Invest-NL, LIOF and several private investors join Brightlands Venture Partners and Sofinnova Partners in supporting the Dutch biotech firm’s growth

MAASTRICHT, Netherlands, November 11, 2025–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Qorium, the Dutch biotechnology company pioneering cultivated leather, today announced it has secured a €22 million investment from Invest-NL and LIOF alongside existing investors Brightlands Venture Partners and Sofinnova Partners. An influential group of high net worth individuals have also participated in the round while the Invest-NL investment is made under the InvestEU guarantee scheme of the European Commission.

The cultivated leather market is projected to grow rapidly as demand increases for consistent and high-quality real leather. Qorium’s technology produces beautiful, uniform real leather from a few animal cells, eliminating the need for livestock farming while improving final leather products, reducing production waste and significantly reducing the environmental impact vs. animal-derived leather.

This latest round builds on €8 million in seed funding and marks another important milestone in Qorium’s journey from scientific breakthrough to commercial reality. The company is successfully producing sustainable real leather, is installing new bioreactor systems at its Maastricht facilities, and has established several commercial partnerships. With this Series A investment, Qorium is poised to scale production.

“This investment is a powerful vote of confidence in our mission to transform the leather industry,” says Qorium CEO Michael Newton. “By combining cutting-edge science with deep leather expertise and sustainable practices, we are creating real leather that offers better performance than traditional animal-derived leather, without the environmental and ethical costs. With Invest-NL, LIOF, and others now on board, we can take the next steps towards reinventing real leather and bring it to market at scale.”

“At Invest-NL, we invest in technologies that drive systemic change. Qorium’s leather is a breakthrough innovation that can transform one of the world’s most polluting industries,” says Lisette Kersting-van der Boog from Invest-NL. “By producing real leather without livestock, Qorium shows how biotechnology can build a more sustainable materials system. We are proud to support this Dutch frontrunner in scaling their impact.”

Guillaume Baxter, Partner at Sofinnova Partners, echoes the sentiment: “We’ve been on this journey with Qorium from the start, backing both the science of Dr. Mark Post and the deep leather experience of Rutger Ploem. This investment reflects Qorium’s impressive progress to date and our strong belief in the economic and sustainability potential of its leather. We are confident that this momentum will only continue.”