IKEA has invested in a €13.4m ($15.3m) funding round in Swiss startup Seprify, which develops high-performance cellulose-based ingredients for personal care and other industries.
The round includes participation from Inter IKEA Group, alongside Una Terra Early Growth Fund, Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB), Cambridge Enterprise Ventures, Kickfund, and other circular-economy-aligned investors.
Seprify’s flagship products include SilvaLuma, a cellulose-based SPF booster for cosmetics and personal care.
The funding will enable Seprify to move from trials into repeatable sourcing and longer-term commercial agreements.
The shift responds to growing demand for scalable, bio-based alternatives to high-emission incumbent materials such as titanium dioxide.
Robert Carleke, Innovation Ventures Manager at Inter IKEA Group, said: “At IKEA, we look for solutions that can realistically replace high-impact incumbent materials while fitting into existing manufacturing and recycling systems.
“Seprify’s cellulose platform has reached a level of maturity that makes this a credible path to explore — not only for specific applications such as coatings and surface finishes, but as a scalable materials platform with the consistency and operational readiness required for industrial use. We’re looking forward to this exploratory project.”
With the new capital, Seprify will scale commercial production to hundreds of tonnes per year through established manufacturing partners, support commercial rollout across its priority markets and advance engineering work for future industrial-scale capacity.
For customers, this enables a move from evaluation and trials into repeatable supply, supporting formal procurement discussions and longer-term sourcing decisions.
“This funding enables us to focus on execution and scale,” said Lukas Schertel, Co-founder & CEO of Seprify.
“Our immediate priority is delivering consistent quality and reliable supply, meeting the operational standards large industrial customers require. In the near term, that means supporting cosmetics and personal care, including sun care.”
