Sustainable leather startup Qorium raises €22 million

Qorium, a Dutch biotech startup, has raised €22 million in a Series A funding round to expand its manufacturing capabilities for its groundbreaking cell-based leather technology. This investment will allow Qorium to transition from prototype to significant commercial production, serving the luxury, automotive, and consumer goods industries with a more sustainable alternative to traditional leather. By harnessing the power of biotechnology, Qorium is reinventing the leather industry and paving the way for a future in which leather can be produced without the environmental and ethical costs of livestock farming.

Qorium's innovative process begins with a small biopsy of skin cells taken from a carefully selected donor cow. These cells, chosen for their ability to produce high-quality leather, are then transported to Qorium's laboratory. The cells are replicated and prepared to produce collagen. Qorium uses special equipment to grow cells into precise, uniform collagen sheets. These sheets are then tanned into full-thickness leather, yielding a material biologically identical to traditional leather. The company then partners with tanneries and global brands to turn the collagen into leather. This method uses less water and fewer chemicals, emits no methane, and produces consistent, high-quality leather with minimal waste, addressing many of the environmental concerns associated with traditional leather production.

Scaling up sustainable leather production

The €22 million Series A funding round attracted several key investors, including Invest-NL, LIOF, Brightlands Venture Partners, and Sofinnova Partners. Invest-NL is contributing €10 million to this round. This investment will enable Qorium to expand its facilities in Maastricht, install larger bioreactor systems, and scale up production to serve commercial clients in the luxury, automotive, and goods sectors. Qorium plans to appoint a new director to its board in the coming weeks. Prior to this Series A funding, Qorium raised €8 million in seed funding, including a €2.6 million round in 2021 and additional funding in 2024.

Michael Newton, CEO of Qorium, stated that the investment is a vote of confidence in Qorium's mission to transform the leather industry. Lisette Kersting-van der Boog, senior investment manager at Invest-NL, noted that Qorium's technology enables a systemic change by producing real leather without livestock, demonstrating biotechnology's potential to contribute to a more sustainable materials chain.

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