Biotech firm Viridi closes £2.2m led by Odyssey Ventures and Alphatron Impact Ventures
This article covers Viridi, a Southampton-based biotech startup, which has closed a £2.2m growth funding round to accelerate commercial deployment of its CO2-to-chemicals technology and scale production of CO2-based surfactants. The funding will support pilot scale-up, team expansion and initial market entry in Asia and the US, targeting low-carbon alternatives to fossil- and palm-derived chemical feedstocks used across consumer goods supply chains.
Viridi, a Southampton-based biotech startup, has closed a £2.2 million growth funding round to accelerate commercial deployment of its CO2-to-chemicals technology and scale production of CO2-based surfactants. The funding will support pilot scale-up, team expansion and initial market entry in Asia and the US, signalling continued industry interest in low-carbon alternatives to fossil- and palm-derived chemical feedstocks.
Why it matters
The chemical industry relies heavily on fossil carbon and, in some sectors, palm-derived feedstocks that raise environmental and supply-chain concerns. Viridi’s approach aims to convert captured carbon dioxide into chemical building blocks, potentially lowering emissions and cutting reliance on conventional inputs. That could matter across consumer goods supply chains where surfactants are ubiquitous in home and personal care products.
The timing follows Viridi’s commercial steps: the launch of Vireya, its first CO2-based anionic surfactant in 2025; a joint development agreement with Zschimmer & Schwarz to accelerate scale-up and market adoption; and recognition at the Renewable Materials Conference, where it won the Renewable Material of the Year 2026 Innovation Award.
Inside the product
Viridi’s platform centres on a catalyst that re-engineers established chemical routes so captured CO2 can act as a carbon input. The company positions the technology to work with existing manufacturing infrastructure, which lowers the barrier for adoption in incumbent chemical plants. Surfactants are the first major application because they represent a clear product-market fit: they are high-volume, regulated ingredients where cost and compatibility with existing product formulations are critical.
Vireya, the company’s anionic surfactant, has been tested in manufacturing environments and is intended to demonstrate the platform’s ability to integrate with current production lines. If the platform scales as intended, Viridi says it could extend the approach to other chemical classes and progressively displace fossil feedstocks across a broader set of molecules.
Who are the investors?
The round was led by Odyssey Ventures, with co-investment from Alphatron Impact Ventures and follow-on commitments from existing angel investors. TOP Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Thaioil, joined as a strategic investor.
Odyssey Ventures is a transatlantic firm with offices in London and San Francisco and is an existing investor in Viridi; it has also had board representation. Alphatron Impact Ventures is a European impact investor focusing on sustainability plays. TOP Ventures links back to Thai Oil Public Company Limited, an integrated operator across refining, petrochemicals and specialty chemicals, including linear alkylbenzene production. That industrial footprint is relevant because it can provide market insight and potential pathways to manufacturing scale in Asia.
In the announcement, Vivat Wongnirund, Vice President-New S-Curve Business Development at Thaioil, said:
We have followed Viridi’s development since 2024 and have been impressed by its progress, particularly in CO2-based surfactants. The technology has been tested in real manufacturing environments and shows strong potential for integration into existing industrial operations. Viridi’s approach to using captured CO2 as an alternative carbon input is highly innovative. This investment gives Thaioil exposure to an emerging technology that fits our future growth strategy in disinfectants and surfactants. We see this technology supporting the future development of surfactant production in Asia and beyond.
In the announcement, Ali Mitchell, Managing Partner at Odyssey Ventures, said:
Our commitment is to grow UK and European deep-tech companies that are solving some of the world's most fundamental problems. Viridi is exactly that kind of company. Combined with a strategic investment from TOP Ventures, our support gives Viridi reach across both the US and Asia as it moves towards commercial deployment.
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Founder perspective
In the announcement, Dr Daniel Stewart, CEO at Viridi, said:
Having a strategic partner like TOP Ventures look closely at our technology, see its value and choose to back it at this stage is strong validation of what we've built. We'll be working closely with them to deliver our technology to market, starting in Asia. With Odyssey Ventures supporting our growth in the US, we now have partners who can help us take CO2-based surfactants to the world.
Stewart frames the funding as both technical validation and market access: the capital is earmarked for pilot plant work, hiring across engineering and commercial functions, and initial commercial trials in target markets.
The bigger picture
Chemicals is a hard-to-abate industrial sector, and investors are increasingly watching technologies that can retrofit or replace conventional feedstocks without requiring entirely new assets. The deal highlights how corporate venture capital and transatlantic VC can combine to give industrial deep-tech startups routes into regional manufacturing hubs and buyer networks.
For UK and European policymakers and investors focused on industrial decarbonisation, Viridi’s progress is an example of how early-stage technical advances translate into near-term commercial pathways when paired with industrial partners and targeted capital. The transaction also underscores continued appetite from biotech investors for platform technologies that can address supply-chain emissions at scale.
They've invested in Viridi
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| Investors | Investment Focus | Startup Investments | Round Size | Connect |
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