Mykor Raises $4.8M for Low-Carbon Construction Materials

Jan de Vries · 2026-05-27

A Bristol-based biotech startup is turning waste into building blocks. Mykor, founded by Olivia Page and Valentina Dipietro in 2021, just secured $4.8 million (€4.6 million) in funding. The goal? Scale up their low-carbon construction systems made from industrial and agricultural waste. The round was led by Clean Growth Fund, with support from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund via The FSE Group, Green Angel Ventures, and Innovate UK’s investor partnership. Mykor has now raised a total of $9 million (€8.6 million), blending $6.6 million in equity with $2.4 million in grants. ### Why This Matters The built environment is a big polluter. It accounts for about 39% of global emissions. That breaks down to 11% from embodied carbon in materials and 28% from operational energy use. Insulation helps cut operational carbon, but conventional options are often non-renewable, high-carbon, and even combustible. As whole-life carbon assessments become standard, developers face pressure to slash both types of emissions. Mykor’s solution? Grow materials from waste instead of mining finite resources. Their biofabrication process turns agricultural and industrial waste into construction products in days—not centuries. ### How Mykor Works The startup combines three things: engineered mycelium (think mushroom roots), green chemistry, and automated manufacturing. This creates a portfolio of products, from prefabricated walls to cavity wall insulation. But Mykor isn’t just a product company. It’s a platform. Contractors and manufacturers can plug Mykor’s tech into their existing production lines. This lets them scale through current infrastructure, not build new factories from scratch. ### The First Product: MykoSIP MykoSIP is a preassembled partition wall. It’s already delivering big carbon savings. Compared to traditional systems, it cuts emissions by about 50 pounds of CO2 per square foot (23 kgCO₂e per m²). That’s at least a 50% reduction. When you factor in biogenic carbon storage (carbon locked in the material itself), savings go even higher. And it’s not just about carbon. MykoSIP uses 90% less water and 40% less electricity than polystyrene alternatives. It’s also mold-free, fire-safe, and matches conventional walls on thermal and acoustic performance. ### What’s Next? CEO Olivia Page says the real challenge isn’t inventing a biomaterial—it’s manufacturing at scale and fitting into real supply chains. This funding lets Mykor work with major contractors and manufacturing partners globally. The company is focused on cost-effectiveness, buildability, and performance. They’re not asking builders to compromise. They’re offering a drop-in solution that cuts carbon without cutting corners. ### The Big Picture Construction is slow to change. But with regulations tightening and carbon costs rising, the pressure is on. Mykor’s approach—using waste, scaling through existing infrastructure, and matching performance standards—could be a blueprint for the industry. It’s early days, but the funding and partnerships suggest momentum. If Mykor can prove its platform model works at commercial scale, it might just help decarbonize construction from the ground up.