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Living Ink is a cutting edge biomaterials company developing the next-generation of ink and coatings. Algae cells are transformed into sustainable pigments for renewable, biodegradable, and safe ink products. In this episode, we get into Scott’s journey to create this startup, what’s unique about it, the future of what he is working on, and a little parenting discussion at the end.
Living Ink
At Living Ink, we are developing patent pending processes that transform algae into eco-friendly ink and coating products. The value proposition is renewable, biodegradable and safe. Our goal is to use biomaterials to make the world’s most sustainable ink.
*Awarded NSF-SBIR Phase II for $750,000
*Awarded NSF-SBIR Phase I grant for $225,000
*Awarded Colorado Advanced Industry grant for $75,000
*Awarded U.S. Department of Energy prize of $50,000
*Won business competitions from CU-Denver and Colorado State University for >$25,000
*Ran successful Kickstarter campaign with over $60,000 and 977 backers
Founders
Scott and Steve met when they were PhD students in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program at Colorado State University. They were both researching algae projects related to biofuels and bioproducts. In 2013, it was brought to their attention that the majority of printing ink used in the world are produced from toxic petroleum products. This inspired them to use algae as biopigments to develop the world’s most sustainable ink. Source