Rubi Laboratories and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are entering the next phase of scaling symbiotic manufacturing.
The San Francisco startup turning carbon emissions into enzyme-powered, biochemical-based textiles was granted nearly $1 million by the NSF—an award given to less than 5 percent of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) applicants over the past decade.
In recognition of Rubi’s advancements in CO2-to-materials technology, the $969,961 will support the Global Change Award winner’s journey to commercialization as it develops and grows its carbon-to-cellulose platform.
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The NSF Phase II award builds on the previous successful NSF Phase I grant completion in 2023, which saw Rubi advance “multi-enzyme cascade design and enzyme stabilization” for carbon-to-cellulose production. Since then, Time’s Top Greentech Company raised $8.7 million in a seed funding round co-led by Patagonia’s venture capital arm, Tin Shed Ventures, and the H&M Group. Strategic pilot partnerships with the likes of Ganni and Reformation, as well as a series of pilot projects in collaboration with Walmart, followed suit.
“This award is a testament to Rubi’s vision for a symbiotic manufacturing future and our ambition to lead the next era of sustainable industry,” said Neeka Mashouf, Rubi’s co-founder and CEO. “As we move into 2025, this grant will accelerate our efforts to scale CO2-derived, low-carbon cellulose for the textile industry, ultimately allowing us to transform environmental challenges into opportunities, bridge our proven science with existing supply chains, and set a new standard for decoupling industrial growth from environmental degradation.”
Here’s how it works: Rubi’s proprietary technology functions like an enzymatic conveyor belt. That assembly line turns simple 1-carbon molecules (like carbon dioxide or methane) into more complex carbohydrate polymers (like cellulose). These 1-carbon molecules are likely being used as raw materials for their enzyme process to build more complex substances.
Traditional methods like fermentation and chemical catalysis are typically expensive, time-consuming and resource-intensive. What makes Rubi’s proprietary process noteworthy is its cell-free enzymatic platform. By using enzymes directly—no need for living cells like bacteria, algae or yeast—Rubi dodges a handful of the inefficiencies and limitations encountered when using the incumbent techniques. This allows for faster, cheaper, and cleaner production of cellulose and other polymers from simple 1-carbon inputs. Furthermore, this method yields three times more product than fermentation and uses fewer resources than chemical catalysis. Plus, it’s 10 times cheaper to set up.
To reiterate: regular, cell-based fermentation needs living organisms. Those organisms need a ton of resources to survive and, in doing so, typically generate over 70 percent of byproduct waste. The cell-free biocatalysis process instead uses enzymes to transform carbon inputs directly, and almost all the carbon becomes cellulose, as opposed to feeding the microorganisms.
“Rubi’s cell-free biocatalysis approach is a paradigm shift in manufacturing, providing a sustainable and efficient solution to produce [carbon dioxide] derived materials without exploiting natural resources. By producing forest-free cellulose in hours rather than decades and with drastically reduced carbon emissions, water usage, and land impact, Rubi offers a faster, more sustainable alternative to traditional wood pulp,” said Dr. Leila Mashouf, co-founder and CTO of Rubi. “We’re thrilled to have the continued support of the NSF with this Phase II award and look forward to scaling our technology to meet the growing global demand for ultra-low-carbon, biobased materials.”
“NSF accelerates the translation of emerging technologies into transformative new products and services,” said Erwin Gianchandani, NSF assistant director for technology, innovation and partnerships. “We take great pride in funding deep-technology startups and small businesses that will shape science and engineering results into meaningful solutions for today and tomorrow.”
