The Biomimicry Institute’s 2022 cohort of Ray of Hope Prize finalists are leveraging nature’s genius to revolutionize textiles, wind turbines, waste remediation, building materials, cleaning products, sunscreen, plastics and more.
From inventing higher-performing and more sustainable renewable energy systems
to reducing food waste to solving the plastic waste
problem,
the 2022 Ray of Hope
Prize®
finalists offer inspiring solutions through their use of
biomimicry (also referred to as
nature-inspired or bioinspired design). Selected from hundreds of impressive
submissions from companies from around the world, the Biomimicry
Institute is proud to announce the top 10 finalists
selected to participate in this transformational program designed to help
startups cross a critical threshold in scaling their sustainable solutions. The
10-week virtual accelerator program culminates in the chance to receive the
$100,000 grand prize and additional equity-free funding.
Previous Ray of Hope Prize
finalists include breakthrough
innovators such as Spintex Engineering,
ECOncrete,
Biohm, Werewool,
Spotless Materials, Impossible
Materials and
Nucleário — all have gone on to raise millions more in seed funding and have
made inspiring impacts to the industries for which they’ve designed solutions.
“Every year, we see more and more breakthrough, nature-inspired companies apply
to the Ray of Hope Prize — indicating that this field is growing to meet the
climate and biodiversity challenges facing our planet,” said Jared
Yarnall-Schane, Innovation Director at the Institute. “Among them are
companies that are creating brand new chemicals and materials that are in tune
with those that already exist in nature, and companies that are creating
products to make critical infrastructure more efficient and sustainable.”
The 2022 finalists
Amphibio United Kingdom
Amphibio has developed a recyclable and PFC-free alternative to traditional
waterproof, breathable textiles for the outdoor and sportswear industry. This is
accomplished via a unique manufacturing process and PFC-free, superhydrophobic
yarn called Amphitex™ — which was
inspired by water- and liquid-repellent nanostructures found in nature.
Amphibio’s textiles are made from one source material and do not need any
chemical treatments, mitigating two of the biggest barriers of sustainable
textile production today.
Biome Renewables Canada
Biome Renewables is an engineering and design firm that learns from nature to
create higher-performing and more sustainable renewable energy systems. Their
first product, the PowerCone®, is
a wind turbine retrofit inspired by the aerodynamics of a falling maple seed,
which moves through the air with a pattern of least resistance. The PowerCone,
which is a second smaller rotor bolted to the hub of existing wind turbines, can
increase the annual energy production of a wind turbine while minimizing the
amount of loads and vibrations experienced by the turbine. Currently, Biome is
bringing its second technology to market — a serrations technology that mimics
an owl’s wing, to deliver quieter wind turbine performance. Recent wind tunnel
testing in Germany revealed up to 4 decibels in noise reduction.
Fusion Bionic GmbH Germany
Fusion Bionic creates laser-generated surface textures inspired by textures
found in nature, opening up new possibilities for functionalized surfaces. Its
Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) can create micro- and
nano-scale surface textures on which, for example, ice does not stick
(anti-icing for e.g. aviation) and glass surfaces do not reflect (ex:
anti-reflective smartphone screens); and implants that are better accepted by
the body (biocompatible, antibacterial). All of these surface textures replace
ecologically harmful processes, such as chemical de-icing, sandblasting or
etching, while meeting the demand of increased product performance via
industrial-scale surface finishing.
GreenPod Labs India
India is the second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables; but ~40
percent of fresh produce is lost before it reaches consumers. GreenPod Labs has
created bio-inspired packaging sachets that release plant-based volatiles to
activate the built-in defense mechanism within specific fruits or vegetables, in
order to slow down the ripening rate and minimize microbial growth. By
understanding crop physiology and spoilage types, GreenPod Labs has created the
right formulation for produce to fight against biotic and abiotic stresses at
ambient temperature, lessening the need for cold storage and cold supply chains.
Intropic Materials United States
Intropic Materials is addressing plastic waste from the inside out by embedding
enzymes directly into plastics to aid and significantly speed up natural
degradation. These plastics rapidly and completely break down at end of use into
biodegradable or chemically
recyclable
small molecules without producing
microplastics,
in accessible conditions such as warm water baths or compost. This is enabled by
Intropic’s proprietary enzyme-stabilization platform, bringing together natural
and synthetic materials designed to function similarly to chaperone
proteins
— which protect and preserve enzymatic structure and function in foreign
environments.
Metavoxel United States
Low-density, high-performance cellular materials such as bone, bamboo and marine
sponges are nature’s way of doing more with less, providing structural
efficiency and multifunctionality across scale. The key is in the specific,
internal, cellular geometry. Metavoxel recreates these cellular geometries to
produce lightweight and strong metamaterials that can improve structural
efficiency and reduce the cost and environmental footprint of the built
environment. The goal for Metavoxel is to do more with less — to conserve energy
and material resources while accomplishing specific mechanical and structural
objectives.
Mycocycle United States
Mycocycle works with nature’s master decomposers, fungi, to break down complex
waste streams such as construction materials and asphalt. Using a systems-level
biomimetic approach, Mycocycle’s process enables a circular industrial supply
chain — becoming ever more important as landfills reach capacity. To accomplish
this, Mycocycle first optimizes fungi in a lab to decompose specific waste
streams. Then, they remediate onsite waste in collaboration with manufacturers,
recyclers and waste-management companies. The resulting by-product can then be
used to create new products.
Sóliome United States
Sunscreen has become a part of the daily routine for millions of people;
however, the current market choices often contain toxic chemicals or are
damaging to sensitive organisms such as
coral.
Sóliome has created a novel sunscreen inspired by compounds that naturally
concentrate in the lens of the human eye to absorb UVA and UVB radiation. By
isolating and stabilizing this molecule, Sóliome has created a safe, affordable,
environmentally friendly sunscreen.
Strong by Form Chile
In nature, trees can withstand high wind and storm stresses by growing the right
form, density and fiber orientations — which is how natural wood can achieve a
strength stronger than steel. By combining material science with the latest
digital optimization tools, Strong by Form has developed Woodflow — a
fabrication technology that mimics these natural form functions. The proprietary
additive manufacturing process can create high-performance, ultralight,
timber-based structural composites for the construction and mobility industries
at a fraction of their conventional environmental impact.
Sudoc United States
Sudoc creates chemical cleaning products that emulate how enzymes work in the
human liver to efficiently oxidize harmful and toxic micropollutants. By closely
mimicking the mechanism of these peroxidase liver enzymes, Sudoc’s innovative
chemistry platform can reduce, replace and eliminate toxic chemicals in a wide
range of applications. The company’s first product,
dot, outperforms traditional mold-stain removal
products with 1/30th the chemical content; Sudoc is now developing a range of
other household and commercial cleaning products, as well as solutions for the
treatment of wastewater and waste pharmaceuticals. By creating chemistry in
balance with nature, Sudoc is helping to address a massive increase in global
chemical toxicity that is contributing to the greater incidence of infertility,
diseases such as cancer, and impacted developmental behaviors.
The 10 finalists will now begin the 10-week virtual program
and deliver their pitches to an expert judging panel in November. During this
program, the Biomimicry Institute will help these startups scale more quickly in
order to compete in multibillion-dollar, extractive industries; avoid the common
push to produce products cheaply, leading to further (unintentional) harm (such
as the use of toxic chemicals); and help them to easily communicate their
science and benefits. The program concludes with an immersive retreat in the
California Redwoods for participants to reconnect with the natural world and
form bonds with their fellow bioinspired innovators.
“The 10 companies selected to participate in this year’s Ray of Hope Prize give
me hope for a more vibrant, sustainable, biodiverse world,” Yarnall-Schane says.
“I look forward to supporting these brilliant entrepreneurs and scientists!”
For more information about the Ray of Hope Prize and how to support the
Institute’s nature-inspired design innovation initiative, visit
Biomimicry.org/rayofhopeprize.
