Cambridge-based biotech group Pact has secured £9m in seed funding as it prepares to open a 13,820 sq ft lab.

Founded in 2020, Pact develops “nature-inspired” biomaterials including its flagship product Oval.

Made from natural collagen, Oval has been described by the startup as a “climate-responsible” alternative to leather.

Pact claimed if the textile industry used Oval in place of 1% of leather used, it would cut carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 4.8 million tonnes a year.

“Our commitment at Pact is to craft beautiful, adaptable materials inspired by and derived from the natural world,” said CEO Yudí Ding.

“We have poured energy and creativity into our innovations, ensuring they can meet the standards of the world’s most prestigious brands and respect their heritage, whilst also being truly scalable.”

Now backed by new funds, Pact will scale its production capabilities with new lab space in Cambridge.

The group’s seed round saw investments from Hoxton Ventures, ReGen Ventures, Celsius Industries and Polytechnique Ventures.

“We’ve met with plenty of new materials companies but struggled to find any that could actually meet the performance standards of incumbent materials, let alone exceed them,” said Dan Fitzgerald, managing partner at ReGen Ventures.

“The Pact team have developed a platform that can utilise natural collagen sources to create beautiful materials that have exceeded the strict requirements of the world’s luxury fashion houses.”

Read more: ‘Unicorns locked out’: Lab shortage threatens Oxbridge life science growth