Rubi secures grant from National Science Foundation to scale innovations

Rubi, the San Francisco-based start-up reinventing manufacturing with a technology that transforms waste carbon into essential materials, has secured a 969,961 US dollar Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop and scale its carbon-to-cellulose platform.

The prestigious grant, awarded to less than 5 percent of SBIR applicants over the last decade, will help accelerate Rubi’s mission to decarbonise materials manufacturing and support the company’s path to commercialisation.

Rubi has pioneered a first-of-its-kind cell-free biocatalysis technology to make CO2-derived materials and chemicals. The company’s initial focus is on CO2-derived cellulose to replace traditional wood pulp, aiming to decarbonise textile production by eliminating deforestation and significantly reducing the environmental impact of raw material manufacturing.

Rubi awarded NSF Phase II grant to support commercialisation

The NSF Phase II award builds on Rubi’s successful Phase I grant completion in 2023, which advanced multi-enzyme cascade design and enzyme stabilisation for carbon-to-cellulose production.

Since then, Rubi has raised 8.7 million US dollars in a seed funding round, co-led by H&M Group and Patagonia, undertaken strategic pilot partnerships with fashion brands H&M, Patagonia, Reformation, Ganni, and Nuuly, as well as launch pilot projects in collaboration with Walmart to convert carbon emissions into clothing.

In addition, Rubi debuted the world’s first yarn made from CO2 through a fully enzymatic process with Ganni.

Neeka Mashouf, co-founder and chief executive of Rubi, said in a statement: “This award is a testament to Rubi’s vision for a symbiotic manufacturing future and our ambition to lead the next era of sustainable industry.

“As we move into 2025, this grant will accelerate our efforts to scale CO2-derived, low-carbon cellulose for the textile industry, ultimately allowing us to transform environmental challenges into opportunities, bridge our proven science with existing supply chains, and set a new standard for decoupling industrial growth from environmental degradation.”

Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for technology, innovation and partnerships, added: “NSF accelerates the translation of emerging technologies into transformative new products and services. We take great pride in funding deep-technology start-ups and small businesses that will shape science and engineering results into meaningful solutions for today and tomorrow.”