The startup transforming agro-industrial waste and mycelium into compostable packaging accelerates its growth after being recognized at StartCup Lombardia 2024: new investments, team expansion, and a pilot plant arriving by 2026.
SMUSH Materials is the startup that won the Sustainability/Climate Change Award at StartCup Lombardia in 2024, distinguishing itself with a revolutionary packaging solution. At the heart of their proposal is a natural and compostable secondary packaging material, ideal for protecting heavy or fragile products, developed through mycelium fermentation technologies—the root of mushrooms—and organic agro-industrial by-products that have no economic value. This proposal combines sustainability, circular economy principles, and technological innovation, aligning with contemporary environmental challenges and the needs of the logistics and industrial sectors.
Twelve months after its triumph at StartCup Lombardia, SMUSH Materials has made giant strides. Luca Ficarelli, co-founder of the startup, recounts: “We are moving forward significantly; we have currently closed a one-million-euro round, an objective achieved at the end of the year, which has allowed us to expand the team and improve technological development.”
The capital raised has enabled the young company to consolidate, focusing on the scalability of the production process and responding to the growing demands from companies increasingly interested in sustainable packaging solutions. “At StartCup, we presented the innovation of the solutions we had tested with companies,” Ficarelli continues. “Today, we have been able to work on the technological aspect and the process that will allow us to produce the necessary volumes to meet market demands.”
The expansion is not only technological but also human. By September, the operational team will grow from three to seven people. This is a clear sign of a company in a consolidation phase and moving towards industrialization and go-to-market. “Continuous work with companies, closing the round, adding new minds: these are the new developments that have driven us forward,” he adds.
SMUSH Materials’ journey found a significant turning point in its participation in StartCup Lombardia 2024, which provided visibility and strategic resources for the initial growth spurt. “StartCup Lombardia was fundamental: it allowed us to make the first economic investments and accelerate our growth, increasing our objectives. From a visibility standpoint, it was an excellent reference, especially concerning Italian investors.”
The focus is now on the future, particularly the installation of the first pilot plant for larger-scale production. “In the immediate future, it’s important to finalize work with the companies with whom we developed prototypes, provide new solutions, and convert them into initial supplies. By June 2026, we aim to install the first pilot plant to meet market demand,” Ficarelli concludes.
