New Materials

The Selected podcast caught up with Fairmat founder and CEO Ben Saada at JEC World 2025.

Composites are everywhere around us: they’re used to make everything from spacecraft and racing cars to swimming pools, bath tubs and countertops. Still, most people don’t know what “composite materials” mean — the materials industry isn’t really the best fit for consumer-focused marketing after all.  But the potential of composites to increase efficiencies in industry is putting the highlight on its potential to improve sustainability. That, in turn, is attracting corporates and investors to the space. That trend of innovation was quite apparent at the 60th edition of JEC World in Paris, which showcased the latest and greatest in the composite materials industry this week.  The event saw a range of products being launched, awards given, a startup competition, conferences, networking events for investors and the industry, live demos, and much more.  The 2025 edition of the trade show also saw its first Investor Day, co-organized by Sesamers, which had top venture capital investors from across the world meeting founders, networking and evaluating interesting startups. Meet the JEC Startup Booster 2025 winners Speaking of startups, this year’s JEC Startup Booster competition had 20 uniquely interesting finalists that Sesamers (acting as JEC’s sourcing partner) helped shortlist from over 200 entrepreneurs, startups, and university spin-offs to highlight the most intriguing new companies in the space.  Over the years the competition has become a true springboard for participants, thanks in no small part to the support of industrial sponsors: the 2025 edition is supported by Airbus, ProxximaTM (An ExxonMobil Product) and Owens Corning as its main innovation partners, and Mercedes-Benz and Swancor as innovation partners. These companies were also represented in the jury that judged the finalists in the competition. Even being a finalist in Startup Booster can open doors for a startup: for example, former finalist UBQ Materials is now working with Mercedes Benz. Of course, getting an award is even better — the prize package is worth €25,000, including a cash prize and a fully equipped booth at JEC World 2026. This year there were three awards — two corresponding to the main categories, and one focused on sustainability. Product & Materials Award: Tree Composites Tree Composites is trying to improve offshore wind turbine foundations with its wrapped composite joint, which helps make structural connections that drastically reduce steel usage.  The company says it offers 60% savings in materials as well as increased durability, and is one of the more unique names helping in the transition to more efficient and sustainable offshore energy projects. “Winning this award validates our technology and accelerates our ability to scale,” shared Lead Manufacturing Engineer at Tree Composites, Berend van Leengoed. Process, Manufacturing & Equipment Award: Perseus Materials Perseus Materials is tackling one of construction’s biggest challenges — reducing labor costs and replacing steel with fiber-reinforced polymer composites (FRPs). Its on-site manufacturing process is designed to make large, load-bearing FRPs more accessible and cost-effective, instead offering lightweight, high-strength alternatives. “Being recognized by the JEC jury — composed of industry leaders — proves that our approach has the potential to truly disrupt how structures are built,” said Perseus Materials’ CEO, Dan Lee. Sustainability Award: Strong by Form Strong by Form has developed Woodflow, a timber composite that delivers a lightweight, high-performance alternative to traditional materials like concrete and steel, reducing carbon footprints in critical industries. “This award is not just a win for us — it’s a signal that the industry is ready for a fundamental shift toward bio-based, sustainable solutions,” the startup’s founders said. JEC World 2025: A Convergence of Startups & Investors While Startup Booster put the spotlight on the innovation in materials, JEC Investor Day turned out to be a good experiment for facilitating funding and strategic partnerships. Investors from leading funds and corporates’ investment arms gathered to see where composites are heading next, meet founders, and network. Composites are evolving at an incredible pace, but the most exciting impact will come from startups and large enterprises and manufacturers working together. That connection is being facilitated by corporates’ venture capital arms. Several investors in attendance were representatives of corporations.  Syensqo Ventures’ managing partner Matt Jones told Sesamers ahead of the trade show, that his firm was particularly interested in how composites can help make lighter, more manufacturable, cost-effective parts for several use cases. “Everything that flies or rolls needs to be higher performance; whether you’re switching to sustainable aviation fuels or electric vehicles, they all need to be lighter. They all need to have higher performance. Composites are going to be a big part of that future,” he said when we spoke to him at JEC.  The road ahead All trade shows bring people together, but few succeed in truly uniting diverse stakeholders under one roof. JEC World 2025 did showcase the best in composites, but it also accomplished something that many industry events struggle with: facilitating meaningful connections between investors and startups to bring composites innovation to the market.  This suggests that the inaugural JEC Investor Day was just the beginning, and you can be sure we’ll bring you the highlights again. Until next time.

As its name suggests, the JEC Investor Day that Sesamers is co-organizing only lasts one day, during JEC World, a must-attend event for all things composites. But several firms in attendance are worth keeping tabs on all year round. That’s particularly true if you are a founder whose startup helps advance circularity through new materials. The good news is that there is funding out there for you. But as usual with fundraising, it is worth knowing the nuance: Some firms invest pre-idea, while others only look at growth-stage companies. Taking a step back, it is also useful to know what is driving investors into this space, for instance a climate-oriented thesis, and what other companies they may have already backed. Without further ado, here are some investors that should be on your radar, and additional details about each of them: 4elements 4elements describes itself as a “venture studio for a sustainable future.” As its venture director Vanessa Amaral explained, its focus is on “pre-seed investments in impact-driven startups that develop breakthrough technologies in materials science, particularly those enabling decarbonization, circularity, and resource efficiency.” Whether it co-founds new businesses from scratch or joins pre-seed startup founders who already had an idea, it can finance ventures internally up to €6 million. But there’s more than capital, Amaral said: “Our approach includes helping founders refine their technology roadmap and scale from lab-scale to pilot and industrial production; connecting startups with industrial partners, early customers, and supply chain stakeholders; helping assemble high-performing teams, recruiting key talent, and setting up governance structures; and supporting startups in securing follow-on funding from institutional investors, grants, and corporate partners.” Infinity Recycling Infinity Recycling established the Circular Plastics Fund, an Article 9 ‘dark green’ impact fund under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation — as such, its ultimate goal is a combo of “great impact and financial returns.” Infinity Recycling is based in Rotterdam, but its portfolio is international — and growing. It already invested in seven companies, but there’s more to come. By the end of its cycle, the fund aims to have invested in 10-14 companies working with waste valorization technologies that convert end-of-life plastic waste into virgin-grade commodities. Mandalore Partners Mandalore Partners is a Corporate Venture Capital as-a-Service firm that specializes in four domains: Insurtech, InvestTech, ImpactTech and IndustryTech. Under its IndustryTech vertical, it has a mandate of driving France’s industrial transformation.  New materials are central to this mission, founder & managing partner Minh Tran told Sesamers. In particular, the fund is interested in how composites can drive sustainable production, reduce reliance on foreign technologies, and support innovations in key areas like 3D printing, energy storage, and advanced manufacturing. NOVA  Created in 2006, NOVA is the corporate venture arm of Saint-Gobain. It invests from Seed to Series A in startups in construction tech, mobility, industrial decarbonation and material sciences. It also has deep pockets: According to its website, Nova’s total investment in startups corresponds to almost 100 million US dollars. But like other firms on this list, it provides more than capital, and works with Saint-Gobain’s teams to set up strategic co-development partnerships, distribution, marketing or licensing agreements with startups. Past investments in new materials have included companies like FibreCoat, a German startup developing new fiber-based products for the mobility and construction sectors. Slate Venture Capital Slate Venture Capital is a B2B climate tech fund, and materials are core to its investment thesis. “We are actively looking at companies creating advanced materials, bio-based materials, or material using carbon. We are also very interested in recycled materials,” founding partner Sébastien Léger said. Compared to other firms, one difference is that two of Slate Venture Capital’s founders are ex-entrepreneurs who sold their companies — Eventbrite and PeopleDoc. “Helping portfolio companies is of paramount importance to us. We do so across multiple topics, from overall strategy, growth acceleration to capex execution,” Léger said. Portfolio companies related to new materials include Arda and Fairmat. Starquest Founded in 2008, Starquest supports startups that have the potential to drive significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, whether that’s in energy, transportation, agriculture, industrial processes — or new materials. It takes a particular interest in supporting initiatives including circular economy practices, waste recycling, product life extension, and recycling. In 2022, the Paris-based firm joined forces with Montefiore, a private equity firm dedicated to service SMEs and mid-market companies. Starquest, however, remains focused on high-impact investing, with checks typically ranging from €1 million to €10 million, often for minority stakes. Syensqo Ventures Syensqo Ventures is the corporate venture capital (CVC) arm of Syensqo, which emerged after Belgian chemicals group Solvay was split into two entities. Syensqo focuses on clean mobility, electric vehicle batteries, green hydrogen and thermoplastic composites, which also inspires the thesis of its CVC. “Our investment thesis in composites is centered on addressing the growing needs of our customers for composite parts,” said Syensqo Ventures’ managing partner, Matt Jones. These needs evolve around the objectives of “creating lighter, more manufacturable, cost-effective parts.” Portfolio startups in this sector include iCOMAT and Plyable. “Both bring innovation to speed up and lower the cost of manufacturing composite parts, in line with our thesis on meeting customer needs in this space,” Jones said. We hope these investors will find valuable dealflow opportunities at JEC Investor Day 2025, and that some of the exciting composites startups in attendance will soon join their portfolios!