Rubi Laboratories is a company.
Rubi Laboratories has raised $4.0M across 1 funding round.
Key people at Rubi Laboratories.
Rubi Laboratories has raised $4.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Rubi Laboratories has raised $4.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Rubi Laboratories's investors include 6th Man Ventures, Dawn Capital, DFJ, Founders Co-op, Kleiner Perkins, KRM Interests LLC, LocalGlobe, Look Up Ventures, Maverick Capital, Menlo Ventures, Mouro Capital, Necessary Ventures.
Rubi Laboratories is a synthetic biology startup founded in 2020 that develops carbon-negative textiles by converting CO2 emissions into cellulose-based materials using enzyme-powered processes, primarily targeting the fashion industry.[1][2][3][4] The company serves apparel brands like Reformation, GANNI, H&M, Nuuly, and Patagonia, solving the fashion sector's massive environmental footprint—responsible for significant CO2 emissions, deforestation, and resource depletion—by producing textiles that capture ~20 bathtubs of CO2 per batch (18 avoided, 2 captured), use virtually no water or land, and biodegrade at end-of-life.[2][3][4][5] With $13.5M in venture funding, federal grants over $1.2M, global brand pilots, and expansion plans into packaging, building materials, and food/beverage, Rubi demonstrates strong growth momentum toward symbiotic, planet-positive manufacturing.[2][5][6]
Rubi Laboratories was founded in 2020 (incorporated August, federally registered September) by twin sisters Neeka and Leila Mashouf, who blend scientific expertise with fashion industry exposure from their Northern California upbringing near redwoods and coasts.[1][2][6] Neeka specialized in materials science and sustainability, while Leila focused on bioengineering for human health; both began research careers at age 15 in leading institutes and spent summers immersed in their family's fashion world, learning from designers and manufacturers.[1] Devastated by fashion's environmental toll, they invented and prototyped their CO2-to-textile technology in a public biohacking lab, launching Rubi in 2021 to pioneer "The Symbiotic Era" of manufacturing that restores ecosystems.[1][4]
Rubi rides the wave of synthetic biology and carbon capture utilization (CCU) to decarbonize high-impact industries, particularly fashion—the third-largest CO2-emitting supply chain—amid rising regulatory pressures like EU carbon borders and consumer demands for sustainability.[2][4][5] Timing is ideal post-2020 climate urgency, with biotech advances enabling industrial-scale enzyme processes that traditional methods can't match, aligning with trends in circular economies and bio-based materials (e.g., competitors like Bolt Threads).[3] Rubi influences the ecosystem by partnering with brands to scale planet-positive supply chains, inspiring "symbiotic" manufacturing that cleans air, preserves resources, and harmonizes human prosperity with ecology, potentially accelerating adoption across textiles and beyond.[1][4][5]
Rubi is poised to expand from fashion pilots to commercial production in adjacent sectors like packaging and building materials, leveraging its $13.5M funding, grants, and patents for industrial scaling.[2][3][6] Trends like advancing enzyme tech, stricter emissions regs, and biofabrication investments will propel growth, potentially positioning Rubi as a leader in carbon-negative materials amid climate tech's boom. Its influence may evolve from niche innovator to supply chain transformer, redefining manufacturing as restorative—turning CO2 from foe to feedstock, much like the sisters' vision born from redwoods and runways.
Key people at Rubi Laboratories.
Rubi Laboratories has raised $4.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Seed in February 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2022 | $4.0M Seed | 6th Man Ventures, Dawn Capital, DFJ, Founders Co-op, Kleiner Perkins, KRM Interests LLC, LocalGlobe, Look Up Ventures, Maverick Capital, Menlo Ventures, Mouro Capital, Necessary Ventures, Passion Capital, Point Nine Capital, QED Investors, Seedcamp, XStarPartners, Y Combinator, Adam Marchick, Andy Rubin, Christian Bach, Fredrik Björk, hugo angelmar, Ian Hogarth, Leonard Picardo, Mathias Biilmann Christensen, Michael Pennington, Ravi Grover, Sri Batchu, Tim Seears |
