Founded in 2021, SynMetabio, a startup incubated at ShanghaiTech University, was co-founded by Su Rui ’23 and Xue Ruixuan ’24, who were undergraduate students at the School of Life Science and Technology and the School of Physical Science and Technology, respectively. The company develops bio-based materials by integrating synthetic biology with artificial intelligence, with bio-based leather as its flagship commercial product. Recently, SynMetabio has completed a Series A financing round exceeding RMB 100 million, co-led by Erdos Group and Heda Financial Services, with Nest.Bio Ventures participating. The funding will accelerate SynMetabio’s commercialization, manufacturing capacity, and the development of next-generation bio-based materials for global markets.
The company’s origins trace back to an award-winning project at the 2021 International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Competition, where the team won the global Second Runner Up and received both the Best New Application Award and the Best Supporting Entrepreneurship Award. The project later won first prize in the student category at the Fourth ShanghaiTech Innovation and Entrepreneurship Summit, receiving seed funding from venture capital firms.
Designed as a sustainable alternative to petroleum-based and animal-derived leather, SynMetabio’s materials are being applied across sectors including sportswear, fashion, hospitality, and home furnishings.
The company has established collaborations with leading brands including ANTA, Atour, and Kempinski. It is also expanding its international presence through a European subsidiary in France that serves as its regional headquarters. The company says it has already secured commercial orders from customers across Europe.
“Five years ago, we founded SynMetabio based on a simple belief: the high-performance materials used in everyday consumer products will eventually shift from petroleum-based to bio-based,” said Su Rui, founder, chairman, and CEO of SynMetabio. “Today, that vision is increasingly being validated by the market. Leather is only our starting point. Building on bio-based materials, we hope to expand into broader applications and grow into a global materials innovation platform.”