LIOF, Joanna Invests and Earthstar invest in Smobya

On International Women's Day on 8 March, LIOF, Joanna Invests and Earthstar announce their joint investment in Smobya, a Hungarian biotech startup developing nanocellulose materials as a sustainable alternative to plastic and animal leather. The team is moving from Budapest to Brightlands Greenport Campus in Venlo. The timing is symbolic as well as strategic: three female investors are backing female founder Lídia Kuti, who wants to transform one of the world's most polluting sectors.

Smobya, founded by Lídia Kuti and Almos Kuti, developed NanoTwine™: a technology to produce bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) on an industrial scale. Whereas fermentation has been used for centuries for food and beverages, Smobya sees the same biological power as the key to a new generation of strong, durable materials. Initial applications include alternatives to leather in the fashion and textile industries.

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 new home base

LIOF met Smobya during Slush in Helsinki, Europe's largest startup conference. What started as an acquaintance grew into an intensive collaboration and eventually a strategic move. Smobya's team makes the move from Budapest to Limburg, a concrete contribution to the regional knowledge economy. 

Lídia Kuti on the choice of Limburg: "Here we are in a real biotech hub, in the EU region, in the middle of 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 showing that we have a rock-solid ecosystem for (biobased) materials internationally. In which LIOF, the Brightlands Greenport Campus and the Brightlands Chemelot Campus together provide the perfect support for Smobya to land well 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. Exactly that step 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 move caused reluctance.

Annemoon Borst, investment manager at LIOF:
"There was a real chicken-and-egg situation. The demo plant was needed to produce larger volumes and 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.

Three investors, one conviction

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're proud to back Smobya alongside such strong co-investors and to welcome them into the Dutch ecosystem."

Sustainability as economic opportunity

Smobya shows that the transition to bio-based materials is not only an ideal, but also an economic opportunity. By coming to Limburg and building the demo plant, the company is taking the next step towards 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, highlights how female founders and female investors are building tomorrow's industry together from Limburg as a forward-looking region.