Rubi a fresh $8.7 million in Series Seed funding led by Talis Capital
Rubi, the company creating a new way of manufacturing that exists in harmony with the planet, announces its initial strategic pilot partnerships with global fashion brands Reformation, GANNI, Nuuly, H&M, and Patagonia, and a fresh $8.7 million in Series Seed funding led by Talis Capital, alongside Patagonia’s Tin Shed Ventures, H&M Group, Collaborative Fund, and Necessary Ventures. With top brand partners and $13.5 million in total funding, Rubi has the capital, talent, and technology to rapidly scale its production process, push innovation through the apparel supply chain and deliver limited collections of planet-positive apparel to its customers.
“Rubi is turning fashion’s supply chain on its head, transforming a wasteful and resource intensive process into a net positive for the planet,” said Kathleen Talbot, Chief Sustainability Officer and VP of Operations at Reformation. “Up to two-thirds of fashion’s environmental impact happens at the raw materials stage, before clothing is even produced, which means investing in next generation materials is absolutely critical. Innovations like Rubi are not only key to helping Reformation achieve Climate Positivity, but also play an important role in building a future for fashion that is actually hopeful and inspiring.”
Rubi has proven its ability to scale quickly. Within the last year, the company has captured the interest of the scientific community, top investors, and supply chain experts: The company received a $250,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, raised $4.25 million in Pre-Seed funding, won The H&M Foundation’s coveted Global Change Award, was included as a Changemaker in Fashion For Good’s Global Innovation Programme, and landed on Forbes 30 under 30 for manufacturing and industry. Within the last 6 months alone, the team has grown by 200% and hired its new Cellulose Engineer from the top cellulose research lab led by Orlando Rojas at Aalto University.
Matus Maar, Managing Partner at Talis Capital, who led Rubi’s Series Seed funding alongside Associate Cecilia Manduca, said “At Talis we strongly believe that now is the time for companies to make strides in decarbonising existing industries by leveraging advances in synthetic biology, biomanufacturing and machine learning. We have been lucky enough to continue partnering with Neeka, Leila and the entire Rubi team as they progress on their mission to decarbonise supply chains and re-think how we produce materials in harmony with the planet.”
“Rubi Laboratories is an exciting fabric development that has the potential to be climate positive as it looks to sequester carbon from the atmosphere in various manufacturing processes,” said Nicolaj Reffstrup, Founder of GANNI. “We ultimately need to get to a place where we can create products that leave a truly positive impact. Fabric innovations will play a crucial role in getting fashion to that point, but for this to happen brands need to place bets and take risks. This is why we’re committed to supporting and investing in breakthrough fabric innovations like Rubi Laboratories through our innovation initiative ‘Fabrics of the Future'.”
Symbiotic Manufacturing in Fashion and Beyond
Rubi exists to ensure the planetary future by restoring Earth’s ecological balance with reimagined supply chains that are symbiotic with the planet. Inspired by how trees grow, Rubi uses biochemical processes powered by enzymes at an industrial scale to “eat” carbon emissions and make carbon-negative, resource-neutral textiles. Rubi’s patent-pending, cell-free biocatalysis process captures and converts CO2 from the waste streams of manufacturing facilities into cellulose. The converted cellulose is then used to create lyocell yarn which can be used for clothing and materials. 100% of CO2 inputted to the end product is done with zero waste.
“We know we’re part of something bigger. The world desperately needs affordable and scalable solutions rooted in cutting-edge science and technology to reinvent the ways industries operate,” said Neeka Mashouf, CEO and Co-Founder of Rubi Labs. “Rubi has done that by creating a new way of manufacturing that mimics nature called symbiotic manufacturing. While we’re applying our solution to the fashion industry first, it’s our goal to make every supply chain exist in harmony with the planet.”
