Ananas Anam Completes New Round of Financing

Ananas Anam, a London, UK-based maker of a patent-protected natural and sustainable alternative to leather, completed a new round of financing of undisclosed amount.

Following this fundraising, Spark China Limited Director William Lu will join Ananas Anam’s Board of Directors, which also includes entrepreneurial VC and former Director at Unilever Ventures Dr Lisa Smith and the Chairman of the Irish Stock Exchange Padraic O’Connor.

The company intends to use the funds to to accelerate sales, marketing and supply chain of Piñatex™.

Led by Dr. Carmen Hijosa, Founder and CEO, Ananas Anam has made Piñatex™, a proprietary natural and sustainable alternative to leather. A natural plant-based and versatile material from a sustainable source, Piñatex™ is made of fibres from pineapple leaves, a by-product of the pineapple harvest. It is patent-protected and is being first marketed fashion and accessories, upholstery and automotive industries. A Royal College of Art-backed startup, Ananas Anam is ramping up its supply chain in The Philippines where it collaborates with local farmers’ communities and with the active support of the Department of Agriculture.

The company has recently been awarded a grant from InnovateUK and entered into a research & development co-operation with Imperial College to develop a new release of Piñatex.

FinSMEs

28/04/2017

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