The British materials start-up Sparxell has completed a pre-Series A financing round of USD 5 million. The company intends to use the capital to drive forward the industrial scaling of its plant-based structural colour technology, which is intended to offer an alternative to conventional, synthetic colour and printing systems, particularly for packaging.
The financing round is led by Swen Capital Partners from Paris via the Blue Ocean 2 Fund, which is supported by the European Investment Fund. Other investors include Alpha Star Capital and Cambridge Enterprise, which is once again providing capital as an early-stage investor. According to the company, the aim of the round is to accelerate the transition from pilot projects to industrial production.
Sparxell is a spin-off from the University of Cambridge and developed its technology at the Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry. The colouring is based on plant-based cellulose and physical microstructures that reflect light instead of using chemical pigments to create colour. This means that no synthetic dyes, heavy metals or mineral pigments are used.
Relevance for packaging and printing inks
For the packaging industry, the approach could be particularly relevant in the area of printing inks and decorative coatings. Conventional packaging inks often contain petrochemical components, problematic additives or mineral pigments, which make recycling processes more difficult and are coming under increasing regulatory pressure. According to Sparxell, the structural colour-based technology should help to avoid these substances and reduce environmental pollution at source.
As the colour is produced purely structurally, there could also be advantages along the life cycle, for example in the recyclability of packaging materials or in the reduction of microplastic emissions. The company sees its solution as a building block for recyclable packaging concepts based on renewable raw materials.
Scaling and market launch
Sparxell plans to use the new capital to build up production capacities on an industrial scale and further develop initial markets. The company will initially enter the market in the fashion and cosmetics sectors, but applications in paints, coatings and packaging are also set to follow. For brands with ambitious sustainability goals in particular, structural, bio-based colours could represent an opportunity to reduce the use of critical chemicals in packaging, according to the company.
In 2025, Sparxell had already received funding totalling 1.9 million euros from the European Innovation Council and launched its first commercial applications. These include collaborations in the textile sector and the introduction of Oekotex-certified colours. The company is also supported by various innovation and sustainability initiatives from industry and research.
Source: Sparxell
