Forbion leads €18M Series A Financing in Textile Recycling Technology company EEDEN

/EIN News/ -- NAARDEN, The Netherlands, April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forbion, a leading venture capital firm with deep biotech expertise in Europe announces it has led the €18 million Series A financing round through its BioEconomy fund of German tech startup EEDEN GmbH, a company which has developed a groundbreaking textile recycling technology. Also joining as new investors are Henkel Ventures, and NRW.Venture, the Venture Fund of NRW.BANK, North Rhine-Westphalia´s development bank. All existing investors reinvested in the round, including the venture capital investors TechVision Fund (TVF), High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and D11Z.Ventures. The funding will enable EEDEN to build its demonstration plant in Münster, optimize large-scale processing, and establish commercial projects with key players in the textile industry.

Ongoing challenges including rising costs, scarcity of resources, material volatility, and growing regulatory hurdles continue to strain the textile industry. To remain competitive, brands and manufacturers are increasingly looking for textile materials that combine high performance, scalability, and circularity at price parity. EEDEN addresses this need with its breakthrough in chemical recycling technology that recovers pure cellulose and PET building blocks (monomers) from cotton-polyester blends. Their products can be used to produce virgin-quality lyocell, viscose, and polyester fibers thereby offering a resource-efficient alternative to conventional fibers and unlocking new circular value chains.

Alex Hoffmann, General Partner at Forbion noted, "EEDEN has developed a pioneering solution that can make large-scale textile recycling not only technologically feasible, but also commercially viable in the near future. We see tremendous potential in their approach and are excited to support the team as they bring this breakthrough technology to industrial scale."

Steffen Gerlach, CEO & Co-Founder of EEDEN explained, "Over the past few years, we have developed a proven solution that has the potential to meet the industry’s long-term need for cost-efficient and high-performing circular materials. We are proud that our new and existing investors believe in our approach and share our vision. With their support, we are ready to scale our technology and turn textile waste into materials the industry truly needs.”

With increasing textile waste comes increased regulation. As of January 2025, EU member states are required to implement separate collection systems for used textiles. EEDEN’s technology provides a pragmatic solution that is capable of processing complex blended materials.

The new EEDEN demonstration facility in Münster, Germany follows the successful technology validation of its pilot plant with industrial partners. This €18 million Series A financing will enable the company to optimize large-scale processing and establish commercial projects with key players in the textile industry.

About EEDEN
EEDEN is a tech company based in Münster, Germany, pioneering the chemical recycling of cotton-polyester textiles. Founded in 2019, EEDEN has developed a breakthrough technology that efficiently separates and recovers cellulose and PET monomers, which fiber producers transform into virgin-quality lyocell, viscose, and polyester fibers - enabling the transition toward a fully circular textile industry. Find out more at eeden.world

About Forbion BioEconomy Fund I
BioEconomy Fund I’s focus on using biotechnology and green chemistry to deliver sustainable B2B solutions in Food, Agriculture, Materials, and Environmental Technologies is best exemplified by its initial investments in Solasta Bio and Novameat. These portfolio companies illustrate Forbion’s commitment to scalable, biotech-enabled innovation. Solasta Bio develops sustainable insect control solutions as alternatives to chemical insecticides, while Novameat advances plant-based meat production with proprietary technology designed for scalability and high-quality texture. By building on Forbion’s expertise in biotechnology, the fund aligns its investments with UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure), SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production), and SDG 13 (climate action). Forbion BioEconomy Fund I aims to deliver strong financial returns while driving impactful solutions to pressing planetary challenges. Forbion BioEconomy Fund I surpasses €150 million target, raising €164.5 million with strong institutional LP support.

About Forbion
Forbion is a leading global venture capital firm with deep expertise in Europe and offices in Naarden, The Netherlands, Munich, Germany and Boston, USA. Forbion invests in innovative biotech companies, managing approximately €5 billion across multiple fund strategies that cover all stages of (bio-) pharmaceutical drug development. In addition, Forbion leverages its biotech expertise beyond human health to address ‘planetary health’ challenges through its BioEconomy fund strategy, which invests in companies developing sustainable solutions in food, agriculture, materials, and environmental technologies. Forbion’s team consists of over 30 investment professionals that have built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with 128 investments across 11 funds. Forbion’s record of sourcing, building and guiding life sciences companies has resulted in many approved breakthrough therapies and valuable exits. Forbion typically selects impactful investments that will positively affect the health and well-being of people and the planet, as well as meet its financial return objectives. The firm is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. Forbion operates a joint venture with BGV, the manager of seed and early-stage funds, especially focused on Benelux and Germany.

For more information, please contact:
                    
                    Forbion Investor Relations
                    Email: Robbert.van.de.Griendt@forbion.com
                    General Partner IR & Impact
                    
                    Forbion Communications
                    Email: laura.asbjornsen@forbion.com
                    Head of Communications