Danish Biotech Startup Secures EUR 1.3 million to Reinvent Asphalt Production with First Fermented Binder
Danish Biotech Startup Secures EUR 1.3 million to Reinvent Asphalt Production with First Fermented Binder
Visibuilt Raises €1.3 Million to Transform Asphalt Production with Mycelium which has the Potential to Drastically Reduce the Environmental Footprint of Road Construction
With global pressure mounting for climate-neutral solutions, Danish biotech startup Visibuilt has secured €1.3 millionto advance their groundbreaking fermented asphalt binder, visiBIT. This innovative product has the potential to drastically reduce the environmental footprint of road construction and has been supported by BioInnovation Institute’s Venture House program. With this support, Visibuilt has raised in total €3.25 million for the continued development of visiBIT.
Venture House is an 18-month program offering additional financial support in the form of a risk-free convertible loan of €1.3 million. The program is aimed at early-stage start-ups that have already participated in BII’s 12-month Venture Lab program and require further support for business acceleration, scientific development, and team building. This means that Visibuilt will receive an additional €1.3 million on top of the € 0.5 million they received during Venture Lab for the further development of visiBIT.
Pioneering the World’s First Fermented Binder for Asphalt
visiBIT is a cutting-edge mycelium binder designed to replace bitumen, the fossil-based binder currently used in asphalt production. Bitumen, a byproduct of crude oil refining, requires extreme temperatures of up to 400°C for use, significantly contributing to CO2 emissions.
Visibuilt’s innovative solution leverages the fermentation of mycelium – the underground rootlike network of fungi. This novel technology aims to be a plug-and-play solution for the asphalt industry, and enables asphalt production at low temperatures, offering a potential reduction in energy consumption and cutting CO2 emissions.
A Green Transition for an Overlooked Industry
For over 100 years, the asphalt industry has been reliant on bitumen, with limited innovation in finding sustainable alternatives. Existing bio-based solutions can only partially replace bitumen, acting as fillers rather than binders. With 60% of the world’s roads yet to be built by 2050, there is a critical need for more sustainable solutions. Visibuilt aims to meet this demand with visiBIT.
Founder and CEO, Line Kloster Pedersen, says: “The BioInnovation Institute has accelerated the maturation of Visibuilt from early proof-of-concept to full product research, with a dedicated team behind it and our patent-pending technology being validated with asphalt industry partners. With BII’s continuous support, we will now focus on bringing visiBIT out of the laboratory and into more outdoor field tests with customers.”
From Lab to Real-World Applications
In just 1.5 years, Visibuilt has increased the strength of visiBIT by 300%, making it suitable for asphalt applications initially in bike paths. Outdoor test areas with visiBIT have been constructed this Spring with industry partners.
The next step for Visibuilt is to scale production and hire a Head of Production and two more scientists to facilitate larger-scale testing, moving one step closer to transforming the global asphalt industry.
