KAUST start-up Polymeron, founded by a team of 2 KAUST alumni and a pos-doc, has recently won the grand prize of 1 Million USD at the Omnipreneurship Sustainability Challenge for Inclusive Leadership, an event organized by Tanmiah Food Co., a manufacturer, and distributor of food and agriculture products.

The challenge received 93 proposals from across the world and counted with 2 finalists from KAUST, Insectum and Polymeron, being the later the final winner.

The sustainability-driven start-up, which established itself by creating a proprietary biopolymer made out of date pits, won the challenge by developing a new technology that produces environmentally friendly and 100% biodegradable composite materials through the conversion of organic waste into biochar. The biochar can then be converted into biodegradable, soil degrading, bioplastics which also act as soil enrichers, addressing challenges related to industrial poultry waste, plastic pollution, and soil regeneration.

Find more about Polymeron here.