Embion receives Innosuisse grant

Embion Technologies enables the use of plant biomass as a resource, for the extraction of high-value and functionality products for the specialty ingredients and chemicals markets. The startup’s first product is a prebiotic extracted from barley-spent grains that allows for sugar reduction in food and beverage and stimulates a healthy microbiome.

Ecublens-based Embion and its two EPFL partners initiated a CHF 0.5 million project funded by Innosuisse (formerly CTI) for advancing biomass to biopolymers technology. The project develops IP around Embion's core technology for using agricultural and other sources of residues and transforming to chemicals for production of 100% renewable biopolymer materials.

These renewable polymers, with the codename PEF, have the potential to substitute PET with green and sustainable sources of plastics with applications in food and beverage packaging and biosynthetic textiles with advanced properties to petroleum derived equivalent materials.

This grant comes in addition to Embion’s closing an oversubscribed convertible note of CHF325k with the participation of private investors, as part of their seed round. The funds will be used for product development and scaling up Embion's proprietary biomass processing technology.

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