The business: Mango Materials Inc. produces biodegradable plastics from waste biogas (methane) at a competitive price versus oil-based plastics. Mango Materials produces its plastic (polyhydroxyalkanoate) in powder form that is converted into a variety of plastic products such as children’s toys, electronic casings, water bottles and food packaging containers. Building on patented research from Stanford University, Mango Materials uses waste biogas that would otherwise enter the atmosphere from landfills, agricultural facilities and wastewater treatment plants.
How it makes money: Mango Materials plans to sell plastic pellets to existing plastic formers and distributors who make plastic products.
How it makes money: Mango Materials plans to sell plastic pellets to existing plastic formers and distributors who make plastic products.
Business/technology it could disrupt: The company says it provides an environmentally friendly alternative to non-biodegradable oil-based plastics and reduces demand for oil.
Management team: CEO Molly Morse co-founded Mango Materials based on doctoral research at Stanford University with Allison Pieja, investigating production and uses of environmentally friendly materials. Co-founder Anne Schauer-Gimenez has expertise in environmental engineering and microbiology. Chief Operating Officer Bill Shelander is a former CEO of Micronics Computers Inc. — a $250 million company — and has more than 20 years of venture capital experience.
Advisers: Sarah Billington, Stanford professor of civil engineering; Craig Criddle, Stanford professor of environmental engineering; Curt Frank, Stanford professor of chemical engineering.
Money being sought: $150,000 to leverage current government funding and develop near-term process engineering and scale-up metrics. Longer term, $1.5 million to operate a process demonstration facility with local partners.
Partnerships: Mango Materials is partnering with or collaborating with the South Bayside System Authority in Redwood City and the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service in Albany, Calif. It uses technology based on intellectual property developed at and licensed from Stanford University.
Partnerships: Mango Materials is partnering with or collaborating with the South Bayside System Authority in Redwood City and the United States Department of Agriculture – Agricultural Research Service in Albany, Calif. It uses technology based on intellectual property developed at and licensed from Stanford University.
Grants, contracts or awards: Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation . The company topped a recent Keiretsu Forum Jumpstart Days competition.
Market size being pursued: By 2018 the U.S. bioplastics market value is expected to be $5 billion, and could capture up to 30 percent of the total plastics market by 2025 (Sources: Report Buyer 2009, Helmut Kaiser Consultancy 2008).
Likely competitors: Plastic producers who use either oil (which Mango Materials says produces non-biodegradable plastic) or sugars (which the company says produce bioplastic but are expensive).
Likely competitors: Plastic producers who use either oil (which Mango Materials says produces non-biodegradable plastic) or sugars (which the company says produce bioplastic but are expensive).
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