Driven By Shared Desire Of Saving Planet: LAM’ON Founders Turned A Gap Into An Impactful Business

Meet The Visionary Founders Behind LAM'ON

Angela Ivanova and Gergana Stancheva are the co-founders of LAM'ON. The duo met through a mutual friend during Forbes's 30 Under 30 program. Over time, they discovered that they are very much similar, which led them to become great friends. Both Gergana and Angela were driven by a desire to protect the environment, and this shared passion became the foundation of their entrepreneurial journey.

Their entrepreneurial journey began when, Gergana was working as a graphic designer and illustrator, while Angela was working in the printing industry. Both observed that there is a significant amount of plastic used during the printing process.

Once plastic was applied to paper for lamination purpose, it made the material almost impossible to recycle. As a result, magazines, advertising materials, and cardboard boxes would either end up in landfills or are burned. This realization sparked their search for a biodegradable laminating film that they could use for their own projects.

In 2017, motivated by their commitment to environmental protection, they set out to find a greener alternative to traditional laminates. After reaching out to experts at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, they struggled to find a ready-made solution. Undeterred, they decided to create their own biodegradable laminate, which marked the beginning of LAM’ON.

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Their Journey of Developing LAM’ON

Gergana and Angela’s journey led them to connect with Prof. Dr. Darinka Hristova, who assisted them in navigating the early stages of creating a biodegradable foil. With Prof. Hristova’s support, they entered the Climate Launchpad competition for green business ideas, where they secured second place in the national finals and advanced to the European finals in Cyprus. This achievement gave them the confidence and validation they needed to pursue their idea further.

A pivotal moment in their journey came when Assoc. Prof. Dr. Filip Ublekov, a biopolymer expert with industrial experience in packaging, joined the project. His knowledge and practical experience helped turn their vision into reality. It marked the official beginning of LAM'ON's mission to develop sustainable and biodegradable packaging solutions.

From Concept To Creation

The three founders of LAM'ON worked hard and made rapid progress in developing biodegradable laminating sheets. They presented their project for creating laminating foil from polylactic acid, which is a biodegradable material derived from sugar-containing products like corn starch, to the EIT Climate KIC accelerator program. Their efforts paid off, as they earned €15,000 grant, which provided them crucial funding for product development. After much hard work, finally in 2018 the trio registered LAM'ON. Each of them became an equal partner in the company.

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Overcoming Challenges In Running The Company

Prof. Ublekov continued his work at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, while Gergana and Angela supported themselves as freelancers, in intial stages of the LAM’ON. Although they received an initial grant, they faced multiple challenges in developing the complex product and generating revenue before the foil was fully refined. But all three of them were determined to continue progressing, they pursued additional funding through competitions like the Chivas Venture competition. In 2019, they won the local finals and finished among the top ten in the global finals in Amsterdam, which helped them earning a $30,000 grant.

The team faced many setbacks during industrial production tests, while the product development was progressing in the lab. Despite their initial failures, all three of them remained persistent and learned from each attempt. Over the course of a year, they refined the production formula with the help of careful preparation and lessons learned. The involvement of angel investors provided the founders a clearer business plan and momentum to push forward with their innovative product.

How Is LAM'ON Progressing With Their Mission?

LAM'ON is committed to providing sustainable packaging solutions. Today, the company specializes in producing compostable and bio-based films. It is offering eco-friendly alternatives to traditional petroleum-based plastics. LAM'ON's product range includes packaging foils for cosmetics, food and garments, as well as thermal laminating films for paper and cardboard.

All of the solutions of LAM’ON are designed to reduce waste, enhance sustainability, and meet the growing demand for environmentally conscious packaging. LAM'ON's products maintain the same appearance and texture as conventional plastics, but they are compostable and compatible with standard a production line, which makes it easier for businesses to transition to sustainable packaging.

The company is working to reduce the 1.2 million metric tons of laminated paper wasted every year. It is bio-based and compostable thermal laminating film provides an eco-friendly alternative to products that would otherwise be burned or sent to landfills. With only 14% of plastics being recycled and packaging foils rarely being recycled, making the switch to a more eco-friendly material like LAM’ON is simple and cost-effective, without the need for special machinery upgrades.

Driven by their deep passion to protect the planet, these founders embarked on their journey of building a startup from scratch. Their strong desire to learn and work on their ideas, while overcoming many challenges, led them to build a successful startup.

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