BioForm Technologies
1 known investors
Vancouver-based materials startup making wood pulp-reinforced hydrogel films as alternatives to single-use plastics.
Also known as Bioform · Bioform Technologies
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Bioform Technologies is a Canadian materials science company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, developing bio-based alternatives to single-use plastics. Its patented process manufactures multilayered, pulp fibre reinforced hydrogels at commercial speeds, using feedstocks of wood pulp fibre and kelp combined with a salt-based catalyst in an extrusion printing process similar to papermaking. Layers are printed with high water content and then pressed to a target moisture level: higher water content yields softer, flexible films, while lower water content produces more rigid material suitable for items such as lids and trays, after which the product is molded to shape.
The company produces both compostable, heat-sealable films and paper-recyclable thermoforming films. Stated applications include rigid packaging, pouches, agricultural mulch film, garbage bags, disposable food utensils and consumer packaging such as bottles. Bioform states its materials require no fossil-based inputs, can be home compostable or recycled through existing paper recycling streams, and offer roughly an 80% lower carbon footprint than conventional single-use plastics, with performance advantages in areas such as tensile strength and oxygen or water vapour permeability. An agricultural mulch film that biodegrades in the field, removing the need for spring collection, has been tested on research crops at UBC.
Bioform's approach is built around repurposing existing pulp and paper machinery to make its films at volume, and supplying roll-stock that substitutes for plastic films in existing thermoforming and heat-sealing equipment with minimal modification.
Founding story
Bioform's core technology originated at the University of British Columbia, where co-founder Jordan MacKenzie developed the process as a postdoctoral fellow and later research associate in the lab of Mark Martinez, a professor of chemical and biological engineering, Bio-Products Institute member and former director of UBC's Pulp and Paper Centre, who is also a co-founder. The underlying research addressed a fluid dynamics problem of layering two fluids and flowing them at high speed without mixing, a solution that proved applicable to manufacturing plastic alternatives. The company was founded in 2021.
Business model
Bioform develops and manufactures bio-based film materials intended to be supplied as roll-stock that replaces conventional plastic films in customers' existing thermoforming and heat-sealing production lines. Manufacturing is designed around repurposing existing pulp and paper machinery rather than building new plastic-conversion infrastructure.
Sale of bio-based film and roll-stock materials to converters and packaging producers as substitutes for fossil-based plastic films.
Traction
Bioform has developed compostable and paper-recyclable film products, with paper-recyclable thermoforming films listed as in use for rigid packaging. Its biodegradable agricultural mulch film has been tested on UBC research crops. The Suzano Ventures investment was described as including technical validation, and funds a planned demonstration facility to pilot the manufacturing process.
Latest developments
In April 2024 Suzano Ventures, the corporate venture arm of Brazilian pulp producer Suzano, announced an investment of up to US$5 million in Bioform, reported as a $5 million seed round, to fund development, a pilot demonstration facility and team expansion.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Bioform positions itself among startups seeking to replace single-use plastics with renewable materials, with the stated aim of matching conventional plastics on performance, processing speed and cost — producing at "the speed of paper and at the cost of plastic" — and claims no green premium relative to conventional plastic. Press coverage groups it with other sustainable-materials companies such as Sparxell and Traceless Materials.
Rather than requiring new production infrastructure, Bioform's process repurposes existing pulp and paper machinery and supplies roll-stock compatible with current thermoforming and heat-sealing lines. Its hydrogel films are reinforced with wood pulp fibre and kelp, use no fossil-based inputs, and are designed to be either home compostable or recyclable in existing paper streams while matching conventional plastics on cost and processing speed.
Technology
A patented low-energy process prints layers of wood pulp fibre, kelp and a salt-based catalyst to form multilayered, pulp fibre reinforced hydrogels at commercial speeds, using machinery derived from pulp and paper making. Water content is adjusted by pressing to tune flexibility versus rigidity, and the material is then molded. Outputs include paper-recyclable thermoforming films and compostable heat-sealable films; the company cites an approximately 80% lower carbon footprint than conventional single-use plastics and biodegradation in as little as six months.
Go-to-market
The company emphasizes drop-in substitution of its films into existing thermoforming and heat-sealing infrastructure, and works with strategic partners including Suzano, the world's largest market pulp producer and a supplier of wood pulp fibre input; Marbach, a manufacturer of die-cutting and thermoforming tools; and the University of British Columbia as its research base.
Producers and converters of packaging and disposable products, including rigid food packaging, pouches, consumer packaging, disposable utensils, garbage bags, and agricultural users of mulch film.
Geography
Headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with research ties to the University of British Columbia and a strategic investor and pulp supplier in Brazil (Suzano).
History
Founded in 2021 as a UBC spin-out, Bioform participated in the HATCH Venture Builder program at UBC's Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems, and as of April 2023 planned to move into its own commercial space. It was named a finalist for the 2022 Ocean Changemaker Challenge. In April 2024 Suzano Ventures announced an investment of up to US$5 million to accelerate development of the company's bio-based plastic alternatives, build a demonstration facility to pilot the manufacturing process, and expand the team.
Risks & controversies
Public commentary from the company and its investor identifies scaling production and reaching cost competitiveness with cheap single-use plastic as the central challenge for this class of materials.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsSuzano Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Brazilian pulp producer Suzano, invested up to US$5 million (reported as $5 million in seed funding) to accelerate development of Bioform's bio-based plastic alternatives, build a demonstration facility to pilot the manufacturing process, and expand the team and capabilities.
$5M source ↗
Bioform, a UBC startup, was part of the HATCH Venture Builder program at UBC's Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems, and planned to move to its own commercial space.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Bioform Technologiesbioformtech.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does BioForm Technologies do?
- Vancouver-based materials startup making wood pulp-reinforced hydrogel films as alternatives to single-use plastics.
- Who are BioForm Technologies's investors?
- BioForm Technologies's investors include WUTIF Capital.