Hera Materials

What Hera Materials does

Hera Materials (formerly Atacama Biomaterials) is a Boston-headquartered materials systems company developing wood-fiber-based flexible packaging films as alternatives to single-use plastics. Founded in 2019 as an MIT spinout, the company rebranded to Hera Materials in mid-2025 and operates research and coordination functions from its Boston Seaport Lab headquarters alongside a scaled manufacturing facility in Santiago, Chile that houses its production talent and technology. Its flagship product, WoodPack (WPK), is described as an AI-optimized, compostable, and paper-recyclable film designed to replace legacy single-use plastic packaging with zero CO2 emissions during production.

The company's underlying technology stack combines proprietary wood-fiber-based materials, an AI-enabled formulation optimization system, and retrofit manufacturing systems intended to plug into existing production facilities rather than require greenfield plants. Hera Materials holds ISO 22000 for food safety management, EN13430 for recyclable packaging, and ASTM D6400 for compostability, positioning it for food-contact and EU packaging applications. Active scientific and strategic alliances span MIT Chemical Engineering, Harvard, NSF, MIT iCorps, MIT Sandbox, MassCEC, MassMEP, MTC, Connecticut Office of Manufacturing, Startup Chile, ANID, and Fablab UTFSM.

The business model is direct B2B sales of WoodPack films to food, beverage, and consumer goods companies seeking sustainable packaging alternatives, with revenue mechanics described as a one-time product sale license. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and inquiries are routed through the company website. GTM relies on enterprise field sales supplemented by participation in international events such as South Summit Madrid 2025 and Iceland Innovation Week, plus organic social channels. To date, the company has received approximately $115K in non-dilutive grant funding (FORGE $100K and SICA $15K) and has no disclosed institutional venture capital.

Name

Hera Materials

Legal name

Hera Materials

Website

https://heramaterials.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hera Materials develops AI-optimized, compostable wood-fiber packaging films as alternatives to single-use plastics, serving food, beverage, and consumer goods companies through direct B2B sales from Boston, MA and Santiago, Chile.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Packaging Materials

NAICS

Paper Manufacturing (322)

SIC

Papers & Allied Products (2600)

akta.pro primary industry

Compostable & Bio-Based Flexible Packaging (PLA, PHA, Cellulose Films) (IMALABAO)

Keywords

• Sustainable packaging materials
• Compostable films
• Biomaterials manufacturing
• Flexible packaging films
• Wood-fiber polymers

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. WoodPack (WPK) Product Sales: Sale of sustainable flexible packaging materials to businesses seeking alternatives to single-use plastics. Products include compostable and paper-recyclable films for various packaging applications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hera Materials is a materials systems company that develops and manufactures WoodPack (WPK), an AI-optimized, compostable, and paper-recyclable wood-fiber-based film designed to replace single-use plastic packaging. The company produces these sustainable packaging films through proprietary AI-enabled formulation, retrofit manufacturing systems, and a zero CO2 emissions production process, targeting food, beverage, and consumer goods industries.

Product overview

Hera Materials is a materials systems company that commercializes a wood-fiber-based flexible packaging platform through proprietary materials, AI-enabled formulation, and retrofit manufacturing systems. The company operates primarily around its flagship product WoodPack (WPK), an AI-optimized compostable and paper-recyclable film designed to replace traditional single-use plastic packaging with zero CO₂ emissions. Formerly known as Atacama Biomaterials, the company was founded in 2019 and is headquartered in Boston, MA with operations in Santiago, Chile.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WoodPack (WPK)

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero CO2 emissions during production
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MIT Chemical EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership from which Hera Materials originated as a spinout. MIT provides ongoing scientific expertise in material science and chemical engineering.
• Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership providing research collaboration and access to university resources and talent.
• MIT iCorpscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Science Foundation program providing entrepreneurship training and customer discovery methodology.
• MIT Industrial Liaison ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram facilitating industry-academia collaboration and technology transfer.
• FORGEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerManufacturing accelerator nonprofit that awarded Hera Materials a $100,000 grand prize. Helps startups navigate from prototype to production through connections with manufacturers.
• Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency supporting clean energy and climate tech innovation in Massachusetts through funding and resources.
• Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNonprofit helping Massachusetts manufacturers grow through consulting, training, and technical assistance.
• Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState agency supporting technology-based economic development and innovation in Massachusetts.
• Kubtec Medical ImagingminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConnecticut manufacturer that hosted the FORGE grant award ceremony. Has grown from spare-bedroom startup to nearly 100 employees.
• Rand-Whitney GroupminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManufacturing partner in Connecticut ecosystem for product development.
• GreenTown's LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInnovation ecosystem partner supporting sustainable materials development.
• Fablab UTFSMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFabrication laboratory at Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Chile for prototyping.
• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState environmental agency supporting sustainable materials development.
• MI Startup ExchangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram connecting MIT startups with corporate partners for collaboration.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stora Enso: Stora Enso is a major forest-products incumbent producing renewable packaging board, biopolymers, and wood-fiber-based packaging solutions. Comparable as a broad incumbent targeting the same replacement of fossil-based packaging with renewable fiber-based materials.
• Amcor: Amcor is a global flexible and rigid packaging incumbent with significant sustainability commitments and bio-based / recyclable product lines targeting CPG and F&B. Comparable as a broad incumbent with established distribution and customer relationships in the same sustainable flexible-packaging category.
• Mondi: Mondi is one of the world's largest paper-based packaging producers with a portfolio spanning flexible kraft papers, corrugated, and sustainable substitutes for plastic packaging. Comparable as a broad incumbent competitor in the renewable flexible-packaging market.
• Tetra Pak: Tetra Pak is a global paperboard-based packaging incumbent for liquid and food products, and is actively developing fiber-based and bio-based coatings as plastic substitutes. Comparable as a broad incumbent in renewable food-and-beverage packaging.
• Sealed Air: Sealed Air is a global packaging incumbent with sustainability-focused product lines (protective and food packaging) actively repositioning toward recyclable and bio-based substrates. Comparable as a broad incumbent diversifying away from single-use plastics.
• Sappi: Sappi is a global paper/wood-fiber-based packaging and biomaterials incumbent with established flexible paper-substrate products competing directly with plastic films. Comparable as a broad incumbent moving aggressively into the same wood-fiber flexible-packaging category as Hera.

Direct peers

• Paptic: Paptic produces wood-fiber-based reusable and recyclable packaging materials as a direct substitute for single-use plastic films. Directly comparable to Hera's WoodPack in feedstock (wood fiber), product form (flexible paper film), and target market (replacement of single-use plastic).
• Sway: Sway develops seaweed-based flexible home-compostable packaging films as a single-use plastic replacement. Highly comparable to Hera Materials on product form (flexible bio-based film), end-market (CPG/F&B packaging), and stage (venture-backed, pre-scale).
• Notpla: Notpla makes seaweed-derived, home-compostable films and coatings for single-use packaging applications. Directly comparable to Hera on bio-based, compostable flexible packaging targeting CPG, foodservice, and consumer-goods customers.

Emerging players

• Loliware: Loliware develops seaweed-based materials for both rigid and flexible packaging applications as single-use plastic alternatives. Comparable to Hera in feedstock philosophy (ocean-/plant-based, home-compostable) and customer base (F&B/CPG).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/atacama-bio
• Instagraminstagram.com/hera_materials

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hera Materials