Cellugy
Cellugy
Biofabricating high-performance cellulose to replace petrochemicals
Investment vertical
- Biosolutionsabout /verticals/biosolutionsBiosolutions
Stage
- Pre-seed
- Seed
Website
www.cellugy.com about https://www.cellugy.com/The challenge
Many everyday products rely on petrochemical-based ingredients that contribute to microplastic pollution, toxic waste, and high carbon emissions. Even plant-based cellulose alternatives often require resource-intensive harvesting and heavy chemical processing, making them difficult to scale sustainably. Industries like personal care urgently need high-performance materials that don’t damage the planet.
The solution
Cellugy biofabricates pure cellulose through microbial fermentation, producing EcoFLEXY — a first-of-its-kind powder cellulose that brings the force of nature to product formulations. Renewable, biodegradable, and fossil-free, EcoFLEXY replaces petrochemical ingredients without compromising performance. It is adaptable, stable, and easily redispersed, making it a powerful tool for sustainable innovation that meets industry needs and customer expectations while supporting a fully circular materials future.
Footprint team
- Jakob Wichmann about ?overlay=jakob-wichmann
jmw@thefootprintfirm.com about mailto:jmw@thefootprintfirm.comJakob Wichmann
Co-Founding Partner
Jakob brings extensive expertise as an investor, entrepreneur, CEO, and management consultant, combined with significant international experience. He has served as a responsible partner on more than 200+ projects. He has served clients in international organizations and the private and public sectors on a wide range of issues, albeit always at the intersection between sustainability, research, and strategy. Jakob also serves as a trusted advisor to several senior executives, especially in private equity. He has been heavily engaged in the Footprint Firm investment practice, playing a core role in establishing the Footprint Fund and serving as board chair in several start-ups (Agrain, Klimate, Legacy) as well as leading several investment processes.
He especially thrives in diverse cultural and professional environments, as he has worked as an advisor and investor across the world and across multiple industries, with governments, academia, civil society and international organizations.
In 2011, he founded his own boutique consultancy as a response to the democratic movements in the Middle East and Africa that erupted in step with the Arab Spring revolutions. The company was later merged into Voluntas where Jakob has served as CEO and co-owner, as well as working with the advisory and investment sub-brands contributing to building the organization, growing the business as well as initiating new start-ups and establishing new offices. In 2008, Jakob co-founded the purpose-driven and renewable-only utility Natur-Energi, a company that was sold in 2017 after having built a significant client base.
Jakob holds a Master of Public Theory from University of Essex and a Master of Science in Political Science from the University of Aarhus. His former positions include CEO and Co-founder of Voluntas Group, including Voluntas Advisory and Voluntas Investment, Co-founder of Natur-Energi and other work with the World Bank, DanChurchAid and Epinion.