Qorium Secures €22M To Scale Sustainable Leather

The round is backed by Invest-NL and LIOF, alongside existing investors Brightlands Venture Partners and Sofinnova Partners. A group of high-net-worth individuals also participated, with Invest-NL’s contribution supported by the EU’s InvestEU guarantee scheme.

The cultivated leather market is expected to grow rapidly as demand rises for consistent high-quality leather. Qorium produces real leather from a few animal cells, eliminating the need for livestock reducing production waste and significantly lowering the environmental impact compared to traditional leather.

This Series A funding follows €8 million in seed investment and is an important step for Qorium as it moves from lab research to commercial production. The company is making sustainable leather, installing new bioreactors in Maastricht, and building partnerships. The funding will help scale production to meet growing demand.

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“This investment is a powerful vote of confidence in our mission to transform the leather industry,” says Qorium CEO Michael Newton. “By combining cutting-edge science with deep leather expertise and sustainable practices we are creating real leather that offers better performance than traditional animal-derived leather, without the environmental and ethical costs. With Invest-NL, LIOF, and others now on board, we can take the next steps towards reinventing real leather and bring it to market at scale.”

“At Invest-NL, we invest in technologies that drive systemic change. Qorium’s leather is a breakthrough innovation that can transform one of the world’s most polluting industries,” says Lisette Kersting-van der Boog from Invest-NL. “By producing real leather without livestock, Qorium shows how biotechnology can build a more sustainable materials system. We are proud to support this Dutch frontrunner in scaling their impact.”

Guillaume Baxter, Partner at Sofinnova Partners, echoes the sentiment: “We’ve been on this journey with Qorium from the start, backing both the science of Dr. Mark Post and the deep leather experience of Rutger Ploem. This investment reflects Qorium’s impressive progress to date and our strong belief in the economic and sustainability potential of its leather. We are confident that this momentum will only continue.”

This latest funding round reinforces Qorium’s leadership in the global transition to sustainable materials and highlights increasing investor confidence in cultivated leather. The company also plans to appoint a new board director in the coming weeks.

About Qorium

Qorium creates premium, authentic leather using cutting-edge science, without harming animals or the environment. By eliminating livestock from production, Qorium significantly reduces climate impact, water and chemical use and land requirements, delivering high-quality, sustainable leather that reinvents the traditional leather industry.