Seprify raises 13.4M to replace titanium dioxide with cellulose

"For Lukas Schertel, then a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge's Bioinspired Photonics Lab, it was an engineering blueprint. The question Schertel and his co-founder Oliver Polcher started with was deceptively simple: if a beetle can achieve optical whiteness through cellulose microstructure alone, why do food and cosmetics manufacturers still depend on titanium dioxide?"

"Titanium dioxide, also known as TiO₂ or E171 is a $16 billion global market. It makes food and confectionery white and opaque, boosts the SPF of sunscreens, and gives paints and coatings their brightness. For decades it was considered inert and unremarkable."

"On Tuesday, the company announced a €13.4 million Series A to accelerate the transition from pilot validation to industrial supply. The round includes Inter IKEA Group as a strategic backer, alongside Una Terra Early Growth Fund, Zürcher Kantonalbank, Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, and Kickfund, among other circular-economy investors."

Seprify, a Swiss startup founded by Lukas Schertel and Oliver Polcher, developed a cellulose-based whitener inspired by the microscopic structure of the Cyphochilus beetle, which achieves natural whiteness through light scattering rather than pigment. The company addresses the growing need for alternatives to titanium dioxide (TiO₂), a $16 billion global market ingredient used in food, cosmetics, sunscreens, and coatings. The Series A funding of €13.4 million, backed by Inter IKEA Group and circular-economy investors, accelerates Seprify's transition from pilot validation to industrial-scale production. Total funding now exceeds €22 million as regulatory pressures and bans on titanium dioxide increase globally.

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