The Germany-based startup Vyld develops sustainable, ocean-friendly, and healthy absorbent products made from seaweed. As of today, Vyld's products are Kelpon, the world's first tampon made from seaweed and cotton fibres, which was tested by 100 women last fall, and Vyndel, a compostable diaper that recently entered the trial phase, having a seaweed core, free of plastic, and chemical absorbent elements.
In the current pilot project, Vyndel is tested by 50 households for its suitability in daily life and as humus fertiliser. Used diapers are composted under controlled conditions and a small forest is planted from the fertiliser: the diaper forest. Ines Schiller and Melanie Schichan, the two founders, aim to create an "Algaeverse" with circular, healthy products that will spread algae into the non-food sector as a sustainable raw material and actively contribute to ocean regeneration.
Founded in 2021 in Berlin, after a successful crowdfunding campaign Vyld closed its seed round of financing in 2023 with investments based on Future Profit Partnership Agreements (FPPAs), which is an alternative financing model to venture capital. Indeed, Vyld is a company in steward ownership, an alternative ownership structure that allows the company's mission to be treasured and handed down through the generations and focuses on long-term sustainability, including from an economic perspective.
“Addressing issues of ownership, power, and financing is critical for me as an entrepreneur," says Ines Schiller, one of Vyld's founders and CEO, who goes on: "Business models create realities and extractive models do not only threaten the environment and health but also reproduce exploitative standards and undemocratic tendencies. We want to counter this with a model that promotes creation instead of consumption, quality instead of quantity, and triple bottom line instead of hyper-growth." The recent funding round will allow the market launch sometime this year of Kelpon pads, designed to also be composted at home, and the development of the Algaeverse portfolio for B2B and B2C.
Name:
Vyld
Web site:
Sector:
Biobased absorbent products
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Alternative financing model and steward ownership company that protects the company's vision over time
Features:
Sustainable, biodegradable, and healthy absorbent products from seaweed
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano
Images: Vyld