News from the Alumniverse
Big ideas don’t stop after the award. Explore the latest updates from previous GCA winners turning potential into impact. Our alumni are continuing to disrupt, scale and inspire across the globe – and we’re here to back them.
Press inquiries? Go to press.
-
Ambercycle: a spark that scaled
Ambercycle wasn’t born out of a business plan. It was born out of curiosity. Shay and Moby were scientists drawn to a problem that felt personal, solvable – and then, suddenly, massive. In a recent conversation, Ambercycle’s CEO and co-founder Shay Sethi reflected on how it all began.
-
SXD: From textile waste to wearable art
SXD is transforming textile waste into high-value fashion using AI. With support from Global Change Award partner Accenture, the company is developing data-driven design tools that turn discarded garments into unique pieces – demonstrating how technology can accelerate circular innovation.
-
Mycotex reveals next-gen material wall
MYCOTEX, winners of GCA 2018, have launched their next-generation material wall – a showcase of how robotic manufacturing and 3D design can scale biomaterials with zero waste. The platform marks a major step toward a fully automated, circular supply chain in fashion and beyond.
-
Biorestore is taking fashion’s footprint to the cleaners
From ‘a product that looked like something from Breaking Bad’ to global partnerships – Biorestore’s journey since winning the Global Change Award shows what happens when bold thinking meets real-world resistance. Now they’re scaling up, and pushing fashion to change.
-
Ponda x Berghaus: Pioneering Regenerative Outdoor Wear
In a step towards a regenerative fashion future, Ponda and Berghaus have joined forces to demonstrate how biomaterials can reshape performance outerwear. Their new jacket, the Concept Piece, integrates BioPuff® insulation, a fully regenerative material, proving that sustainability doesn’t mean compromising function.
-
Toyota Ventures backs Tereform
Exciting news! Toyota Ventures has invested in Tereform, a former GCA winner pioneering textile-to-textile recycling to keep fabrics in circulation and out of landfills. With this backing, Tereform will scale its innovative recycling technology, expand partnerships, and accelerate the shift toward a circular fashion industry.
-
KBCols joins Walmart’s green initiative
Walmart has announced strategic pilots with three innovative Indian startups to enhance its U.S. supply chain. Among them is Pune-based KBCols Sciences, our 2024 winner, which produces non-GMO natural dyes from agricultural waste.
-
Ambercycle signs offtake agreement with Ganni
Danish fashion brand Ganni has signed a four-year agreement to use Cycora, a recycled polyester created by our 2016 winner Ambercycle. According to Ganni, the material has the potential to become a gamechanger when it comes to textile-to-textile recycling. Photo: Courtesy of Ganni.
-
Nanoloom awarded in Innovate UK Awards
We’re thrilled to see Victoria Mataczynski, co-founder of Nanoloom and part of our 2023 GCA cohort, as one of the winners of the Women in Innovation Award! Victoria is being recognised for her pioneering work in sustainable materials, making the world a better place.
-
Ambercycle teams up with Arc’teryx
Ambercycle, a 2016 Global Change Award winner, has partnered with Arc’teryx to innovate performance apparel materials. Starting in 2026, Arc’teryx will use Ambercycle’s cycora® regenerated materials to enhance circularity.
-
The new BIORESTORE Odour Defense is live!
The laundry solution BIORESTORE has launched its new Odour Defense product, fully funded on Kickstarter and selected as a “Project We Love.”. BIORESTORE Odour Defense is designed to prolong the life of active, casual, work, home, and kids’ wear by removing and preventing sweat odour. Photo: Courtesy of Biorestore.
-
Inauguration of cutting-edge factory for amino tech
Our 2022 winner Amino Tech just launched the world’s first polyester-elastane blended fabric recycling demonstration factory. The cutting-edge facility represents a major innovation in textile recycling, starting with an initial capacity of handling 100 tons of material. Talk about taking giant leaps from the crowning only two years back!