Werewool

Werewool is a New York-based biotech startup that engineers microbes to express functional proteins — originally found in coral and other living sources — that are combined with plant-based biopolymers to create inherently colored, biodegradable performance fibers. The company's precision fermentation process eliminates the need for synthetic dyeing, removing one of the most water- and energy-intensive steps in textile manufacturing. Werewool's fiber system is designed to plug into existing wet-spinning infrastructure used for acrylic and rayon production, and its business model targets licensing the technology to apparel brands and mills rather than direct manufacturing. Founded at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2018 by Chui-Lian Lee and Valentina Gomez, the company has raised $4.15M including a $3.7M seed round led by Material Impact and Sofinnova Partners.