University of Cambridge spin-out Sparxell has secured a €1.9m ($2.15m) grant from the European Innovation Council to develop its plant-based colourant technology.
Sparxell’s proprietary technology transforms cellulose from readily available materials, including wood pulp and agricultural waste, into vibrant colour solutions.
The biodegradable pigments are said to exceed the performance of synthetic dyes in colour intensity and durability, while being completely non-toxic and biodegradable.
Since spinning out of the University of Cambridge in 2023, Sparxell has entered into 25 funded pilot projects with global brands and grained strong commercial demand across the fashion, cosmetics, and packaging industries.
Since joining LVMH’s prestigious La Maison des Startups accelerator programme, Sparxell has quickly established itself in the luxury market, connecting with heritage brands of the luxury fashion conglomerate including Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Givenchy, and Loewe.
With the company approaching its first million in sales, the grant will prime Sparxell for exponential growth in the booming colourants sector.
The company is scaling to tonne-level production in 2025, in preparation for its first commercial launch with leading brands and manufacturers.
Sparxell founder and CEO Dr. Benjamin Droguet said: “This European Innovation Council funding is transformative for Sparxell, allowing us to accelerate our manufacturing scale-up and overcome key technical challenges much earlier in our development pathway.
“With our plant-based technology, we're offering industries a fundamentally different approach to colour that works with nature rather than against it while meeting the highest performance standards.”
