Mykor
Mykor is a UK-based climate biotech founded in 2021 that grows mycelium-based, low-carbon insulation and structurally insulated panels (MykoSIP, MykoBead, MykoFoam) from industrial biomass residues for UK and European construction contractors, with two offtake agreements worth £338M and a pilot factory in Portugal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersBristol, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Mykor does
Mykor is a UK-headquartered climate tech and industrial biotechnology company founded in January 2021 by Olivia Page and Valentina Dipietro that develops mycelium-based, low-carbon construction products using a proprietary biofabrication platform. The platform combines engineered mycelium strains, green chemistry additives, and closed-loop automated manufacturing to grow structurally insulated panels (MykoSIP Internal and External), rigid insulation (MykoFoam), and loose-fill insulation (MykoBead) from agricultural and industrial biomass residues such as paper-industry cellulosic waste, brewer's spent grain, and spent yeast, in days rather than extracting finite raw materials. Manufacturing uses approximately 90% less water, 40% less electricity, and 60% less CO2 than expanded polystyrene production, with the Montemor-o-Novo (Portugal) pilot factory running on at least 75% solar-fuelled electricity.
Mykor's primary customers are large UK and European construction contractors and developers, with whom it has signed two offtake agreements worth a combined £338M and is delivering live construction projects. Secondary segments include building materials manufacturers that can integrate Mykor's process platform into existing production lines, and non-profit/public retrofit projects (notably the Horizon Europe INBUILT Project supplying Civic Square). Revenue mechanics are primarily direct sale of MykoSIP/MykoBead products via quote-based, multi-year contracts, complemented by an emerging technology/licensing model, and supplemented materially by non-dilutive grant funding from Innovate UK, BBSRC, EPSRC, EU Horizon, and UWE Bristol totalling roughly £2M of the £7.5M total capital raised.
The company operates from three sites — Bristol (UK R&D headquarters), Lisbon (commercial and digital office), and Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal (pilot factory co-located near The Navigator Company's cellulosic waste site) — and has grown from 6 employees at end-2022 to approximately 20 across the UK and Portugal. Mykor is female-founded, with a team that is approximately 60% women as of March 2024, and has been recognised by consecutive Earthshot Prize nominations (2024, 2025), the Green Tech Fund 2024, the UKGBC Trends 2023 report, the Top 60 Climate Solutions to Watch 2024 by revalu, and the SET Award 2026 (Buildings & Construction category).
Mykor firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Mykor
- Legal name
- Mykor Ltd
- Website
- https://mykor.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Mykor is a UK-based climate biotech founded in 2021 that grows mycelium-based, low-carbon insulation and structurally insulated panels (MykoSIP, MykoBead, MykoFoam) from industrial biomass residues for UK and European construction contractors, with two offtake agreements worth £338M and a pilot factory in Portugal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Mykor industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bio-based Construction Insulation Materials
- NAICS
- Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261)
- SIC
- Plastics Products, Nec (3089)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sustainable Protective & Cushioning Materials (Paper Cushions, Bio-Foams, Mycelium) (IMALAMAH)
Keywords
Where Mykor is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bristol
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Mykor business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Sale of low-carbon construction products (MykoSIP / MykoBead): Revenue generated by selling Mykor's prefabricated insulation panels and loose-fill insulation products to construction contractors, developers, and manufacturers. Backed by two large offtake agreements worth £338 million with UK and European contractors, with live construction project delivery.
- Technology/process platform licensing & integration (implicit): Mykor positions itself as a technology and process platform enabling contractors and manufacturers to integrate low-carbon biomaterials into existing production lines, indicating a model where partners adopt Mykor's process for their own manufacturing in addition to direct product sales.
- Grant funding (Innovate UK, UKRI, BBSRC, EPSRC, EU Horizon, Scale Up 4 Growth): Non-dilutive grant funding supporting R&D and scale-up; £2M of the £7.5M total secured capital comprises grants, including Innovate UK and EU grants that funded early R&D.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based; no public price list |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Mykor product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Mykor operates an industrial biofabrication technology and process platform that grows low-carbon construction insulation and wall systems from engineered mycelium and industrial/agricultural biomass residues (such as paper-industry cellulosic waste and brewer's spent grain) within days, replacing high-carbon, finite raw materials. Its commercial product family includes MykoSIP INTERNAL and EXTERNAL structurally insulated panels and MykoBead loose-fill insulation, sold directly to construction contractors and developers through long-cycle offtake agreements (£338M combined) with the option to license the biofabrication process into partners' existing production lines.
Product overview
Mykor operates a biofabrication technology and process platform rather than a single product. It combines engineered mycelium strains, green chemistry additives, and closed-loop automated manufacturing to grow an expanding portfolio of low-carbon construction products from agricultural and industrial waste streams. The portfolio is anchored by MykoSIP™ (the first product to market, available in INTERNAL partition wall and EXTERNAL wall variants) and MykoFoam rigid insulation panels, with MykoBead™ loose-fill insulation extending the range for cavity and infill use cases. The platform is designed to let contractors and manufacturers integrate Mykor's biomaterials into existing production lines and construction supply chains rather than relying on a single centralised product line.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MykoSIP: Mykor's first product to market — a preassembled structurally insulated partition wall panel (with internal and external variants) made from engineered mycelium and industrial biomass residues. Achieves around 50% carbon savings compared to incumbent systems while using 90% less water and 40% less electricity.
- MykoBead
- MykoFoam
Products and services
- MykoSIP INTERNAL
- MykoSIP EXTERNAL
- MykoBead
Quantifiable outcome
- ~50% carbon savings vs incumbent insulation systems (~23 kgCO2e/m²)
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Mykor
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Mykor technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Mykor partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor (earthshot prize 2025 nominator), minor (policy community partner), minor (industry talk partner), minor (industry listing partner), minor (earthshot prize nominator), core (inbuilt project design/research partner and demo retrofit partner), core (consortium coordinator), minor (collaborative r&d partner), minor (collaborative r&d partner and scale up 4 growth grant provider), minor (industry spotlight partner), core (key waste feedstock supplier), minor (sponsor/partner of twilight talk), minor (media/storytelling partner) and minor (media/listing partner).
- Web Summit Lisbonminor (earthshot prize 2025 nominator)Co-nominator (with Casa do Impacto) for Mykor's Earthshot Prize 2025 nomination.
- Startup Coalitionminor (policy community partner)Invited Mykor co-founder Valentina Dipietro to represent the company at the Startup Coalition's ClimateTech Innovation Reception at the UK House of Lords.
- The Green Registerminor (industry talk partner)Hosted the Twilight Talk on 11 March 2024 where Mykor co-founder & CEO Olivia Page introduced Mykor and MykoFoam, supported by Ecomerchant.
- revalu (material data platform)minor (industry listing partner)MykoFoam listed on revalu's material data platform since 2023; revalu selected Mykor in its Top 60 Climate Solutions to Watch 2024.
- Casa do Impactominor (earthshot prize nominator)Nominated Mykor for the Earthshot Prize 2024 (under Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate) and again for the 2025 edition alongside Web Summit Lisbon.
- Sustainable Venturesminor (earthshot prize nominator)Nominated Mykor for the Earthshot Prize 2024 alongside Casa do Impacto.
- Material Culturescore (inbuilt project design/research partner and demo retrofit partner)Design and research organisation partnering with Mykor on the Horizon Europe INBUILT Project, supplying MykoFoam for the retrofit of an early 20th century industrial building in Ladywood, Birmingham into an educational community space for Civic Square. Project runs December 2023 to May 2027.
- Université Côte d'Azurcore (consortium coordinator)Coordinator of the Horizon Europe INBUILT Project (Dec 2023 – May 2027) in which Mykor participates with 10+ other innovative solutions.
- Biorenewables Development Centreminor (collaborative r&d partner)Collaborative partner with Mykor on UKRI/Innovate UK sustainable biomanufacturing project to develop an innovative low-carbon loose-fill insulation from reclaimed bio-based waste feedstocks.
- University of the West of England (UWE)minor (collaborative r&d partner and scale up 4 growth grant provider)Collaborative partner with Mykor on UKRI/Innovate UK sustainable biomanufacturing project. Also delivered the Scale Up 4 Growth Bristol Grant to Mykor in June 2024.
- Strategic Allies Limitedminor (industry spotlight partner)Featured Mykor as its January Tech Spotlight 2023 for sustainable mycelium construction materials.
- The Navigator Companycore (key waste feedstock supplier)Paper manufacturer whose cellulosic waste (1.6 million tonnes annually) is sourced as the prime substrate for MykoFoam/MykoSIP. The Montemor-o-Novo pilot factory is intentionally located near the Navigator waste site to reduce feedstock transport.
- Ecomerchantminor (sponsor/partner of twilight talk)Supported The Green Register's Twilight Talk that introduced Mykor and MykoFoam to 100+ attendees.
- MycoStoriesminor (media/storytelling partner)Featured Mykor and its MykoFoam process in a dedicated article about mushroom biotech for construction.
- FirstPlanItminor (media/listing partner)Published a detailed article on the expansion of mycelium products and an independent review/evaluation of MykoFoam; MykoFoam is listed in the FirstPlanIt building products library.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Mykor competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- The Navigator Company: Portuguese pulp and paper manufacturer and Mykor's primary cellulosic waste feedstock supplier, co-located near Mykor's pilot factory. Strategic upstream enabler rather than competitor, but materially relevant to Mykor's supply chain economics.
Broad incumbents
- Rockwool International: Global incumbent in stone wool insulation for buildings, with a growing portfolio of low-carbon and circular products. Comparable as the dominant incumbent mineral wool supplier competing with Mykor's mycelium panels on thermal and fire performance.
- Kingspan Group: Global incumbent in high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions, including rigid foam and bio-based insulation lines. Major incumbent Mykor must displace in contractor specifications and supply chains.
- Knauf Insulation: Major global insulation manufacturer offering mineral wool, wood fibre, and other low-carbon insulation products. Comparable incumbent with established UK/EU distribution and contractor relationships Mykor must access.
Emerging players
- Hempitecture: US-based manufacturer of hemp-based insulation and sustainable building materials (HempWool) targeting low-carbon construction. Comparable as a plant-based insulation alternative competing for the same bio-based insulation specification space as MykoSIP and MykoBead.
- Bolt Threads: US biotech company using engineered biology (including mycelium-based Mylo leather) to produce sustainable materials for fashion, automotive, and home goods. Comparable in applying industrial fermentation/biotech to displace traditional high-carbon materials, though focused on textiles/leather rather than construction.
- Biohm: UK-based bio-fabrication startup developing mycelium insulation, hemp-based materials, and circular building products for the construction sector. Comparable early-stage UK peer targeting low-carbon insulation with similar regulatory tailwinds.
- NatureWorks: Manufacturer of Ingeo PLA bioplastic and other bio-based materials used in insulation, packaging, and fibres. Comparable as a bio-based materials platform competing for the same low-carbon construction and packaging specification slots.
Direct peers
- Mogu: Italian mycelium biotechnology company producing mycelium-based flooring, wall panels, and acoustic products from agro-industrial residues. Directly comparable to Mykor in using engineered mycelium biofabrication to deliver interior building products with low embodied carbon.
- Ecovative Design: US-based pioneer of mycelium-based materials using engineered mushroom mycelium grown on agricultural residues into packaging, foam alternatives, and construction-grade boards. Closest direct competitor to Mykor in biofabrication process, feedstock flexibility, and end-product positioning in sustainable materials.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Mykor social profiles
Digital presenceMykor compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Mykor financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Mykor leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Mykor funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Mykor 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 Mykor
What does Mykor do?
Mykor operates an industrial biofabrication technology and process platform that grows low-carbon construction insulation and wall systems from engineered mycelium and industrial/agricultural biomass residues (such as paper-industry cellulosic waste and brewer's spent grain) within days, replacing high-carbon, finite raw materials. Its commercial product family includes MykoSIP INTERNAL and EXTERNAL structurally insulated panels and MykoBead loose-fill insulation, sold directly to construction contractors and developers through long-cycle offtake agreements (£338M combined) with the option to license the biofabrication process into partners' existing production lines.
Is Mykor a public or private company?
Mykor is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Mykor founded?
Mykor was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Mykor based?
Mykor is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Mykor make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Sale of low-carbon construction products (MykoSIP / MykoBead) is the primary driver. The others are technology/process platform licensing & integration (implicit) and grant funding (Innovate UK, UKRI, BBSRC, EPSRC, EU Horizon, Scale Up 4 Growth).
Who are Mykor's main competitors?
The Navigator Company is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are Rockwool International, Kingspan Group and Knauf Insulation. Emerging players are Hempitecture, Bolt Threads, Biohm and NatureWorks. Direct peers are Mogu and Ecovative Design.
Does Mykor have an API?
No public API is recorded for Mykor.
What industry is Mykor in?
Mykor's product category is Bio-based Construction Insulation Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAMAH, Sustainable Protective & Cushioning Materials (Paper Cushions, Bio-Foams, Mycelium). Its NAICS code is 3261 and its SIC code is 3089.