BOSTON — September 11, 2023 — DetraPel, the advanced materials company that manufactures sustainable coatings announced the completion of its $7.6 million Series A funding led by Material Impact. Additional investors in this round include multi-billion dollar packaging ink manufacturer, INX International, along with Touchdown Ventures, FitzGate Ventures, Boro Capital, Icebook Investments, and others.
The newly raised funds will allow DetraPel to build on the market traction of the company’s recently rebranded industrial arm, Impermea Materials. DetraPel has also rebranded its consumer operations to ProofPlus. The capital is earmarked for scale up of its commercial coatings production to meet the demand of customers. Current industrial customers include four of the largest paper suppliers in the world and industry-leading consumer packaged goods companies who are aiming to offer premium and environmentally friendly packaging options to their increasingly ecoconscious customer bases.
Impermea Materials provides various industries including paper & paperboard packaging, textiles, healthcare, etc., with better performing products for everyday use with its patented protective coatings that are made from PFAS-free and Fluorine-Free, bio-based chemistries. The barrier coatings, which are being produced at scale, address the complex challenges facing businesses around product performance, while addressing environmental concerns by maintaining recyclability, repulpability and compostability. Recent pieces of legislation banning PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in industrial manufacturing processes have fueled interest in alternative chemistries like those from Impermea to mimic the performance of PFAS without the harmful effects on the environment and human health.
“INX and Impermea Materials both serve the paper & paperboard packaging markets with a commitment to sustainable solutions,” said Shane Bertsch, INX senior vice president of Strategic Planning and Innovation. “We see Impermea’s product offering as highly complementary, and we are excited to partner with DetraPel in accelerating sustainable barrier coating solutions to market.”
In textiles, Impermea’s protective coatings provide the industry the ability to repel liquids, resist stains, prevent fading from UV, and flame retardancy. In food packaging, Impermea’s barrier coatings provide best-in-class oil & grease resistance, address moisture sensitivity, provide release properties, and withstand temperature fluctuations allowing companies to transition to plastic-free options without making compromises. Impermea also offers coatings to protect against viruses with antimicrobial coatings in healthcare.
“Since our inception a decade ago, we have been developing PFAS-free (100-percent fluorine-free), water-based chemistries that outperform their fluorinated counterparts. Our team is now at the forefront of the industrial manufacturing transition currently underway to remove toxic chemicals from the everyday products we come into contact with,” said David Zamarin, Founder and CEO of DetraPel. “For brands looking to accelerate the transition to safer solutions and match performance goals, our team at Impermea works directly with manufacturing teams to remove the chemicals and plastics without sacrificing the everyday performance of the products, and creating new efficiencies across their supply chain.”
The recent round of funds will be used to continue to expand Impermea Materials production processes to fulfill the growing demand for safer protective coatings in manufacturing, including ongoing product development, a new state-of-the-art synthesis laboratory, an application and commercialization laboratory, sales, marketing, and more.
“Businesses across the country and the globe are facing mounting pressure to deliver both plastic-free and PFAS-free products and coatings. Until now, finding solutions that meet the unique high-performing standards each business and application requires has been a significant challenge,” said Adam Sharkawy, co-founder and managing partner, Material Impact. “DetraPel has a platform and proven record of delivering the necessary and customized solutions their customers require, with safer chemistry and formulations for human health and the environment. We look forward to continuing our partnership with DetraPel to address this growing need.”
Adam’s belief in DetraPel goes beyond Material Impact’s financial investment, as he is also serving on the Board of Directors starting in July 2023.
Posted: September 11, 2023
Source: DetraPel, Inc.
