{
  "id": 7806593,
  "title": "Hoxton Ventures backs human hair toothpaste pioneer in $4M round",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/hoxton-ventures-backs-human-hair-toothpaste-pioneer-in-4m-round",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-16T14:52:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Tech.eu",
    "slug": "tech-eu",
    "url": "https://tech.eu/2026/09/16/hoxton-ventures-backs-human-hair-toothpaste-pioneer-in-4m-round/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hoxton Ventures, a prominent UK-based venture capital firm, has invested $4 million in Eterna Regeneratives, a startup that aims to commercialize a protein derived from human hair or sheep’s wool into a toothpaste. The early-stage VC, known for backing successful companies such as Darktrace and GoCardless, is leading a seed round in Eterna alongside The Venture Collective. Eterna, a spinout from King's College London founded in 2024, is developing a biomaterials regeneration platform with a primary focus on repairing enamel and bone. The company has devised a method to harness keratin, a protein obtained from human hair or sheep’s wool, for the repair of damaged tooth enamel. Keratin forms a robust mineral coating when applied to the tooth surface and combined with saliva minerals. Eterna's research suggests that this process could be transformed into a toothpaste or an applied gel for enamel repair, potentially offering superior protection against tooth decay compared to fluoride. Hussein Kanji, co-founder of Hoxton Ventures, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, \"Regrowing teeth and bones. Once again proving that the UK can out-innovate the world!\"",
  "summary": "HoxtonVentures is backing a UK startup which hopes to commercialise a protein sourcedfrom human hair or sheep’s wool into a toothpaste to protect against toothdecay. TheLondon-based early-stage VC, wh...",
  "key_points": [
    "Hoxton Ventures invests $4M in Eterna Regeneratives",
    "Eterna develops toothpaste from human hair protein",
    "Startup aims to repair tooth enamel and bone"
  ],
  "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."
}