livestock farming while improving final leather products, reducing production waste and significantly reducing the environmental impact vs. animal-derived leather.

Its method also produces fewer carbon emissions, no methane emissions and reduced water and chemical use compared to traditional leather, and has no ties to the livestock industry or the polluting processes necessary in the processing of animal hides.

Michael Newton, chief executive of Qorium, said in a statement: “This investment is a powerful vote of confidence in our mission to transform the leather industry. By combining cutting-edge science with deep leather expertise and sustainable practices, we are creating real leather that offers better performance than traditional animal-derived leather, without the environmental and ethical costs.

“With Invest-NL, LIOF, and others now on board, we can take the next steps towards reinventing real leather and bring it to market at scale.”

Lisette Kersting-van der Boog from Invest-NL added: “At Invest-NL, we invest in technologies that drive systemic change. Qorium’s leather is a breakthrough innovation that can transform one of the world’s most polluting industries.

“By producing real leather without livestock, Qorium shows how biotechnology can build a more sustainable materials system. We are proud to support this Dutch frontrunner in scaling their impact.”