Sapro-Tech forms strategic partnership with top NZ fashion firms

Sapro-Tech, a New Zealand-based company that manufactures next generation materials using mycelium (fungi), has celebrated a commercial milestone by forming strategic partnerships with four of the country's top fashion companies - SABEN, taylor, Velvet Heartbeat, and YY NATION.

Sapro-Tech's pioneering partners programme was unveiled earlier in 2024 with the goal of creating strategic alliances with prominent fashion, interior, and automotive companies. The collaboration is dedicated to finding innovative approaches to product creation while addressing the fashion industry's impact on climate change. The companies taylor, SABEN, Velvet Heartbeat, and YY NATION form the initial cohort of partners committed to exploring more sustainable practices in sourcing and manufacturing materials for their products.

The Founder of Sapro-Tech, Dr Keith Hudson, expressed his pleasure in achieving this momentous milestone for both Sapro-Tech and the planet, saying that a large part of proving that a difference can be made lies in having customers who want to use their materials in their own products. "We are inspired by the potential that mycelia has, but to see others such as our founding pioneers showing their interest and commitment is so rewarding," said Dr Hudson.

SABEN's founder, Roanne Jacobson, conveyed that partnering with Sapro-Tech conveys their common and ongoing dedication to innovation and sustainability in the fashion industry. She said, "By collaborating with Sapro-Tech, we are leading the way in exploring alternative materials, such as mycelium textiles, that offer groundbreaking potential to reduce environmental impact."

Vicki Taylor, Creative Director at taylor, shared her excitement to be a part of the project, stating, "This project has led me into a world of new learning and understanding, which I can see such a benefit to the future of our planet. To be partnered with something of this calibre is incredibly exciting."

Jeremy Bank, the founder of YY NATION, highlighted the strong alignment between the values and purpose of YY NATION and Sapro-Tech. They both share the aim of making a positive impact on the planet by "the invention of incredible natural materials for use in the fashion industry at scale, avoiding the use of harmful plastics."

Suzie Eggleton, founder of Velvet Heartbeat, expressed her enthusiasm for working with such a groundbreaking new textile. She stated, "Having the opportunity to work alongside the creation of an incredible new textile, specifically one being developed in New Zealand is fantastic. I wanted to be able to lend my experience of working with textiles, leather and plant-based leather alternatives, to help bolster the work to build a premium new textile, and bring more sustainable products to my customers."

Sapro-Tech, based in Auckland's Outset Ventures, is a Sprout Accelerator programme alumni company and attracted investment from Sprout and global tech investor Our Crowd in 2023. The founders and shareholders believe that micro-organisms represent a significant efficiency opportunity for the planet. Sapro-Tech has developed a unique growing method established to support scale production of its materials for its customers.

The next-gen materials market has attracted over US$3 billion of investment over the past decade, with almost US$0.5 billion in 2023 when most venture funding markets declined. This burgeoning industry is projected to grow by a CAGR of 37.4% over the next decade, with mycelium-based materials currently representing only 8% of the market.

To foster further innovation and outreach, Sapro-Tech is currently raising a pre-seed investment round with plans to raise a further round of seed investments in 2025 to aid the establishment of its pilot plant which is slated to produce mycelium-based materials for global distribution.