With plastic and other non-biodegradable materials, disposable diapers are hard to dispose of. Finnish startup Elea & Lili’s cellulose-based polymers are an alternative to materials used in diapers and other hygiene products.
“We are not creating a niche eco-product. We are replacing a global material category,” said Elea & Lili’s Tatu Miettinen. The company also envisions the use of its polymers in the agriculture sector. “In both markets, absorbent materials are mission-critical components – and today they are fossil-based,” Miettinen said.
Its €2.5 million ($2.9 million) seed round was led by Helsinki-based Lifeline Ventures. Finnish family office Ikorni Invest and industrial holding company Baltiska Handels Sverige also participated in the round.
Impact incubation
Elea & Lili is a spin-out from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, which helps high-impact deep tech companies transition out of the lab.
Six VTT spin-offs have raised a combined €445 million ($512 million) in equity in the last year, including insect farming startup Volare, and Onego Bio, which is making an alternative to egg protein using precision fermentation.
