Bristol-based fashion tech startup Ponda, which develops regenerative, plant-based insulation from wetland-grown Typha for textiles and other applications, has raised $2.4 million in funding, co-led by Faber VC and Counteract.
- Founded in 2020 by Julian Ellis-Brown, Neloufar Taheri, Finlay Duncan, and Antonia Jara, Ponda is a biomaterials company that develops BioPuff®, a plant-based insulation made from Typha, a wetland crop cultivated through paludiculture.
- The company combines regenerative agriculture with material science, converting Typha biomass into high-performance, carbon-negative insulation.
- Ponda partners with landowners to rewet degraded peatlands, grow Typha crops that sequester carbon and enhance biodiversity, and process the harvested fibers at its Bristol facility into BioPuff®.
- The insulation delivers thermal performance comparable to goose down, is suitable for garments and home textiles, and simultaneously restores wetlands, creates carbon sinks, and supports sustainable farming livelihoods.
"We’ve designed BioPuff® to meet the demanding performance standards of leading brands as a direct alternative to synthetic and animal-based insulation, while remaining cost competitive to enable widespread adoption. Every jacket filled with BioPuff® doesn’t just avoid emissions, it directly funds peatland restoration, one of the planet’s most powerful carbon sinks," explains Julian Ellis-Brown, CEO and co-founder of Ponda.
Details of the deal
- The investment was backed by Faber VC and Counteract as co-leads, with participation from PDS Ventures, Evenlode Investment, and the Royal College of Art.
"The Ponda team embodies the rare combination of deep scientific expertise and visionary regenerative leadership; their ability to navigate the frontier of wetland regeneration and material science to develop the scalable, carbon-negative solution of BioPuff® is profoundly impressive. We are delighted to back a team with the capabilities to make planet-positive materials the global standard," claims Matt Isaacs, co-founder and partner at Counteract.
- The company aims to decarbonise the global textiles industry by linking regenerative wetland farming with high-performance, plant-based insulation, while scaling production, restoring ecosystems, and enabling widespread adoption of BioPuff® across multiple applications.
