Notpla—which is short for not plastic—was founded in 2014 by Imperial College London and Royal College of Art alumni Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre-Yves Paslier. The Series A round was led by Bangkok-based Horizons Ventures. Existing investors Astanor Ventures, Lupa Systems, and Torch Capital also participated.
“Conscious of the urgency to act on single-use plastic pollution, we’ve been impressed by the innovative solutions offered by this team of ambitious entrepreneurs,” Wayne Cheng, portfolio curator at Horizons Ventures, says in a press statement. “We believe Notpla is revolutionizing the packaging industry with seaweed as a raw material.”
According to Notpla, seaweed is an ideal feedstock because it is abundant, grows quickly, does not compete with food, sequesters carbon, and does not require fertilizer or fresh water. The material breaks down in less than 6 weeks anywhere in the environment—no industrial composter or specific conditions required.