- The Hangzhou startup says its fermentation-based leather already undercuts genuine leather on cost while reducing carbon emissions by more than 80%
- Fresh funding will support capacity expansion, global market growth and AI-driven product development as bio-based materials move beyond niche sustainability applications
Chinese bio-based materials startup SynMeta Bio (贻如科技) has raised more than 100 million yuan ($14.7 million) in a Series A funding round led by Chinese cashmere and luxury apparel producer Ordos Group and Hangzhou Heda Financial Services, with participation from Nest Bio Capital.
The proceeds will be used to expand production capacity, accelerate commercialization and further integrate AI into product development.
Founded in 2021 by Su Rui (苏睿), a post-2000-born entrepreneur and graduate of the ShanghaiTech University, the Hangzhou-based company develops bio-based leather using synthetic biology.
Rather than relying on petroleum-derived polyurethane or animal hides, SynMeta Bio uses microbial fermentation to produce bio-based resin, which is then processed into leather materials with physical properties comparable to genuine leather.
The company says its production process cuts carbon emissions by more than 80%, while some products are already cheaper than conventional petroleum-based polyurethane alternatives.
Expanding overseas
After only a few years in operation, SynMeta Bio has moved beyond laboratory development into commercial production. By the first quarter of 2026, its annual manufacturing capacity had exceeded 16 million square meters.
The company said overseas orders are approaching 100 million yuan this year, with international business accounting for roughly two-thirds of total sales.
To support its global expansion, SynMeta Bio has established a wholly owned European subsidiary in France, which serves as its regional headquarters and coordinates partnerships across the UK, Germany, Italy, Turkey and the Nordic countries.
The company believes its low-carbon materials are becoming increasingly attractive to European customers as the bloc implements the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, potentially reducing both compliance costs and helping brands strengthen their sustainability credentials.
Its products have already been adopted across sportswear, hospitality and luxury applications, with customers including sportswear giant Anta, hotel chain Atour and Kempinski Hotels.
“Our original belief was simple: the high-performance materials used in everyday consumer products would eventually transition from petroleum-based to bio-based,” Su said. “Leather is only the beginning. We aim to expand into elastomers, membrane materials and ultimately become a comprehensive advanced materials platform.”
Lower costs
Bio-based leather, particularly mushroom-derived leather, emerged as one of the fashion industry’s most closely watched sustainable materials over the past decade.
However, high production costs and limited scalability largely confined the technology to concept demonstrations and limited-edition collaborations.
The industry’s focus has since shifted from proving technical feasibility to achieving cost-effective mass production.
SynMeta Bio believes cost competitiveness has become one of its biggest advantages. According to Su, genuine leather typically costs European brands between 300 yuan and 400 yuan per meter, while SynMeta Bio’s highest-priced leather products sell for around 200 yuan per meter, with most products priced between 80 yuan and 150 yuan per meter.
The company attributes this to its proprietary liquid fermentation process, which remains relatively rare globally.
AI as the accelerator
Su said only a handful of companies worldwide can consistently manufacture more than one million meters of bio-based leather annually, with SynMeta Bio among the earliest to pursue large-scale production using fermentation-derived bio-resins coated into leather materials.
AI has become another pillar of the company’s strategy. According to Su, SynMeta Bio uses AI throughout its research pipeline—from microbial strain screening and gene editing design to fermentation optimization and manufacturing yield improvement—to accelerate material development and improve production efficiency.
