Ponda

What Ponda does

Ponda (legal entity SALTYCO LTD) is a UK biomaterials company founded in 2020 that develops and produces BioPuff®, a plant-based insulation material made from Typha Latifolia (bulrush/cattail) fibers harvested from rewetted peatlands, bogs, and fens through paludiculture ("wetter-farming"). The company operates the world's largest Typha biomass supply chain, spanning five countries (UK, Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, and Canada), and runs fiber processing and prototyping operations from its Bristol facility at Avonbank Industrial Estate. Ponda's core technology centers on a patented method to extract fibers from Typha seed heads and transform them into textile insulation that is lightweight, warm, water-repellent, cruelty-free, and traceable from plant-to-puffer, with peer-reviewed LCA data showing 3.4 kg CO2e per kg and 88% lower footprint than goose down.

BioPuff® is sold in two primary formats — loose insulation and BioPuff® Wadding (1m rolls) — and has been validated through collaborations with Berghaus, Stella McCartney, Sheep Inc., Ahluwalia, Parley for the Oceans, and Melina Bucher, among others. The company monetizes through B2B direct enterprise sales to fashion, outdoor, and luxury brands, supplemented by an e-commerce shop at shop.ponda.bio, and is currently raising equity via the Republic Europe crowdfunding platform alongside institutional VCs. Ponda has raised approximately $6.5 million in cumulative funding and grants, including a $2.4M (£2M) seed round in 2025 co-led by Faber VC and Counteract, plus a £2.3M Innovate UK grant, and is preparing to move from pilot to commercial scale for Autumn/Winter 2026 collections.

The business model combines an enterprise field-sales motion targeting major fashion houses and outdoor brands, an event-driven presence (London Fashion Week, ISPO, Future Fabrics Convention), and a vertically integrated supply chain that links wetland restoration to textile manufacturing. Customer segments span enterprise fashion/apparel brands (primary), outdoor/sportswear brands (primary), and adjacent stakeholders including farmers, landowners, and conservation organizations that participate in Typha cultivation. The company employs roughly 11 people and is led by four co-founders (CEO Julian Ellis-Brown, CTO Finlay Duncan, COO Neloufar Taheri, and CCO Antonia Jara), with recognition including the 2025 PETA Vegan Award, H&M Foundation Global Change Award, Terra Carta Design Lab, and Innovator of the Year at the Pride in Our Planet Awards.

Name

Ponda

Legal name

SALTYCO LTD (T/A PONDA)

Website

https://ponda.bio

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ponda is a UK biomaterials company producing BioPuff®, a plant-based insulation made from Typha Latifolia fibers harvested from regenerated wetlands. It serves fashion, outdoor apparel, and luxury brands seeking cruelty-free, carbon-negative alternatives to down and synthetic insulation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-Based Textile Insulation

NAICS

Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (32615)

SIC

Plastics Foam Products (3086)

akta.pro primary industry

Sustainable Protective & Cushioning Materials (Paper Cushions, Bio-Foams, Mycelium) (IMALAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Biodegradable Polymers & Resins (PLA, PHA, PBS, PBAT) (IMAEAOAA)

Keywords

• Plant-based insulation
• Biomaterials manufacturing
• Regenerative agriculture
• Sustainable textile materials
• Paludiculture fibres

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. BioPuff Product Sales: Sale of BioPuff® wadding and insulation material to fashion and apparel brands. Products include BioPuff Wadding (1m rolls) sold through shop.ponda.bio and direct B2B sales to brand partners.
2. Equity Crowdfunding: Community equity investment via Republic Europe platform, allowing everyday people to invest in Ponda alongside larger venture capital funds. Minimum investment from £20.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Ponda manufactures and sells BioPuff®, a plant-based insulation material made from Typha Latifolia (bulrush) fibres grown on rewetted peatlands through paludiculture. It is offered to fashion and apparel brands as a wadding format (1m rolls) and loose fill, positioned as a cruelty-free, traceable alternative to goose down and polyester insulation, with LCA-verified carbon-negative performance.

Product overview

Ponda is a biomaterials company producing next-generation textiles from regenerative wetland fibers. The core product is BioPuff®, a plant-based insulation material made from Typha Latifolia (bulrush) fibers grown through paludiculture on regenerated wetlands. BioPuff® is offered as both loose insulation and wadding formats for apparel applications. While apparel is the primary market, the company is exploring applications beyond fashion including upholstery, soft toys, and homeware. Ponda's model creates a net-reduction in carbon emissions while restoring wetlands, capturing carbon, and supporting biodiversity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BioPuff®: Plant-based insulation made from Typha Latifolia (bulrush) harvested from rewetted peatlands. Lightweight, warm, water-repellent, cruelty-free, and traceable all the way from plant-to-puffer. Ponda's flagship biomaterial product designed to help brands reduce impact, restore ecosystems, and build responsible products.

Products and services

• BioPuff® Plant-based insulation material made from Typha Latifolia (bulrush/cattail) fibres extracted from plants grown on regenerated wetlands using paludiculture. BioPuff® is lightweight, warm, naturally water repellent, cruelty-free and traceable from plant to puffer, and serves as an alternative to goose down and synthetic insulation for apparel applications.
• BioPuff® Wadding BioPuff® insulation in wadding format (1m rolls) for use in garment construction. Provides versatile insulation for outerwear, usable as loose fill or panel insulation, sold through shop.ponda.bio and direct B2B sales to brand partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 88% lower carbon footprint than goose down (3.4 kg CO₂ eq per kg)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BerghauscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment of regenerative outerwear concept jacket with modular BioPuff insulation. Female-first design approach with removable components. All BioPuff sourced and processed in Europe.
• Sheep InccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarbon-negative puffer jacket collaboration featuring BioPuff insulation with recycled undyed Merino wool MWool shell from Italian mill Manteco.
• Lancashire Wildlife TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partnership for wetland habitat restoration in Lancashire region. Partnership brings together conservation and textile innovation to support local ecosystems while developing climate-positive materials.
• MantecominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian mill providing recycled MWool for outer shell of Sheep Inc collaboration. MWool provides natural weather resistance.
• Fashion-Enter LtdminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAward-winning social enterprise and ethical garment manufacturer in London. Produced Berghaus x Ponda concept jacket at their Fashion Technology Academy.
• Studio NimaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMunich-based social innovation studio. Collaborated on Bio Living Lab exhibition at Deutsches Museum and Material Lab at ISPO. Creates hands-on educational experiences showcasing BioPuff materials.
• Republic EuropecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEquity crowdfunding platform powering Ponda's community investment campaign. Enables everyday people to invest alongside institutional VCs with minimum £20 investment.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Natural Fiber Welding: US-based biomaterials company producing plant-protein-based leathers and textiles (Clara, Terrapact) for fashion and footwear brands. Closely comparable to Ponda in technology positioning (patented plant-fiber processing) and customer base (premium apparel brands seeking animal-free alternatives).
• Bolt Threads: Biomaterials company developing bio-fabricated proteins and Mylo mushroom-based materials for fashion (partnerships with Stella McCartney, Adidas). Direct competitor in the next-gen bio-based materials space serving the same luxury/sustainable fashion customers as Ponda.
• Ecovative Design: Mycelium-based materials company producing Forager Hides and packaging foams from fungal mycelium. Comparable to Ponda in using nature-derived feedstock for textile/foam applications and in targeting fashion and apparel customers with bio-based alternatives.
• Spiber: Japanese bio-fabricated protein fiber producer (Brewed Protein) supplying apparel insulation and yarn to brands like The North Face and Goldwin. Highly comparable to Ponda as a next-generation bio-based fiber producer competing in the apparel insulation market.
• Modern Meadow: Bio-fabricated materials company using protein/collagen science to produce sustainable textile and leather alternatives for fashion brands. Comparable to Ponda in targeting premium apparel customers with biotechnology-based material substitutes for animal-derived inputs.

Broad incumbents

• PrimaLoft: Established performance insulation incumbent producing PrimaLoft Gold, Silver, and Bio (recycled) synthetic fiber fills used globally in outdoor apparel. Competes with BioPuff for the same jacket/outerwear insulation specification slots but at much larger scale and lower cost.
• Lenzing: Austrian manufacturer of sustainable cellulosic fibers (Tencel/Lyocell, Refibra) widely used in apparel and home textiles. Comparable as a large-scale, sustainability-positioned fiber producer serving fashion brands, though Lenzing's portfolio is broader and its fibers target different applications than BioPuff.
• Eastman (Naia): Global specialty materials company with Naia cellulosic staple fiber for apparel and home textiles. Comparable to Ponda as a sustainability-marketed fiber supplier to fashion brands, but with established scale and a broader product portfolio.
• DuPont (Sorona): Diversified materials incumbent producing Sorona, a bio-based polytrimethylene terephthalate fiber used in apparel insulation and fillings. Competes with BioPuff in the sustainable apparel fill category and benefits from DuPont's global manufacturing footprint.
• Salomon / Outdoor incumbents: Major outdoor brands (Salomon, Patagonia, The North Face, Arc'teryx) whose sustainable materials teams drive procurement of bio-based insulation such as BioPuff. They are downstream customers/validators rather than material competitors, but materially shape the addressable demand for Ponda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ponda-bio
• Instagraminstagram.com/ponda.bio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Ponda