{"id":633286,"date":"2024-09-03T18:30:30","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T15:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/insights-from-a-nanotech-startup-founder\/"},"modified":"2024-09-03T18:30:30","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T15:30:30","slug":"insights-from-a-nanotech-startup-founder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/insights-from-a-nanotech-startup-founder\/","title":{"rendered":"#insights from a nanotech startup founder"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d56e05bb67\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d56e05bb67\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/insights-from-a-nanotech-startup-founder\/#Initial_target_the_textile_industry\" >Initial target: the textile industry<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/insights-from-a-nanotech-startup-founder\/#The_birth_of_HaloSpin\" >The birth of HaloSpin<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/insights-from-a-nanotech-startup-founder\/#Pivoting_to_the_medical_sector_and_cultured_meat\" >Pivoting to the medical sector and cultured meat<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n                            Any startup is looking to solve a problem. Sometimes, it is not the one you first envisioned when you set up the company, as Mari-Ann Meigo Fonseca, co-founder of Tallin-based Gelatex can attest.<\/p>\n<p>Gelatex manufactures 3D nanofibrous scaffolds for various <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications, ranging from cell culture to tissue engineering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut we started the company with a completely different business idea in mind,\u201d Meigo Fonseca tells TNW.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Initial_target_the_textile_industry\"><\/span>Initial target: the textile industry<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Building a company is often less about sticking to an initial, rigid plan and more about embracing and adapting to changes along the way.<\/p>\n<p>With a background in the textile industry and garment <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>, Meigo Fonseca was initially seeking to contribute to the sustainability of the fashion sector \u2014 a mission that led her to pursue an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management at the University of Tartu in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>There she met her co-founder, materials scientist and engineer M\u00e4rt-Erik Martens.<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, the duo participated in the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/climatelaunchpad.org\/\">ClimateLaunchpad<\/a> competition and won with their idea of producing leather-like textile using gelatin nanofibres. They founded Gelatex the same year and continued developing the product.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the first challenges we had was that, even if we could make the material work, we wouldn\u2019t be able to manufacture it at scale with the existing production technologies,\u201d Meigo Fonseca says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would just be too costly.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_birth_of_HaloSpin\"><\/span>The birth of HaloSpin<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The duo decided to solve the problem themselves, and in 2017, Martens developed a new nanofibre production technology he dubbed \u201cHaloSpin.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Halospinning works by spinning (or drawing) nanofibres from liquid polymer solutions without using electrostatic forces.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s faster than conventional alternatives such as <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/physics-and-astronomy\/electrospinning\">electrospinning<\/a>, and can increase production capacity by 100 times, Gelatex says. This translates to cost savings of up to 90%.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe biggest industrial unit of electrospinning can cost about <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u20ac<\/span>8 million and can produce about 360 grams of nanofibers per hour,\u201d Meigo Fonseca says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith our pilot machine we can produce 2.2kg per hour, and we are already building a machine [with a capacity] of 5kg per hour.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"post-image post-mediaBleed aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1409872 js-lazy\" alt=\"nanofibres made with halospinning vs electrospinning \" width=\"1342\" height=\"644\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-03-at-15.53.12.png\"\/><figcaption>On the left: Gelatex\u2019s halospun nanofibres. On the right: electrospun nanofibres. Credit: Gelatex<\/figcaption><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1409872\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2024\/09\/Screenshot-2024-09-03-at-15.53.12.png\" alt=\"nanofibres made with halospinning vs electrospinning \" width=\"1342\" height=\"644\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>Another advantage of the method are the unique morphology properties it delivers. This results in highly porous 3D scaffolds that can be customised to different materials and applications.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Pivoting_to_the_medical_sector_and_cultured_meat\"><\/span>Pivoting to the medical sector and cultured meat<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Thanks to halospinning, the startup moved towards the first product-market fit with several international companies.<\/p>\n<p>But while there was interest, the company never got to the stage where it could actually sell the product.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe COVID pandemic in 2020 was the start of a pivot for us,\u201d she says. That\u2019s when Gelatex began using its technology to mass-produce nanofibre filtering material for face masks.<\/p>\n<p>The process enabled the founders to realise the full potential of nanofibres and identify the need for scalable production in cell culture.<\/p>\n<p>From the same year onwards, Gelatex moved away from the textile industry and pivoted to producing nanofibrous materials for cultured meat as well as 3D cell culture and tissue engineering for the medical and pharma sector.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLong-term, the biggest market for us is cultured meat production,\u201d Meigo Fonsenca says. But given the sector\u2019s regulatory challenges and the large investments needed for such companies to scale, in the next five years, Gelatex will be focusing on the medical sector.<\/p>\n<p>Applications range from stem cell research and toxicology studies to drug discovery in 3D tissue models.<\/p>\n<p>According to Meigo Fonseca, the journey from <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> to entrepreneurship is not an easy one. One piece of advice she has for founding teams is for the members to complement each other, combining both the scientific and the business background.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/embracing-pivots-insights-nanotech-startup-founder\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Any startup is looking to solve a problem. Sometimes, it is not the one you first envisioned when you set up the company, as Mari-Ann Meigo Fonseca, co-founder of Tallin-based Gelatex can attest. Gelatex manufactures 3D nanofibrous scaffolds for various applications, ranging from cell culture to tissue engineering. \u201cBut we started the company with a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":633287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280%2C640&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2024%2F09%2FUntitled-design-29.jpg&signature=9360ad6086291f9b06cba052bbccb74c","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-633286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633286","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=633286"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/633286\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/633287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=633286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=633286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=633286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}