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In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, sustainability is not only a goal but a necessity. Large corporations face mounting pressures to reduce their carbon footprint, particularly in addressing scope 3 emissions. Colipi, a pioneering biotech startup, has developed breakthrough solutions to tackle these challenges head-on. Combining cutting-edge gas fermentation technology and a mission to create carbon-neutral raw materials, Colipi has positioned itself as a valuable partner for companies striving to meet ambitious sustainability goals. In this interview, we speak with Maximilian Webers, Colipi’s Co-Founder & CEO, to learn more about their journey, the specific pain points they address for corporations, and how RaiseLab has supported them in bridging innovation with corporate needs.
- Can you briefly explain what is Colipi’s core technology and how it differentiates from other solutions in the market?
Colipi's core technology combines proprietary gas fermentation bioreactor processes with CO₂-transforming bacteria. This approach enables a biological carbon utilization process that is up to seven times faster than the next best biological alternative. Unlike many chemical and biological processes that rely on synthesis gas, containing carbon monoxide among other gases, Colipi’s technology directly utilizes carbon dioxide.
- What specific challenges or pain points faced by large cosmetics corporations does Colipi's solution address?
We provide a solution to two primary challenges. In Europe, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) motivates corporations to decarbonize. While scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions are relatively straightforward to reduce, scope 3 emissions are challenging and are often the largest contributor to a corporate carbon footprint. Raw materials, such as oils, contribute to scope 3 emissions, and no carbon-neutral materials based on fossil or vegetable oils are available yet. With its lowest CO₂ footprint, our Climate Oil™ products address this gap. Avoiding palm oil and its derivatives is also advantageous from a marketing perspective, as customers are increasingly selective about sustainability and tend to avoid palm oil-based products. Our Climate Oil™ has comparable chemical properties and applications, making it a viable replacement for palm oil.
- In your view, how does Colipi's technology align with current industrial needs in sustainability and carbon footprint reduction?
Our technology directly addresses current sustainability needs. Our biomolecules help reduce corporate CO₂ footprints by increasingly replacing unsustainable raw materials derived from fossil oil, palm oil, and oil crops, which often lead to land use conflicts and may compete with food production. We are also developing green extraction methods that avoid potentially toxic chemicals like organic solvents. One of our Climate Oil™ products, with the INCI Rhodotorula Ferment Oil, has already received the NATRUE certification as 100% Natural. In theory, we can produce oils globally where there is access to water, electricity (hydrogen), and carbon dioxide, enabling decentralized production. This avoids complex supply chains and facilitates compliance with the European Supply Chain Act (CSR). It also strengthens supply chain resilience in times of crisis, such as border closures during COVID-19 lockdowns and wartime disruptions.
- What are the main benefits that big companies can expect from adopting your solution, both short-term and long-term?
In the short term, adopting our solution will enhance marketing appeal by highlighting the company's commitment to innovation and genuine sustainability. Working with us now also provides a head start in corporate product development, including securing early product capacities through off-take agreements with us and safeguarding intellectual property for product recipes. In the long term, once we achieve production levels of tens of thousands of tons of Climate Oil™ annually, large companies can see substantial reductions in their scope 3 emissions.
- Could you share any case studies or examples of how Colipi has successfully collaborated with large enterprises to solve critical business issues (please do not provide any confidential information)?
We are actively collaborating with major European and American Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), food, and fuel corporations across various applications, including cosmetics and sustainable aviation fuel.
- What role do innovation and R&D partnerships play in the development of your solution for large corporations?
Corporate R&D partnerships provide three key benefits. First, they offer an opportunity to demonstrate the startup's operational capabilities and excellence, which ideally builds trust—an invaluable asset in collaborations. Second, by working closely with corporate partners, we gain insights into specific product qualities, specifications, certifications, and other requirements that a startup might not otherwise understand. We learn from senior experts with decades of industry experience, which allows us to develop products truly tailored to corporate needs and ready for commercial adoption. Finally, R&D partnerships may include a service component, providing non-dilutive funding—a valuable source for startups.
- Are there any other fields of application of your solution in other industries?
Our primary product, oil, is chemically a triacylglycerol—the same type of oil produced by plants and other organisms. This opens a wide range of potential applications, including in food, feed, cosmetics, home care & laundry, e-fuels, sustainable aviation fuel, and chemical materials such as bioplastics, lubricants, and coatings. We target one of the world’s largest markets, with annual demands of 4,500 million metric tons for fossil oils and 220 million metric tons for vegetable oils.
- What advice would you give to corporate decision-makers looking to innovate in a sustainable production of lipids?
Align your organization, especially the procurement, finance, sustainability, and marketing divisions. Climate Oil™ and other products derived from industrial biotechnology processes may be more costly compared to fossil oil alternatives, but they become more competitive if your finance team already uses internal carbon shadow pricing or faces the increasing costs of carbon credits. Additionally, engage in building the necessary production capacities. Biotechnology is a CAPEX-intensive industry; someone must fund the bioreactors, while fossil oil production often involves just drilling and offloading environmental damage, and lipid production from oil crops often involves deforestation and large-scale farming.
- Would you advise them to work with RaiseLab whose role is to support and guide value creation between larger organisations (such as large and mid-sized companies, and public-sector bodies), and technology sector firms (such as start-ups, scale-ups and innovative SMEs)?
We have been working together with many agencies facilitating corporate startup collaboration and RaiseLab is one of the best. Working with RaiseLabs feels professional, friendly and timely. For instance, meeting minutes and follow-up invites will be supply within hours.
- What advice would you give to startups so that they can develop a solution that fits industrial needs as Colipi did?
Engage early, be humble, and listen to the industry. Established companies have decades, sometimes even centuries, of experience. They understand customer willingness to pay, regulations, production processes, supplier markets, and more. Learn from them, incorporate those insights into your solutions, and build an advanced offering that truly meets their needs. However, also be bold. As a startup, you bring fresh, forward-thinking innovations that corporations may highly value. Dare to propose, negotiate, and lead conversations with confidence and sound reasoning. Be patient, as large corporations often move slowly; divisions and employees may have individual agendas that don’t always align with corporate goals. Be prepared for occasional rejections, even if your solution seems to perfectly fit the corporate vision at first glance. But don’t lose heart. In the long run, if there is a true product-market fit, your solution will find its place. Alternatively, you might gain support from C-suite executives who can accelerate decision-making if they see the strategic value of your innovation.
Colipi’s journey in transforming industrial bioprocesses into scalable solutions demonstrates how innovation can meet sustainability demands at a corporate level. As large companies adapt to stringent carbon reduction regulations and shifting consumer expectations, Colipi’s Climate Oil™ products present a tangible path toward sustainable, carbon-neutral raw materials. With the continued support of innovation facilitators like RaiseLab, Colipi is poised to help reshape entire industries, from cosmetics, food and home care to aviation fuel and chemical materials, proving that collaboration can be the key to meaningful and lasting environmental impact.
