DetraPel, an advanced materials company specializing in sustainable coatings, has successfully raised $7.6 million in a Series A funding round, led by Material Impact.
Other notable participants in this funding include INX International, a multi-billion dollar packaging ink manufacturer, as well as Touchdown Ventures, FitzGate Ventures, Boro Capital, Icebook Investments, and more.
These newly acquired funds will be pivotal in driving the growth of DetraPel’s industrial division, which has recently been rebranded as Impermea Materials. Additionally, the consumer-facing branch of the company is now known as ProofPlus. The primary objective is to scale up commercial coatings production to meet the increasing demand from customers.
Among Impermea Materials’ current industrial clientele are four of the world’s largest paper suppliers and leading consumer packaged goods companies. These industry leaders are committed to offering premium, environmentally friendly packaging solutions in response to growing eco-conscious consumer preferences.
Impermea Materials serves a variety of industries, including paper and paperboard packaging, textiles, healthcare, and more. The company’s patented protective coatings, formulated with PFAS-free and Fluorine-Free bio-based chemistries, offer superior performance while addressing environmental concerns.
These coatings maintain recyclability, repulpability, and compostability, aligning with recent legislative efforts to ban PFAS, or ‘forever chemicals,’ in industrial processes.
“In partnering with DetraPel, we recognize the synergy between INX and Impermea Materials in serving the paper and paperboard packaging markets with sustainable solutions,” stated Shane Bertsch, INX Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Innovation. “Impermea’s product offering complements our goals, and we are excited to collaborate with DetraPel in accelerating sustainable barrier coating solutions to market.”
In textiles, Impermea’s protective coatings provide liquid repellency, stain resistance, UV fade resistance, and flame retardancy. In the realm of food packaging, these barrier coatings offer top-tier oil and grease resistance, address moisture sensitivity, provide release properties, and withstand temperature fluctuations.
This enables companies to transition to plastic-free alternatives without compromising on product performance. Impermea also offers antimicrobial coatings for healthcare applications, providing protection against viruses.
DetraPel’s journey began a decade ago when they embarked on developing PFAS-free, water-based chemistries that would outperform fluorinated alternatives. The company now stands at the forefront of the shift in industrial manufacturing, striving to eliminate toxic chemicals from everyday products.
This recent funding round will be channeled into expanding Impermea Materials’ production capabilities to meet the escalating demand for safer protective coatings in manufacturing. It will support ongoing product development, the establishment of a state-of-the-art synthesis laboratory, an application and commercialization laboratory, sales and marketing efforts, and more.
Adam Sharkawy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Material Impact, highlights the urgency of businesses seeking plastic-free and PFAS-free solutions. DetraPel’s platform is known for delivering customized solutions that meet the high-performance standards required by various industries. Sharkawy believes the partnership with DetraPel will continue to address this pressing need.
Adam Sharkawy’s faith in DetraPel extends beyond financial investment, as he has assumed a position on the Board of Directors starting in July 2023.
