AMSilk
AMSilk GmbH produces biofabricated silk proteins via precision fermentation, supplying fibers, yarns, hydrogels, and powders to enterprise customers in luxury fashion, automotive, aerospace, medical, and consumer care industries through direct B2B sales and contract manufacturing partners Evonik and Ajinomoto.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersPlanegg, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What AMSilk does
AMSilk GmbH is a German industrial biotechnology company founded in 2008 as a spin-off from the Technical University of Munich that produces biofabricated silk proteins through precision fermentation using genetically engineered microorganisms. The company's core platform combines DNA editing with AI-powered protein design to engineer spider-silk-inspired proteins, which are then processed into a portfolio of physical forms including fibers and yarns (Biosteel®), hydrogels (Silkgel), microparticles (Silkbeads), sprayable formulations, and powders (AMSilk4Care, AMSilk4Shine). Products are positioned as biodegradable, vegan-certified, microplastic-free alternatives to conventional silk and synthetic polymers, with claimed performance characteristics including up to 120 kg CO2-equivalent savings per kilogram of fiber and 99.7% reduction in microbial adherence in medical coating applications.
AMSilk serves enterprise customers across five primary business units: textile and fashion (Balenciaga Spring 2026 collection, adidas Futurecraft Biofabric), medical technology (coatings, wound dressings, surgical mesh), consumer care (laundry, dish, surface, and personal care formulators), automotive (Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX door pulls), and aviation (Airbus composite fibers). The company does not own fermentation plants; instead, it operates an asset-light contract manufacturing model through dedicated lines at Evonik in Slovakia and Ajinomoto Foods Europe in France, with multi-ton monthly output and a publicly stated target of scaling capacity by several thousand tons per year within 3-5 years.
Revenue is generated through a mix of B2B biomaterial sales (fibers, yarns, powders, hydrogels, coatings), licensing and strategic partnership agreements under a three-tier model (Partnership, Preferred Partnership, Strategic Partnership), and consumer care ingredient supply. Cumulative disclosed funding exceeds EUR 106M across a EUR 54M Series C (2021-2023) and a EUR 52M round in September 2025 led by ATHOS (AT Newtec, majority shareholder), with participation from Novo Holdings, Cargill, and MIG Capital. As of June 2026, leadership transitioned to a new CEO (Christian Wichert, ex-Evolva AG) explicitly tasked with moving the company from development and scale-up to full commercialization.
AMSilk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AMSilk
- Legal name
- AMSilk GmbH
- Website
- https://amsilk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- AMSilk GmbH produces biofabricated silk proteins via precision fermentation, supplying fibers, yarns, hydrogels, and powders to enterprise customers in luxury fashion, automotive, aerospace, medical, and consumer care industries through direct B2B sales and contract manufacturing partners Evonik and Ajinomoto.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AMSilk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Biofabricated Silk Protein Materials
- NAICS
- Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (32522), Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252)
- SIC
- Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Man-Made Fiber Manufacturing (Polyester/Nylon/Acrylic/Viscose) (IMAOAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates) (IMAOABAH), Medical & Hygiene Technical Textiles (Gauze/Drapes/Wipes/Barrier Fabrics) (IMAOADAD), Bio-based Textiles & Fibers (lyocell/viscose, cellulose filament, nonwovens) (IMAMALAK)
Keywords
Where AMSilk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Planegg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
AMSilk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Biomaterial Sales: AMSilk generates revenue through the sale of biofabricated silk protein materials including fibers, yarns, powders, hydrogels, and coatings to industrial customers in textiles, medical, consumer care, automotive, and aviation sectors.
- Licensing and Partnership Agreements: Revenue generated from preferred and strategic partnership agreements with industry leaders, including technology licensing and custom product development collaborations.
- Consumer Care Ingredients: Sale of silk protein ingredients (AMSilk4Care, AMSilk4Shine) to consumer care product manufacturers for use in laundry care, dish care, personal care, and surface cleaning products.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
AMSilk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AMSilk manufactures and sells biofabricated silk protein materials produced through precision fermentation using genetically engineered microorganisms. Its product portfolio includes high-performance silk protein yarns (Biosteel) for textiles, AMSilk4Care and AMSilk4Shine protein ingredients for consumer care products, and medical-grade coatings for implants, with applications spanning luxury fashion, athletic apparel, automotive interiors, aerospace, and medical devices.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Biosteel®: High-performance bio-fabricated silk protein fiber brand for textiles and industrial applications
- AMSilk4Care
- AMSilk4Shine
Products and services
- AMSilk Silk Protein Yarns (Biosteel) High-performance biofabricated silk protein yarns (Biosteel) produced via precision fermentation and proprietary wet spinning for textile applications including luxury fashion garments, performance footwear, technical textiles, automotive interiors, and aerospace composites. Customers include adidas, Balenciaga, Mercedes-Benz, Airbus, and OMEGA.
- AMSilk4Care Pure biotech silk protein formulation for consumer care applications including laundry care, surface cleaning, hair care, and skin care products. Sold as a functional, biodegradable ingredient to consumer care product manufacturers seeking alternatives to synthetic polymers.
- AMSilk4Shine Silk shine protein ingredient designed for dish care formulations, delivering surface protection, anti-spotting, and anti-streaking performance in home care products. Sold to consumer care manufacturers as a biodegradable alternative to synthetic polymers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 120 kg CO2 equivalent saved per kilogram of AMSilk fiber replacing conventional silk
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AMSilk
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
AMSilk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
AMSilk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and major.
- BalenciagaflagshipBioengineered silk protein yarns featured in commercially available garments within Balenciaga's Spring 2026 collection. Significant milestone demonstrating biotech materials meet luxury fashion requirements.
- Ajinomoto Foods EuropecoreStrategic partnership for industrial fermentation of silk proteins at Ajinomoto's facility in Nesle, France. Leverages Ajinomoto's 50+ years of fermentation expertise, bioreactors exceeding 100m³ scale, and proximity to European customers with renewable energy and local raw materials.
- BRAIN BiotechmajorStrategic R&D collaboration for protein engineering. Using rational design and AI-powered technologies to optimize structural proteins at amino acid level for performance materials. Successfully registered first PCT patent for optimized protein.
- 21st.BIOmajorPartnership to accelerate production of advanced materials made from spider silk-based proteins. New protein production strain delivers unprecedented yield with greater efficiency and lower costs.
- EvonikcoreLong-term manufacturing partnership with dedicated production line at Evonik's Slovakian site for industrial-scale silk protein production. Evonik provides precision fermentation capabilities with advanced infrastructure and renewable energy, producing several tons of silk proteins monthly.
- Mercedes-BenzflagshipPartnership to develop sustainable bio-based door pulls for VISION EQXX concept car. First use of biotechnology-based certified-vegan silk-like fabric in automotive sector, showcasing application potential of AMSilk's technology.
- AirbusflagshipPartnership to develop next generation composite fibers for lightweight, high-performance planes. Presented jointly at SynBio Markets 2019 on composites in aerospace industry.
- Gruschwitz Textilwerke AGmajorStrategic partnership to develop high-performance products using Biosteel fiber. Collaboration since 2014 resulted in processing Biosteel on conventional knitting machines, revolutionizing textile production with biotechnologically produced synthetic silk fibers.
- adidasflagshipPartnership for Biosteel fiber in performance footwear. Launched world's first performance shoe (Futurecraft Biofabric) made from 100% biodegradable Biosteel fiber. Ongoing collaboration for larger-scale production of performance products.
- Technical University of Munich (TUM)majorUniversity spin-off founded in 2008 from TUM. TUM remains a shareholder and scientific partner providing ongoing research collaboration and innovation support. TUM is one of Europe's top universities and a University of Excellence.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
AMSilk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Spiber: Japanese biotech company producing Brewed Protein™ fibers via fermentation, the closest direct competitor to AMSilk in bio-fabricated protein textiles and apparel partnerships with Goldwin and The North Face.
- Bolt Threads: US-based bio-fabrication company producing b-silk protein fibers and Mylo™ mycelium leather; competes directly with AMSilk in the bioengineered silk and luxury/footwear apparel space.
Emerging players
- Protein Evolution: US-based startup producing bio-fabricated protein fibers from recycled and waste feedstocks; an emerging player targeting sustainable apparel and competing with AMSilk's fermentation-derived silk proteins.
- Modern Meadow: US biotech firm developing bio-fabricated proteins and sustainable materials for fashion and automotive applications, overlapping with AMSilk's protein engineering and brand-partnership model.
- Spinnova: Finnish company producing sustainable textile fibers from wood pulp and waste streams without chemical solvents; an emerging bio-based alternative to AMSilk's fermentation-derived silk proteins.
Broad incumbents
- Lenzing AG: Austrian specialty fiber producer of wood-based cellulosic fibers (TENCEL™ Lyocell, Modal, Viscose); a broad incumbent in sustainable/bio-based textile fibers competing for the same brand-customer sustainability budgets.
- Evonik Industries: German specialty chemicals company and AMSilk's contract manufacturing partner for silk protein fermentation; broader portfolio of bio-based and specialty ingredients competes for the same bioeconomy customers.
- BASF: Global chemicals giant with biotechnology and bio-based materials operations; a broad incumbent whose scale, R&D, and fermentation capabilities position it as a potential competitor or acquirer in bio-fabricated materials.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
AMSilk social profiles
Digital presenceAMSilk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AMSilk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
AMSilk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AMSilk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AMSilk
What does AMSilk do?
AMSilk manufactures and sells biofabricated silk protein materials produced through precision fermentation using genetically engineered microorganisms. Its product portfolio includes high-performance silk protein yarns (Biosteel) for textiles, AMSilk4Care and AMSilk4Shine protein ingredients for consumer care products, and medical-grade coatings for implants, with applications spanning luxury fashion, athletic apparel, automotive interiors, aerospace, and medical devices.
Is AMSilk a public or private company?
AMSilk is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was AMSilk founded?
AMSilk was founded in 2008. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is AMSilk based?
AMSilk is headquartered in Planegg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does AMSilk make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Biomaterial Sales are the primary driver. The others are licensing and Partnership Agreements and consumer Care Ingredients.
Who are AMSilk's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Spiber and Bolt Threads. Emerging players are Protein Evolution, Modern Meadow and Spinnova. Broad incumbents are Lenzing AG, Evonik Industries and BASF.
Does AMSilk have an API?
No public API is recorded for AMSilk.
What industry is AMSilk in?
AMSilk's product category is Biofabricated Silk Protein Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAOAAAB, Man-Made Fiber Manufacturing (Polyester/Nylon/Acrylic/Viscose), with a secondary code of IMAOABAH, Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates). Its NAICS code is 32522 and its SIC code is 2221.