Qorium, a Dutch biotech company producing cultivated leather, has secured €22 million in Series A funding. Participants in the round included Invest-NL, LIOF, Brightlands Venture Partners, and Sofinnova Partners, along with an influential group of high-net-worth individuals. The Invest-NL investment has been made under the European Commission’s InvestEU guarantee scheme.
Qorium is currently installing new bioreactor systems at its Maastricht facilities and has already established several commercial partnerships. The company will use the new funding to scale production, and will also appoint a new director to its board in the coming weeks.
“This investment is a powerful vote of confidence in our mission to transform the leather industry,” said 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.”
“Consistent, beautiful, and easily workable”
Qorium’s leather is made by cultivating animal cells to produce plastic-free materials that are claimed to have a significantly lower environmental impact than conventional leather. According to the company, the technology reduces production waste and could help to eliminate the need for livestock farming.
Qorium previously raised €8 million in seed funding, including a €2.6 million round in 2021 and additional funding in 2024. The company announced the development of its first proof of concept, a 35x35cm sample of cultivated leather, last year.
“Our product creates consistent, beautiful, and easily workable leather,” Newton told Cultivated X in 2024. “Compared to traditional leather, cultured leather offers a great deal of final product benefits as well.”
