Mykor, a Bristol-based biotechnology startup, has closed a €4.6 million Series A funding round to expand production of low-carbon construction materials derived from waste streams. The round was led by the Clean Growth Fund, with participation from the British Business Bank’s South Investment Fund, The FSE Group, and Green Angel Ventures.
Founded in 2021, Mykor develops sustainable alternatives to conventional construction materials by converting waste into viable building products. The company now brings its total funding to €8.6 million following the latest capital injection.
Scaling Manufacturing Operations
The fresh capital will be deployed toward scaling production facilities and establishing what the company describes as a replicable model for deploying manufacturing capacity across new locations. This approach aims to address the construction industry’s significant carbon footprint while maintaining commercial viability.
Olivia Page, representing the company’s leadership, articulated the core philosophy driving the venture: “We’ve built Mykor around the idea that decarbonising construction cannot come at the expense of cost, performance or practicality.” This statement reflects an industry-wide challenge—achieving environmental goals without compromising the economic and technical requirements that builders and developers depend upon.
Meeting Construction Industry Demands
The construction sector accounts for a substantial proportion of global carbon emissions, both through material production and operational energy use. Mykor’s approach targets the materials side of this equation, developing products that maintain the performance characteristics required by architects and builders while reducing embodied carbon.
The involvement of multiple institutional investors underscores growing confidence in cleantech solutions for the built environment. The Clean Growth Fund’s lead position signals institutional backing for Mykor’s technical approach and business model, while the South Investment Fund’s participation reflects support for growth-stage companies operating in the UK’s lower-population regions outside London.
European Cleantech Momentum
Mykor’s funding success aligns with broader momentum in European cleantech investment, particularly in sectors addressing climate-critical challenges like construction decarbonisation. The startup ecosystem across the UK and wider Europe has seen increasing capital allocation toward materials science and circular economy approaches that transform waste streams into valuable products.
The company’s focus on manufacturing scalability and replicability suggests ambitions beyond a single facility, potentially positioning Mykor for geographic expansion as it matures. This model-driven approach to growth appeals to impact-focused investors concerned not just with individual company success but with systemic change across high-emission industries.
As construction continues to face regulatory pressure to reduce carbon intensity, companies developing cost-competitive alternatives to carbon-intensive materials occupy an increasingly strategic position within the cleantech landscape.