About
Meet the Team that replaces fossil plastics.
Founded in Rotterdam. Backed by science. Building at the intersection of biology and industrial design.
Meet the teamOur story
It started with a straw.
Jason designed the original Plastilose straw at BlueCity's Circular Ideation Lab during his master's at TU Delft. Joram joined to turn it into a company.
When they looked at where single-use plastic does the most damage, the answer was clear: healthcare. 300,000 cups per hospital per year, all incinerated, no alternative.
That became the mission.
The people
Bio-manufactured materials for the disposable economy.
What we do and where we are going.
Mission
We replace fossil single-use plastics with bio-manufactured materials that perform identically and decompose naturally.
Vision
A European biofabrication network replacing fossil disposables at industrial scale.
Bio-manufactured materials for the disposable economy.
One team. One mission.
We argue, we disagree, we push each other. That works because we trust each other enough to be honest. It is what this industry takes if you want to change it.
Joram Boumans
Founder & CEO
- Business & fundraising
- Industrial product design
- Brand & growth
- Education
- MSc Integrated Product Design, TU Delft
- Experience
- 10+ years building digital products and brands through his agency tridim
- Notable
- 3rd place in the GSEA Dutch Student Entrepreneur final.
Jason Smit
Founder & CTO
- Biodesign & materials technology
- Product development
- Hospital workflow integration
- Education
- MSc Integrated Product Design, TU Delft
- Experience
- Designed the original Plastilose straw at the BlueCity Circular Ideation Lab. Worked inside a hospital with direct access to the relevant environment.
- Notable
- Embedded in hospital operations, bridging product design and clinical workflows.
Ellen Shute
Microbiologist
- Microbiology & fermentation
- Bioinformatics & data analysis
- Bioengineering
- Education
- MSc Molecular Techniques in Life Science, KTH Stockholm & SciLifeLab. BSc Utrecht University, Summa Cum Laude.
- Experience
- Bioinformatician at Utrecht University. Research intern at SciLifeLab Stockholm.
- Notable
- Published in Trends in Genetics. iGEM Stockholm project lead, gold medal.
Iza Bosch
Product Engineer
- Product engineering & prototyping
- 3D printing & fabrication
- Detail design & testing
- Education
- MSc Integrated Product Design, TU Delft
- Experience
- Design Engineer at Project MARCH (TU Delft Dream Team), responsible for the housing design of an exoskeleton. Student assistant for 3D Printing for Repair and Prototyping for/with Emerging Materials at TU Delft.
- Notable
- Hands-on specialist who turns ideas into physical products, from prototype to production.
Hazar Ulusoy
Microbiologist
- Microbiology & strain development
- Culturing & media optimisation
- Lab setup & protocols
- Education
- [TO ADD: Hazar's education]
- Experience
- Microbiology and lab work for culturing and strain development. Builds the lab protocols that production runs on.
- Notable
- [TO ADD: distinguishing detail for Hazar]
Sheyda Rastgar
Embedded Systems Engineer
- Firmware & real-time systems
- Sensing & process control
- Edge AI & quality control
- Education
- MSc Smart Systems Engineering, Hanze University of Applied Sciences. BSc Electrical & Electronics Engineering.
- Experience
- Bare-metal firmware on ARM Cortex-M and real-time systems. Builds the controls, sensing and quality inspection of the automated production line.
- Notable
- Makes the process measurable. Every batch produces the data our next design is based on.
Mechanical Engineer
Machine building & production line
- Machine & line design
- CAD & fabrication
- Automation & integration
- Education
- MSc Integrated Product Design, TU Delft. BSc Mechanical Engineering.
- Experience
- Developed custom motors for a robotic exoskeleton, worked on a CNC mill and managed suppliers for sensors, actuators and motor controllers.
- Name
- To be announced on the start date.
Scale-up Advisor
Business & scale-up
- Industrialisation & scale-up
- Factory-scale production
- Management & governance
- Experience
- 30+ years in industrial biomaterials, much of it at executive board level. Took production lines from pilot to full scale.
- Role at Plastilose
- Advises on scale-up, factory setup and the move from startup to manufacturer.
- Name
- Available on request to investors and partners.
Bioprocess Advisor
Biology & industrial fermentation
- Industrial fermentation
- Bioprocess technology
- Culture scale-up
- Experience
- 30+ years in bioprocess technology and industrial fermentation. Took fermentation processes from lab scale to production volume.
- Role at Plastilose
- Advises on culture scale-up, reactor design and process control.
- Name
- Available on request to investors and partners.
From lab to factory.
Founded. R&D validation.
Pre-seed closed. First hospital partner signed.
Patent filed. Pilot production 10,000 units/week. Seed round.
Semi-automated production line. 100K units/week.
Industrial scale. 1M+ units/week. Price parity with plastic.
Founded. R&D validation.
Pre-seed closed. First hospital partner signed.
Patent filed. Pilot production 10,000 units/week. Seed round.
Semi-automated production line. 100K units/week.
Industrial scale. 1M+ units/week. Price parity with plastic.
Long-term vision: a European biofabrication network replacing fossil disposables at industrial scale.
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