On May 14, Japanese sports giant ASICS announced that through its investment company ASICS Ventures Corporation, it had completed financing for Israeli synthetic spider silk startup Seevix Material Sciences Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Seevix). The exact amount was not announced.
Founded in 2014, based on research findings from Hebrew University, Seevix uses bionics to Synthetic spider silk SVX™ is mass-produced through a controlled fermentation process. This product is stronger and more elastic than natural spider silk, is more environmentally friendly, and is easy to biodegrade. It can be said that SVX™ is a functional bio-protein filament with natural fiber properties.
In the future, ASICS Institute of Sport Science and Seevix will jointly use SVX™ synthetic spider silk to develop related sports products.
As part of ASICS’ mid-term plan, creating differentiated innovation is one of its core strategies. ASICS is already using cutting-edge technology to improve the sustainability and functionality of its products, and has also begun to use sustainable raw materials.
Like ASICS, the Japanese fiber company Toshima is also optimistic about the field of synthetic spider silk. On May 11, Toyoshima made an equity investment in Spiber, a Japanese synthetic spider silk start-up company. The two parties will jointly develop related fibers and textile fabrics in the future. The investment amount has not yet been disclosed.
Founded in 2007, Spiber originated from the synthetic spider silk technology developed by Keio University’s Advanced Life Sciences Research Institute. Based on this technology, Spiber further developed mass production technology for the new protein material Qmonos in Tsuruoka City. Qmonos can be processed into a variety of products such as resins and films, and because the raw materials do not require the use of chemicals, its excellent environmental protection makes it one of the most popular new materials.
In 2018, Spiber received an investment of 3 billion yen from Cool Japan. In December 2019, Spiber and Japanese sportswear manufacturer Goldwin Inc. jointly developed The North Face’s outdoor jacket Moon Parka, which is limited to 50 pieces globally (Goldwin is the authorized distributor of The North Face in Japan). Its raw materials were developed by Spiber. of Brewed Protein™ material. It took a total of 4 years from the time the two parties announced their cooperation to the time the products were officially put on sale.
Spiber has currently built a factory in Thailand to mass-produce synthetic spider silk, and has also cooperated with Japanese fashion designer brand Sacai and haute couture designer brand Yuima Nakazato. cooperate.
Before this round of financing, Spiber’s valuation had exceeded US$1 billion.
In the future, Spiber and Toshima will exchange resources to create synergy, jointly explore multiple lifestyle fields including fashion, and realize the success of Spiber’s independently developed protein fiber Brewed Protein™. The diversification of uses has promoted the popularity of this fiber.
Spiber is also actively expanding into more fiber areas based on the company’s accumulated protein technology. For example, in March 2019, it reached a cooperation with the hair growth brand Aderans to jointly develop the latest wig materials, and hopes to achieve commercialization within 2 years.
Above: Yuima Nakazato x Spiber</p
