UK dandelion rubber startup QuberTech raises €4m in funding

Norwich, UK – UK biotechnology company QuberTech has raised £3.4 million (€3.9 million) in combined grant funding and equity investment to develop its dandelion-based natural rubber (NR) platform and expand commercial operations.

The funding round was backed by UKI2S, managed by Future Planet Capital, and Sustainable Ventures, said QueberTech 26 May.

The company has also received government support through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

QuberTech is developing engineered dandelion strains designed to produce “high-quality” NR and other bio-based materials in controlled growing environments.

The company said the technology is aimed at providing an alternative to conventional rubber supply chains, which remain concentrated in tropical regions and are exposed to climate, disease and geopolitical risks.

Its research focuses on "plant biotechnology, genome editing and scaling transformative technologies from lab to commercial reality."

The company's R&D is focused on developing "high-yield" dandelion varieties capable of producing NR as well as other biomaterials for applications including packaging, cosmetics and food.

CEO Dr Ofir Meir said the funding would allow the company to accelerate R&D activities, expand its team and validate the technology at pilot scale.

“As pressure grows on global natural rubber supply chains, every country will need to secure more resilient and sustainable access to this critical industrial material,” Meir said.

He added: “We’re developing a new generation of sustainable biomaterials using engineering biology to create resilient, locally produced alternatives to imported natural rubber.”

Also commenting, Oliver Sexton, investment director at UKI2S, said global NR supply chains remain vulnerable to disruption and described QuberTech’s approach as “a more resilient, localised and scalable” production model.