Carbon Cell raises £1.2M to scale production of innovative low-carbon foam material

Carbon Cell, a London-based materials startup, raised a £1.2M pre-seed round to scale its novel, plastic-free foam made from biochar and natural polymers. The round was led by Green Angel Ventures and Counteract, with participation from HERmesa, RCA Design and Innovation S/EIS Fund, and One Planet Capital.

Sustainable Times sat down with Liz, one of the co-founders, if you want to hear the bigger story behind Carbon Cell. 

Carbon Cell provides an alternative to polymer-based foams, with a patent pending, plastic-free foam. In combination with natural polymers, Carbon Cell transforms biochar into a foam material that has a low or negative carbon footprint, and that can be used to replace conventional plastic foams in a variety of sectors, from packaging to insulation.

In 2024 alone, over 10 million tonnes of expanded polystyrene were produced, enough material to cover the continent of Europe 50 mm thick. Carbon Cell’s material replaces plastic foams such as expanded polystyrene, expanded polypropylene, and PUR/PIR, a collective market worth over $109BN.

Biochar is created by processing waste biomass (typically agricultural co-products or material) in a low oxygen environment. Instead of burning these byproducts, emitting CO2,  or leaving them to decompose emitting methane. Biochar fixes carbon into a form that remains stable for hundreds of years, reducing global greenhouse gas production.

"Traditional foams have dominated for too long at the expense of our environment. At Carbon Cell, we’re rethinking materials from the ground up, creating a carbon-negative foam that performs today and protects tomorrow,” said Liz Lee, founder and CEO of Carbon Cell. “This investment will help us take the next big step in scaling production and bringing Carbon Cell toMarket.”

This funding will support Carbon Cell’s scale up from batch processing to continuous production, and a series of manufacturing trials to validate the material’s use as a drop-in replacement for plastics. Carbon Cell is also working with early customers to deliver several thousand units of product for testing, evaluation, and trial.

This funding round builds on existing grant finance provided by Innovate UK, SHIFT London, and Village Capital’s Green Tech EU, as well as early investment from Carbon13 and Queen Mary Social Venture Fund. Carbon Cell has also been supported by Imperial’s Undaunted, London Social Ventures, GLA Better Futures Program, Creative Destruction Lab, Plus X Innovation CRLX, EIT Food Accelerator, and Third Derivative, and was the BBIA’s Startup of the Year 2024 and a nominee for Earthshot 2025.

"Carbon Cell shows what’s possible when we rethink everyday materials. Their biochar foam replaces fossil-based packaging with a biodegradable alternative that cuts plastic waste, reduces emissions, and even stores carbon in the process," said Cam Ross, CEO of Green Angel Ventures.

"As an investor specialised in carbon removal, we love what Carbon Cell is doing with biochar. Creating new, planet-friendly materials in packaging and insulation is an exciting new sector with attractive growth prospects. Their deep technical approach and understanding of the functional benefits of biogenic materials have really impressed us. We're excited to be helping the Carbon Cell team on the next phase of their product development and commercialisation journey," said Richard Barker, Partner at Counteract.

Carbon Cell was founded in 2023 by Ori Blich, Eden Harrison, Elizabeth Lee, and Juan Ignacio Rion, graduates from Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art.