Arda Biomaterials raises $5.25M to commercialise biomaterial technology leveraging plant proteins
Leading climate and deep-tech investors are backing Arda with a new round of funding to decarbonise materials and reduce the use of animals and petrochemicals in fashion, footwear, and automotive.
Arda’s technology transforms brewery and whisky waste grain into novel materials—such as leather-like materials for fashion & retail use—all being animal, rubber, and plastic-free.
The Arda Biomaterials team at Kernel Brewery in London, while Arda’s new facility is under construction.
London, UK. April 28th, 2025.
Arda Biomaterials—a chemistry technology company focused on material applications of plant-based proteins, such as leather-like materials and textiles—has closed an oversubscribed US$5.25M (GBP4.05m) round led by Germany’s Oyster Bay Venture Capital.
The financing includes the lead investor from Arda’s 2023 pre-seed round, Clean Growth Fund, alongside new joiners also headquartered in London, Kadmos Capital and Green Angel Ventures.
This round will allow Arda to continue making rapid advancements in R&D on their first innovation—a novel, leather-like material called New GrainTM, derived from the incredibly scalable waste barley proteins of beer breweries and whisky distilleries.
Arda’s chemistry platform manipulates these plant proteins to accomplish two key pieces: 1) replacing plastics, and 2) mimicking the structure of animal-based proteins, which can be found in products like silk, wool, feathers, leather, and more.
Arda Biomaterials’ first material innovation: a leather-like material called New GrainTM
The fresh funds will additionally enable Arda to begin commercializing New GrainTM within the fashion, automotive, and further sectors. To date, the company has publicly launched a showpiece handbag with BEEN London and converted Heineken-owned Beavertown Brewery spent grain into cardholders with the iconic Beavertown skull-and-bones branding.
2025 and 2026 will focus on bigger launches as the company’s production capabilities grow, supported by a new 5,000 square foot facility on the ‘Bermondsey Beer Mile’ just south of London Bridge and Tower Bridge. The company is planning to be available to consumers in a limited capacity as early as later this year.
Arda’s snakeskin pattern showpiece of BEEN London’s Millais bag.
A showpiece cardholder for Beavertown Brewery, owned by Heineken, in North London.
Words from Arda’s founders
Co-founder and CEO of Arda, Brett Cotten, says, “We believe breweries and distilleries can do much more than just provide a feedstock. We use the same equipment, they have internal science and engineering expertise, and they already have brand partnerships within fashion, automotive, and sports—meaning scale that is found around the world, operational support, and commercial connections that you simply won’t find with other feedstock providers. Working with brewers and distillers is really a super power to help us achieve the right pricing and tremendous scales necessary to make a significant impact across industries. Maybe someday we will even create global merchandise for brewers and distillers themselves.”
Co-founder and CTO at Arda, Dr. TJ Mitchell, says, “The natural world has all the necessary building blocks to create incredible, environmentally friendly materials. Spent grain is a perfect case: the abundant feedstock is rich in protein that we are able to extract & manipulate to create New GrainTM, all without the need for plastics or petrochemicals. The material has come a long way since the first experiments in my kitchen, and it now looks and performs as a viable new material for those who want to see something different than animal-derived materials or plastic. We can’t wait to see it in more products.’’
From left to right: Brett Cotten and Dr. TJ Mitchell, co-founders of Arda Biomaterials
Words from Arda’s seed round investors
Philip Stark, Principal at Oyster Bay: “We are pleased to back Arda on their mission to transform brewer’s spent grain into next-generation materials. Brett and TJ bring a rare combination of technical excellence and mission-driven ambition, and we are confident they can build a category-defining champion. Starting with leather alternatives, Arda is more than a materials company - it’s a reflection of Brett and TJ’s commitment to building a circular, sustainable, and scalable future. At Oyster Bay, we are excited to support them on their journey.”
Susannah McClintock, Investment Partner at Clean Growth Fund says, “We are proud to continue supporting Brett, TJ and the Arda team as they lead the charge in revolutionizing materials science with sustainable, plant-based alternatives. Their innovative approach to transforming proteins from waste grain into high value materials delivers an important advancement in decarbonising industries reliant on traditional animal-based and petrochemical materials. The Arda team combines exceptional technical expertise and a relentless commitment to sustainability, enabling them to deliver solutions with the potential for transformative environmental impact.”
Remy Kesrouani, Managing Partner at Kadmos Capital: “We were impressed by Brett and TJ when they presented their innovative solution at ARDA. We found their approach to be both elegant and impactful, which prompted us to explore further and uncover a truly differentiated scientific foundation and intellectual property that harnesses the power of nature in a remarkable way. Moreover, Brett and TJ embody the qualities we seek in driven, ambitious founders, and we’re excited to support them on this journey.”
Cam Ross, CEO of Green Angel Ventures says "It’s rare that a young founder impresses our members as well as TJ when he first pitched Arda Biomaterials. We had a large number of angels keen to invest in their early round and support their journey. We feel Arda's innovation is critical; with the amount of raw resources that society is consuming along with the associated effect on climate change, new alternatives are vital. It's even better when they look this good."
Arda Biomaterials’ New GrainTM material is animal, plastic, and rubber-free.
The news of Arda’s fundraise comes off the back of another recent announcement. Arda has been accepted into the sixth cohort of the 100+ Accelerator—a corporate accelerator program with AB InBev, Danone, Unilever, Coca-Cola, and Colgate-Palmolive—where Arda will be running a pilot with the world’s largest brewer, AB InBev.