HSG student Jessica Farda has developed an algae-based packaging material with her start-up Noriware. Investors are supporting the project with over one million Swiss francs.
Jessica Farda has been able to raise more than 1 million Swiss francs in pre-seed capital with her startup Noriware. According to a statement, the investors include renowned packaging engineers and serial entrepreneurs such as Ertan Wittwer. The fresh money will be used to further expand the laboratory infrastructure in Lupfig AG and increase the size of the team.
The start-up has produced a packaging material based on algae that it claims will displace conventional plastic films from the market. It is fully home-compostable, leaves no microplastic particles and can be manufactured on machines used in the traditional plastics industry. In addition, the material can be optimized for specific applications and is competitive in terms of production costs. The main focus of the application is currently on protective films for the rapidly growing e-commerce sector. In 2024, the Noriware packaging is expected to be used commercially for the first time.
Discovered by chance in the kitchen of a shared flat
HSG student Jessica Farda came across the algae in 2021 after vacationing by the sea of Mexico. In her shared kitchen, she began experimenting with the rapidly renewable raw material. In the process, she accidentally discovered a process for producing an algae-based plastic substitute, according to the release. ETH Zurich and later the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland helped her advance the research.
In 2022, Farda founded Noriware AG together with COO Stefan Grieder. In February 2023, production of the new algae packaging succeeded.
https://www.foodaktuell.ch/2023/06/22/algenverpackungsfirma-noriware-holt-sich-startkapital/
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