LIOF, Joanna Invests and Earthstar invest in Smobya
On International Women's Day on March 8, LIOF, Joanna Invests, and Earthstar announced their joint investment in Smobya, a Hungarian biotech startup that develops nanocellulose materials as a sustainable alternative to plastic and animal leather. The team is relocating from Budapest to Brightlands Greenport Campus in Venlo. The timing is both symbolic and strategic: three female investors are supporting female founder Lídia Kuti, who wants to transform one of the most polluting sectors in the world.
A platform for the materials of tomorrow
Smobya, founded by Lídia Kuti and Almos Kuti, developed NanoTwine™: a technology for producing bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) on an industrial scale. While fermentation has been used for centuries in food and beverages, Smobya sees the same biological power as the key to a new generation of strong, sustainable materials. The first applications focus on alternatives to leather in the fashion and textile industries, among others.
Lídia Kuti, co-founder and CEO of Smobya:
“Our vision is to manufacture high-performance materials with biology. Fermentation gives us exceptional foods and drinks, but we believe it is also how we will produce many of our materials. Smobya is building the technology to make this happen.”
From Budapest to Brightlands: Limburg as a new home base
LIOF met Smobya during Slush in Helsinki, Europe's largest startup conference. What began as an introduction grew into an intensive collaboration and ultimately a strategic relocation. The Smobya team is making the move from Budapest to Limburg, making a concrete contribution to the regional knowledge economy.
Lídia Kuti on choosing Limburg: “Here we are in a real biotech hub, in the EU region, surrounded by leading European institutes in the field of biotech, chemistry, and materials. That ecosystem is crucial for us.”
Limburg as a rock-solid growth region
With the arrival of Smobya, Limburg is demonstrating that we have a rock-solid international ecosystem for (biobased) materials. LIOF, the Brightlands Greenport Campus, and the Brightlands Chemelot Campus together offer the perfect support to help Smobya settle successfully in this region.
Breakthrough thanks to a consortium
The next step for Smobya is the construction of a demo plant. This is necessary to produce larger volumes and definitively convince international customers. It was precisely this step that initially proved difficult to finance: investors were enthusiastic about the technology and the team, but the combination of an early pilot phase and an international relocation caused reluctance.
Annemoon Borst, investment manager at LIOF:
“It was a real chicken-and-egg situation. The demo plant was needed to produce larger volumes and to be able to scale up further with leading international brands in the fashion and textile sector, but financing was needed first. We took the lead by forming a consortium.”
Together with Joanna Invests and Earthstar, LIOF set up an investment structure to enable the next step and accelerate Smobya's growth.
Drie investeerders, één overtuiging
Maria Tapia, founding partner Earthstar:
“After sitting with Lidia and hearing her talk about materials, our conviction in Smobya deepened. She is challenging the industry’s reliance on plastics and animal hides and has built a platform that transforms food waste into high-performance, microbial nanocellulose. That rare mix of bold curiosity and commercial drive is exactly the kind of founder Earthstar backs.”
Claire Tange, Founder of Joanna Invests:
“Smobya is exactly what Joanna Invests exists for: a mission-driven founding team building technology that genuinely matters, led by a founder who combines scientific depth with real commercial conviction. We are proud to back Smobya alongside such strong co-investors and to welcome them into the Dutch ecosystem.”
Sustainability as an economic opportunity
Smobya demonstrates that the transition to biobased materials is not only an ideal, but also an economic opportunity. With its arrival in Limburg and the construction of the demo plant, the company is taking the next step toward its ultimate goal: industrial scale. Lídia Kuti: “Our technology works, is repeatable, and scalable. We have solved the bottlenecks that kept bacterial nanocellulose in the lab for years.”
The investment in Smobya, announced on International Women's Day, emphasizes how female founders and female investors are working together to build the industry of tomorrow from Limburg as a future-oriented region.
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