Seprify, a biomaterials company, has raised €13.4m ($15.5m) in a Series A round to expand production and commercial rollout of its cellulose-based ingredients for industrial use.
The funding includes participation from Inter IKEA Group.
Other backers named in the round are Una Terra Early Growth Fund, Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB), Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Kickfund and additional investors focused on the circular economy.
Based in Fribourg, Switzerland, Seprify said its cellulose platform brings together process development capabilities, application expertise and intellectual property covering manufacturing methods, products and end-use applications.
The company’s flagship materials include SilvaLuma, described as a cellulose-based SPF booster for cosmetics and personal care, and SilvaAlba, positioned as a food-grade whitening ingredient intended as a scalable alternative to titanium dioxide.
According to Seprify, the new capital will be used to increase commercial output to hundreds of tonnes per year via existing manufacturing partners, support market introductions in priority segments and fund engineering work linked to future industrial-scale capacity.
Seprify co-founder & CEO Lukas Schertel said: “This funding enables us to focus on execution and scale. Our immediate priority is delivering consistent quality and reliable supply, meeting the operational standards large industrial customers require. In the near term, that means supporting cosmetics and personal care, including suncare, as well as food and pet food.”
The company said the funding supports a move from pilot-stage validation to procurement-ready supply, aiming to help customers progress from evaluations and trials towards repeatable supply arrangements, procurement discussions and longer-term sourcing decisions.
Seprify linked this shift to increasing demand for scalable bio-based replacements for higher-emission materials, including titanium dioxide.
Seprify added that, with support from Inter IKEA Group, its platform has been validated at TRL 7–9 through collaboration with industry partners and is now moving through supplier qualification, early commercial contracts and procurement discussions in cosmetics and personal care, food and pet food, and coatings.
The company said it is currently working with more than 100 customer organisations, ranging from active evaluations to early commercial supply.
