Carbon Cell has raised a £1.2m pre-seed round to scale its novel, plastic-free foam made from biochar and natural polymers
Founded by Imperial alumni Elizabeth Lee, Ori Blich, Eden Harrison and Juan Ignacio Rion, Carbon Cell provides an alternative to polymer-based foams, with a patent-pending, plastic-free foam. Its foam material has a low or negative carbon footprint and can be used to replace conventional plastic foams in sectors including packaging and insulation.
Carbon Cell's material can replace plastic foams like expanded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene and PUR/PIR – a collective market worth over $109 billion.
Biochar, a key component along with natural polymers in Carbon Cell's foam, is created by processing waste biomass (typically agricultural co-products or material) in a low oxygen environment. By avoiding burning or decomposition, biochar production fixes carbon into a stable form that lasts for hundreds of years, reducing global greenhouse gas production.
The round was led by Green Angel Ventures and Counteract, with participation from HERmesa, RCA Design and Innovation S/EIS Fund, and One Planet Capital. The funding will support the company to scale up to continuous production and deliver a series of manufacturing trials to validate the material's use as a drop-in replacement for plastics. Carbon Cell is also working with early customers to deliver thousands of units of product for testing, evaluation and trial.
"Traditional foams have dominated for too long at the expense of our environment. At Carbon Cell, we're rethinking materials from the ground up, creating a carbon-negative foam that performs today and protects tomorrow," said Liz Lee, founder and CEO of Carbon Cell. "This investment will help us take the next big step in scaling production and bringing Carbon Cell to market."
Invented at Imperial
Carbon Cell's founding team met and began developing their idea while enrolled in the prestigious Innovation Design Engineering course at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art.
Making extensive use of Imperial's extraordinary entrepreneurial ecosystem, Carbon Cell were finalists in WE Innovate 2023, took part in The Greenhouse accelerator from Undaunted, winning best pitch in their cohort, and joined Imperial Venture Mentoring in 2024.
"Support from Imperial's Enterprise Lab and the greater entrepreneurial ecosystem has been absolutely invaluable to launching our business after founding the company while at the College. Undaunted's Greenhouse program provided us with the very first capital we got to kick the business off, and early mentorship and coaching on pitching and business strategy from We Innovate was crucial to accelerating our growth," said Liz Lee, Carbon Cell's founder and CEO.
"We've been closely involved in many E-lab activities since then, from getting mentorship through IVM, to participating in Undaunted's new Retrofit Accelerator, and being supported during our raise from the Investment Portal and Investor Showcases. We may have left the campus, but it feels like we're still deeply embedded in the Imperial support network."
Ben Mumby-Croft, Director of Entrepreneurship, Imperial Enterprise Lab, said: "Carbon Cell is a brilliant example of the kind of deep-tech, mission-driven venture that exemplifies Imperial. From their first steps to raising their first £1.2 million, they've leveraged the full strength of our entrepreneurial ecosystem — and we're incredibly proud to have been part of their journey. This is exactly the kind of innovation the world needs right now."
