Biomaterials company Ponda closes crowdfunding round at €1.6 million – welcoming 256 new investors
Ponda, a biomaterials company out of Bristol restoring wetlands through regenerative farming, has closed its latest crowdfunding campaign, raising €1.6 million (£1.4 million) in a Seed extension that welcomed 256 new investors. The company had previously shared with EU-Startups that they were looking to raise “at least €230k (£200k), with no cap” back in April […] The post Biomaterials company…
Bristol-based biomaterials company Ponda has successfully closed its latest crowdfunding campaign, raising €1.6 million (£1.4 million) in a Seed extension round. This round attracted 256 new investors, far surpassing their original target of €230k (£200k) that was set in April 2026. Co-founders Julian Ellis-Brown, Nelly Tehari, Finlay Duncan, and Antonia Jara expressed their gratitude for the support, noting that Ponda has grown from four students experimenting with plants to a thriving community of investors and partners.
Ponda's mission focuses on restoring wetlands through regenerative farming and developing high-performance natural fibres and insulation from wetland crops, exemplified by their flagship product, BioPuff. This insulation material is made from bulrush grown through paludiculture and serves as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional down and synthetic insulation.
The company's growth has been fueled by a diverse network of wetland farms, collaborations with farmers, conservation groups, researchers, and manufacturers, and support from public funding and grant initiatives. The crowdfunding round comes amid a surge in funding activity within the European biomaterials, bio-based textiles, and circular-material technologies sectors.
Written by urgent.news from EU-Startups's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
