{
  "id": 3985957,
  "title": "Biomaterials company Ponda closes crowdfunding round at €1.6 million – welcoming 256 new investors",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/biomaterials-company-ponda-closes-crowdfunding-round-at-1-6-million",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-28T15:22:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "EU-Startups",
    "slug": "eu-startups",
    "url": "https://www.eu-startups.com/2026/08/biomaterials-company-ponda-closes-their-crowdfunding-round-at-e1-6-million-shattering-their-e230k-mininum/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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…",
  "key_points": [
    "Bristol-based biomaterials company Ponda raises €1.6 million in crowdfunding.",
    "256 new investors join Ponda, surpassing €230k target.",
    "Ponda develops eco-friendly insulation from wetland crops for wetland restoration."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}