MycoWorks is a
startup company
A startup or start-up is a company or project undertaken by an entrepreneur to seek, develop, and validate a scalable business model. While entrepreneurship refers to all new businesses, including self-employment and businesses that never intend t ...
based in
Emeryville, California
Emeryville is a city located in northwest Alameda County, California, in the United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The resident population was 12,905 as o ...
, which produces materials from
mycelium
Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrate (biology), substrates. A typical single ...
.
The company was founded in 2013 by Philip Ross, Sophia Wang, and Eddie Pavlu.
History
Co-founder and chief technical officer Phil Ross's work with mycelium began before the formation of the company, which has assisted in the company's developments. In 2017,
Matthew L. Scullin signed on as chief executive officer. In early 2020, the company raised
Series A
A series A round (also known as series A financing or series A investment) is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture capital financing. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in exchan ...
financing, and later that year, $45 million in
Series B
A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the ...
financing with
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman (born Natalie Hershlag, he, נטע-לי הרשלג, ) is an Israeli-born American actress. She has had a prolific film career since her teenage years and has starred in various blockbusters and independent films, receiving mu ...
and
John Legend
John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Ever ...
participating.
Technology
Fine Mycelium is the patented process that produces the cellular structure of their first commercially available product, called Reishi. Fine Mycelium is a
mushroom leather. Fine Mycelium engineers the naturally interwoven threads of mycelium to produce interlocking structures.
Products
Reishi is the first commercially available product from MycoWorks.
MycoWorks expects brand partners to release the first products made with Reishi in 2021.
See also
*
References
External links
* {{Official website, http://www.mycoworks.com/
Companies based in San Francisco
Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Biotechnology in the United States
2013 establishments in California
Fungi in cultivation