Introduction

A design platform

reinventing materials.

What we do

We build upon 3.8 billion years of microbial evolution to craft an entirely new class of natural materials, which displace animal-and-fossil-fuel derived alternatives.

Why we do it

Invisible to the human eye, microbes naturally convert waste into valuable material building blocks. Inspired by their efficiency, Modern Synthesis is reinventing materials for a materially better future.

How we do it

Our patent-pending biotechnology platform merges biology, material science, engineering, and design to produce materials that are circular by nature, and customisable by design.

Our platform connects the dots between

Biology

Harnessing the natural abilities of microbes with the latest biological tools to produce a highly adaptable natural fiber called nanocellulose

Material Science

Exploring the boundaries of nanomaterials, fiber science and green chemistry to reimagine what natural materials are capable of

Engineering

Designing the tools and systems to drive circularity, we hack existing equipment and create new systems with scale and accessibility in mind

Craft

Building on centuries of textile craft, we collaborate with skilled artisans and industry experts to ensure the highest level of quality and workability

A cross-disciplinary team

We bring together experts across diverse fields to craft innovative solutions to the most complex challenges of our time - and we do it all by putting intentionality, collaboration, and growth on a pedestal.

Partnership

Partner with us

to co-culture new material futures

What if materials could enable, rather than limit, human creativity? Questions are powerful and we want to hear yours - whether you're interested in partnering with us or you want to know more about a particular element of our work.

Careers

We are hiring

Join the biomaterial revolution

Every job at Modern Synthesis plays a critical role in co-culturing material change. Will you join us?

An evolving material platform, unlocking infinite design possibilities

Press
Stories

These textiles were grown by bacteria

Fast Company, April 2023
Modern Synthesis has developed a novel way to create textiles from a microbe, and the resulting material could be sold to brands as a replacement for synthetic fabrics. “It’s naturally transparent, and it almost looks like a nylon or technical synthetic fabric,” Jen Keane says. “But the feel is much more natural. And it’s adaptable in terms of its hand feel.” It can be more flexible, for example, or thicker…

Press
Stories

Using bacteria to create biomaterial fabric

Dezeen, April 2023
“Our process is quite unique,” Modern Synthesis founder Jen Keane told Dezeen. “We take waste feedstocks – this could be fruit waste or other agricultural waste – and the bacteria naturally produce nanocellulose.” One of the textile’s main advantages, according to Keane, is that nanocellulose fibers – which are very small and lightweight – are 8x stronger than steel and stiffer than Kevlar.

Press

Modern Synthesis raises $4.1 million

AgFunder News, July 2022
UK-based biomaterials startup Modern Synthesis has raised $4.1 million in seed funding to support its microbial textile platform that aims to make the fashion industry more sustainable. Investors in the round include AgFunder, Collaborative Fund, Acequia Capital, Petri Bio, Ponderosa Ventures, Possible Ventures, IMO Ventures, Taihill Venture, and Parley for the Oceans, amongst others.

Technology

Reinventing materials

The result: a revolutionary class of nonwoven materials which can be tuned to displace a spectrum of textiles, from plastic films to leathers.

Microcraft

Redefining textile craft, from the nanoscale. Inspiring the senses with the exceptional strength, refined beauty and tactility of nanocellulose, this new class of materials unlocks new design possibilities, bringing life to a new era of luxury.

Natural technicals

The next generation of performance, by nature – plastic-free technical textiles are here, offering a sleek, highly adaptable alternative to synthetic coated materials with the intrinsic circularity of cellulosics.

Partnership

Partner with us

to co-culture new material futures

We're collaborating with some of the most ambitious companies in the world to reinvent materials. Get in touch with us today to discuss your material needs.

Impact

Reimagining systems

Our evolving biotechnology platform addresses 5 related challenges: GHG emissions, waste, land use, plastic pollution and animal welfare.

Our platform drives systems changes across

  • Animal welfare

    Unlike leathers and exotic skins, our materials don’t necessitate animal slaughter, and unlike ‘vegan leathers,’ they don’t rely on harmful additives

  • Greenhouse gas emissions

    Research suggests that our GHG emissions could be up to 65x lower than leather, and up to 2x lower than petrochemical-based textiles

  • Food waste

    Since our microbes can digest any kind of agricultural waste feedstocks, we minimise waste and enable a decentralised closed loop system

  • Land use

    Bioreactors take up much less space than farms or chemical plants, radically reducing the amount of land needed to produce a meter of material

  • Plastic pollution

    Unlike plastic, our 100% petrochemical free materials can be designed to safely biodegrade, reducing ecosystem degradation and microplastic shedding

  • Animal welfare

    Unlike leathers and exotic skins, our materials don’t necessitate animal slaughter, and unlike ‘vegan leathers,’ they don’t rely on harmful additives

  • Greenhouse gas emissions

    Research suggests that our GHG emissions could be up to 65x lower than leather, and up to 2x lower than petrochemical-based textiles

  • Food waste

    Since our microbes can digest any kind of agricultural waste feedstocks, we minimise waste and enable a decentralised closed loop system

  • Land use

    Bioreactors take up much less space than farms or chemical plants, radically reducing the amount of land needed to produce a meter of material

  • Plastic pollution

    Unlike plastic, our 100% petrochemical free materials can be designed to safely biodegrade, reducing ecosystem degradation and microplastic shedding

Nature has had 3.8 billion years to perfect the ultimate circular economy: life.

Circular by nature

Modern Synthesis materials are naturally biodegradable, circular, and customisable from the nanoscale up – enabling us to meet fashion industry requirements across sustainability and desirability.

Designed for scale

Our platform is driven by impact and designed for scale. As our production capacity grows, we plan to leverage existing manufacturing equipment, optimise material design processes for scale, and collaborate with knowledgable ecosystem partners.

Team

Reinventing collaboration

As a team of biologists, chemists, designers, engineers, storytellers, robots and microbes, our team knows that magic happens when disparate disciplines, perspectives and ideas collide.

Founders

Our Founders: Jen Keane (CEO) and Dr. Ben Reeve (CTO)

The first seeds of Modern Synthesis’ future were planted during our Co-founder Jen’s Central Saint Martins MA project, This is Grown. Jen’s Previous work at adidas and Nike inspired her to re-envision the product design process by growing the upper of an athletic shoe with only bacterial nanocellulose and one continuous yarn. While working on This Is Grown, she collaborated closely with scientists from Imperial College London, including our Co-founder Ben, who discovered and sequenced the strain of bacteria that we employ to produce our novel biomaterials today.
With a PhD in bioengineering and previous experiences as the founding CTO of Puraffinity, Ben’s technology vision proved to be the perfect complement to Jen’s design ambitions. Their collaboration was both a response to our ongoing plastic crisis and an attempt to prove the profound design and performance possibilities of new biomaterial technologies. Now at the helm of Modern Synthesis, they remain united by the idea that sustainability, technology, creativity, and beauty can – and should – go hand in hand.

Leadership

Francesca Perona

Head of Product

Fran is a materials innovator who finds her chi by connecting the dots between science and engineering R&D

Sarah West Young

Head of Growth

Sarah is a business developer who spends her free time reading, writing, and dreaming about material change

Dr. Ioannis Zampetakis, PhD

Senior Scientist

Ioannis is a bioprocess engineer with a deep interest in bioprinting and the world of novel biocomposites

Sara Richardson

Chief of Staff

Sara is an operations expert intent on crafting an equitable, diverse, and sustainable workplace

Andreas Kamolz

Senior Design Engineer

Andreas is a designer who always has reshaping today’s manufacturing systems on the brain

Lyra

Head of Barketing

Lyra is a marketing maven, with a keen nose for sniffing out the latest trends (…and the office treat drawer)

Advisors

  • Dr. Orlando Rojas

    Professor, University of British Columbia and leading expert on biomaterials and finishes.

  • Dr. Tom Ellis

    Professor and Lead of the Tom Ellis Lab at Imperial College in London. Leading expert in synthetic biology.

  • Pierre Denis

    Fashion executive, angel investor and former CEO of Jimmy Choo. Previous experience at LVMH, Dior and Coty.

  • Bill Brady

    Co-Founder, CEO & Director of Kula Bio. Co-Founded Monolith Materials with previous experience at Mascoma.

  • Christopher Chew

    Former Partnerships Manager at Modern Meadow and Blooms. 6 years experience at W.L. Gore.

  • Dr. Orlando Rojas

    Professor, University of British Columbia and leading expert on biomaterials and finishes.

  • Dr. Tom Ellis

    Professor and Lead of the Tom Ellis Lab at Imperial College in London. Leading expert in synthetic biology.

  • Pierre Denis

    Fashion executive, angel investor and former CEO of Jimmy Choo. Previous experience at LVMH, Dior and Coty.

  • Bill Brady

    Co-Founder, CEO & Director of Kula Bio. Co-Founded Monolith Materials with previous experience at Mascoma.

  • Christopher Chew

    Former Partnerships Manager at Modern Meadow and Blooms. 6 years experience at W.L. Gore.

Values

We co-culture change

Co-Culture reflects our commitment to cross-pollination internally and externally, our ability to lean on one another, and our role as a catalyst in both business and culture

We put growth on a pedestal

Growth speaks to our inspiration and creative use of biology, our bias towards impact and scale, and our dedication to empowering industry to ‘grow up’ from a harmful past

We do it all by design

By Design articulates the intentionality, empathy, and creativity built into all aspects of our work. It also speaks to the importance of accountability and core design thinking principles

FAQs

Office hours

Once a month we open our digital doors for a Q&A with co-founder Jen Keane. This is an informal session open to students or individuals interested in materials, biofabrication, sustainable fashion and beyond.

FAQs

Curious? You can explore answers to all of our most commonly asked questions on our FAQ page below – and if your question isn’t listed you’re always welcome to drop us a line at hello@mod-synth.com

Team

Our team

Just as natural ecosystems thrive on the diverse abilities and unique contributions of many species, our people form a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. With wide ranging skill sets and varied backgrounds, together we are reinventing collaboration on a continuous basis.

Careers

Our hiring ethos

We hire people, not roles. If you think you’re qualified for a portion of a role, and can demonstrate a proven ability to adapt and take on new challenges, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Internships

As part of our commitment to growing the creative bioeconomy, we regularly offer internship opportunities lasting between 3-6 months. Check in below to see current openings or register your interest in our general application.

Open positions

Senior Chemist (Biomaterials)

We’re looking for a Senior Chemist to develop and test new biomaterial product formulations, production processes and lead on innovative grant projects. You’ll be supporting cutting edge R&D, industry and academic collaborations to develop the future of biomaterial technologies. You’ll work with the design team to produce new materials for projects with global brands.

General Application

About the role

If we don’t have a role that suits your experience, you can submit a general application here.

Working at Modern Synthesis requires comfort with rapid innovation cycles and constant growth that comes with working in a start-up. You will need to be proactive and flexible to take on new tasks and challenges, whilst upholding our passion for sustainability and impact.

News

Reframing the narrative

View All
Events & Workshops
Press
Research
Stories
Press
Stories

These textiles were grown by bacteria

Fast Company, April 2023
Modern Synthesis has developed a novel way to create textiles from a microbe, and the resulting material could be sold to brands as a replacement for synthetic fabrics. “It’s naturally transparent, and it almost looks like a nylon or technical synthetic fabric,” Jen Keane says. “But the feel is much more natural. And it’s adaptable in terms of its hand feel.” It can be more flexible, for example, or thicker…

Press
Stories

Using bacteria to create biomaterial fabric

Dezeen, April 2023
“Our process is quite unique,” Modern Synthesis founder Jen Keane told Dezeen. “We take waste feedstocks – this could be fruit waste or other agricultural waste – and the bacteria naturally produce nanocellulose.” One of the textile’s main advantages, according to Keane, is that nanocellulose fibers – which are very small and lightweight – are 8x stronger than steel and stiffer than Kevlar.

Press

Modern Synthesis raises $4.1 million

AgFunder News, July 2022
UK-based biomaterials startup Modern Synthesis has raised $4.1 million in seed funding to support its microbial textile platform that aims to make the fashion industry more sustainable. Investors in the round include AgFunder, Collaborative Fund, Acequia Capital, Petri Bio, Ponderosa Ventures, Possible Ventures, IMO Ventures, Taihill Venture, and Parley for the Oceans, amongst others.

Press
Stories

10 ways London is leading the UK on sustainability

Evening Standard, April 2023

The fashion industry may be more polluting than air travel, but London designers are putting their best foot forward on sustainability. At its new facility, Modern Synthesis has come up with a game-changing biomaterial derived from fermentation. Founded by an ex-Adidas designer, the company raised £5m from major fashion players including Pierre Denis, former CEO of Jimmy Choo.

Research

Cellulose shoes made by bacteria

Nature Biotechnology, August 2022
Modern Synthesis’ goal is to produce a new class of material, a composite material that will replace animal-and petrochemical-made sneakers with a biodegradable, yet durable, alternative. The shoe’s upper is made by bacteria that naturally produce nanocellulose (Komagataeibacter rhaeticus). They can be genetically engineered to self-dye by producing melanin for color.

Events & Workshops
Press

Pioneering innovation in Making Dezeen Live Talk

Dezeen
, May 2022
Dezeen teamed up with London Craft Week to host a talk with Renewcell, Modern Synthesis and Pangaia exploring biomaterials and circular fashion. Called Pioneering Innovation in Making, the talk explored material innovation by looking at the proliferation of biomaterials in sustainable fashion and their wide-ranging applications – from furniture to footwear.

Awards and Supporters

Download our media kit here (or contact press@mod-synth.com)

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