Ourobio (Accelerator)

Company Description: Ourobio is accelerating the global transition towards a circular economy by using engineered microorganisms to produce high-performance bio-based petrochemical alternatives. Ourobio (Transfoam LLC) was inspired by our founders’ work on the 2019 UVA iGEM project & was spun out in March 2020. Our mission is to develop cutting-edge, bio-based technologies to accelerate decarbonization & eliminate the creation of microplastic pollution, and our vision is for biomaterials to replace the toxic, petroleum-based chemicals and materials that are difficult to recycle and contributing to many of our world’s environmental and human health issues. We are differentiating ourselves from other bioremediation and PHA-from-waste companies by engineering our microbes to use complex waste streams to co-produce PHB and performance enhancing additives. Initially, production will be focused on using whey-containing byproducts to produce masterbatches with high bio-based indigoid dye concentrations. Our ability to produce colored masterbatches in a single step saves significant energy costs & water usage compared to traditional plastic dying, and our use of bio-based additives provides a safer, healthier alternative to the industry's inorganic and petroleum based pigments.