Startup Raises $40M to Make Synthetic Spider-Silk Infused Fabric
Bolt Threads has raised $40 million to bolster the production and commercialization process for clothing imbued with a synthetic form of spider silk. The startup was founded in 2009, but spent the ensuing years operating under the radar.
Wired notes Bolt Threads decided to come out of hiding because the founders said they found out how to make spider silk “commercially plausible” due to Bolt’s manufacturing system.
The company’s announcement explains it will make this variant of spider silk from “proteins found in nature,” which are also called “programmable fibers.” These fibers will come from genetically engineered microorganisms and can be manipulated and molded to have different levels of comfort and performance.
Researchers at the Emeryville, California-based enterprise figured out how to produce the essential proteins for this silk by studying the link between the webbing’s characteristics and a spider’s DNA, according to Forbes.
Once that part of the process was established, the scientists engineer and grow microorganisms in a fermentation vat using yeast. The protein needed to build this durable material will emerge from the microorganism and be sent away to have it spun into the desired fabric.
TechCrunch reports the company is also planning to pursue relationships with textile manufacturing organizations and expects to launch its own line of textiles in 2016.
