10 Biomimicry Examples for 2024
You may have heard of the Biomimicry Institute's Ray of Hope Prize. For the last nine years, 10 startups have competed (and collaborated) annually to win $100,000 … this year, that is no longer the case.
The Ray of Hope Accelerator is no longer a competition. Today, the Biomimicry Institute has rebranded it into an innovative programme that supports top 10 biomimicry startups, and the list is mind blowing.
Continuing on their tradition of finding the top biomimicry startups from around the world, we’ve listed them below, with a short explanation of what makes these new biomimicry examples so unique. 
If you’re interested, here is a complete list of all startups that have been part of the Biomimicry Institute's Ray of Hope Accelerator and Prize over the last nine years.
“The impact that their nature-inspired technologies can have on Climate Change and Biodiversity loss across key industry sectors is enormous,” - Amanda Sturgeon, CEO at the Biomimicry Institute.
Here are 10 leading biomimicry examples for 2024:
1. A molecular catalyst for storing energy in systems
Azul Energy in Japan has created metal-free catalytic technology through renewable energy for energy storage. What it really boils down to is a special substance that helps speed up chemical reactions without using rare metals. It's inspired by a part of hemoglobin, the protein in our blood that carries oxygen. Just like hemoglobin can do a variety of important tasks, the AZUL catalyst can do things like detect and move small gas molecules, help with chemical reactions, and transfer electrons.
π©Έ Inspired by: Blood
π Where: Japan
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: Low-cost, sustainable chemical catalyst for use in processes like transportation of diatomic gasses and electron transfers.
βοΈ Biomimicry Startup: Azul Energy
2. Low-impact cobalt and nickel source
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By 2030, there will be an expected shortage of about 600,000 tons of high-quality nickel used in batteries each year. Now, Brokkr is developing new technology that can access nickel resources in environmentally-friendly and low-cost ways to supply clean, battery-grade nickel through electrogenic bacteria. This process extracts high-quality nickel and cobalt from common but hard-to-mine sources.
π¦ Inspired by: Electrogenic bacteria
π Where: Canada
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: Extracting cobalt and nickel for batteries in a low-impact and sustainable way through the use of bacteria
βοΈ Biomimicry Startup: Brokkr
3. Eco-friendly waterproofing for paper products
Ah, paper products. Miles better than plastic when it comes to biodegradability. Not great if it gets wet, though.So, Cellulotech invented a waterproofing coating using molecular grafting technology that can make paper and cardboard products superhydrophobic (meaning extra difficult to get wet) at a low-cost without impacting their recyclability and biodegradability by mimicking the oily substance found on waterbirds that keep their feathers water-free. What a great and easy-to-understand biomimicry example. Bonus: the creation of the waterproofing product produces up to 92% less CO2 than current materials.
πͺΆ Inspired by: Waterbirds’ feathers
π Where: Canada
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: A coating similar to the oily layer on water birds’ feathers to repel water.
βοΈ Biomimicry Startup: Cellulotech
4. Recycling textile waste into fibre for fabric
Fiberly uses biotechnology to turn cellulosic textile waste into fibre, using cotton as an inspiration. All this means that the fabrics from discarded clothing (up to 11kg per person per year in Europe alone), can be reused and worn again with minimal environmental impact. See the ββEU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles for similar initiatives.
βοΈ Inspired by: Natural cotton
π Where: France & Argentina
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: Creating fibres for new fabric from post-consumer fabric waste materials similar to cotton.
βοΈ Biomimicry Startup: Fiberly
5. Sustainable synthetic mucus lubricant
What do we use animal-derived mucus for? Gel Matter has developed a mucus product based on that secreted by snails (a massive market for this currently is the skincare industry) which could also be used for different purposes including lubrication, adhesion and protection. This sustainable, cruelty-free substitute uses modular chemistry, and is produced in pure powder form. A great showcase of biomimicry.
π Inspired by: Snail mucus
π Where: USA
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: Synthetic mucus
βοΈ Biomimicry Startup: Gel Matter
6. Eco-friendly, enzymatic cement
How would nature make cement? Oysters, for example, produce an extremely hardy, glue-like substance to attach to rocks. Now, a company called Reefcycle uses natural enzymes, which can be obtained from the waste products of certain crops, to create a kind of similar mineral product. This process makes marine-safe enzymatic cement without needing heat, energy, or depleting resources. It can be done on-site and avoids relying on petroleum in cement production.
πInspired by: Oysters
π Where: USA
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: Enzymatic cement
βοΈ Biomimicry Startup: Reefcycle
7. Bioadhesive technology that sticks to wet surfaces
How do you stick something to a wet or uneven surface? Barnacles can adhere to uneven and contaminated surfaces. Spider webs are instantly dry and adhere to wet surfaces. So, what can we learn from those organisms? SanaHeal has developed an adhesive substance from plant materials that can stick to any surface. This is useful in medicine (think surgery plasters). It can also be used in cosmetics, or underwater research and a range of other fields.
π·οΈ Inspired by: Barnacles and spiders
π Where: USA
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: Adhesive substance, primarily for the medical field
βοΈ Biomimicry Startup: SanaHeal
8. Specialized smell sensor technology
Figuring out how insects smell led to an amazing discovery—a set of specially made smell receptors that can be used to create highly sensitive biosensors. These sensors can detect and measure thousands of different compounds, the human nose can not. Applications range from food quality monitoring to earlier disease detection.
πͺ² Inspired by: Insects
π Where: New Zealand
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: Olfactory sensors
βοΈ Biomimicry Startup: ScentianBio
9. High-performance material made from seaweed waste
Soarce is a company using nanoceramics combined with seaweed to make versatile fabrics and materials for the fashion and gear industry without using any plastic. Product functions include UV filtering, fire-resistance devoid of chlorine and bromines, and resistance against corrosion and oxidation that can be used in clothing, luggage and more. This comes in the form of either an additive or a ready-made synthetic leather.
π± Inspired by: Seaweed
π Where: USA
π― Nature-inspired Innovation / Function: High-performance fabric & additives
βοΈ Biomimicry Product: Soarce
10. Battery components
Lithium-sulfur batteries have high capacity but short lifespans, and they must withstand high temperatures during fast discharge. Valerian has found that biomimetic membranes made from aramid nanofibers (ANFs), which mimic cell and cartilage structures in humans, can solve these problems. The ANF components block the permeability barrier by creating a negatively charged layer, enabling the batteries to achieve near-maximum capacity, last over 3,500 cycles, and operate safely at temperatures up to 80°C.
π Inspired by: Cartilage
π Where: USA
π― Nature-inspired Innovation: Sustainable, long lasting battery components
βοΈ Biomimicry Example: Valerion
In Closing:
Seeing practical examples helps bridge the gap between theory and real-world application, inspiring innovative solutions that are sustainable, efficient, and aligned with natural ecosystems, ultimately leading to a healthier planet. If you’d like to see more, here's 50 of the leading biomimicry examples.
If you're interested in learning more about the world of biomimicry, you can download our FREE eBook: A Field Guide to Biomimicry for an easy introduction.
Once you're ready, you can also explore our Biomimicry Short Courses. Through these courses, you'll get practical knowledge of how to apply Biomimicry to your own design, get a Learn Biomimicry certificate which is recognised globally (and endorsed by the Biomimicry Institute), and so much more.
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