Interview: Maria Maia, Corium Biotech. Growing Cruelty-Free Exotic Leather in the Lab

The interview with Maria Maia, Co-Founder and CEO of Corium Biotech, a startup from Portugal, that is creating sustainable cellular leather solutions for eco-friendly luxury fashion.

You can listen to the episode with Maria Maia on EmpoWomen Podcast:

Or read the interview.

Elevator Pitch

I’m Maria Maia, one of the founders of Corium Biotech. The company was founded by two women, and we took inspiration from a problem we observed in the luxury fashion industry. We are trying to tackle it by developing new materials that can be seen as a real alternative to exotic leather.

How did you pick up the topic?

It was quite random, actually. Both the co-founder and I met during our PhD, where we worked on human skin reconstruction for health purposes, specifically to identify targets related to cancer. We knew we had pretty cool technology in our hands, but at the time, we didn’t know what we could do with it outside of basic research.

Later, we went to a dermatological congress in Florida and took a vacation to the Everglades, which has a huge alligator population. After a tour, the guide explained that many exotic animals, including some alligator species, are at risk of extinction due to illegal hunting for their valuable skin. We had no idea this was such a problem.

That planted the seed. We started to wonder if we could create reptile or exotic skin in an adapted way, similar to how we worked with human skin. That’s where the idea came from. This was in 2018. We finished our PhDs in 2019 and started building the company in 2020. It’s an unusual application of our scientific knowledge, but we are now in the fashion industry. While there are a few companies working on cellular bovine leather, our particularity is that we only work with exotic species.

What is the solution itself? How is the process run?

Right now, we are still at the lab scale. We start by collecting skin samples from animals, usually from dead animals through partnership agreements with zoos and veterinary centers. We can also collect a very small biopsy—about one square centimeter is enough—if an animal needs surgery.

From there, we are able to extract the cells, adapting the process traditionally used for mammals. We then grow the cells, combining them with a set of different types of fibers that are present in natural skin. We let the skin mature, and once it’s ready, it can enter the tanning process just like a natural skin would. The advantage is that we can skip some phases because we have a purer material—no blood or fat. It’s in excellent condition.

How far are you in the process?

Currently, we can produce prototypes of 10×10 centimeters, which is big enough to create small leather goods like wallets or bracelets. We’ve gone through two funding rounds: a smaller one in 2021 that allowed us to start our cell bank, and a larger pre-seed round that we closed last September. We are now preparing a seed round, with the goal of optimizing and standardizing our process to move from manual production to a larger scale.

How many of you are there on the team?

We are a team of seven people, with a primary focus on R&D. However, we do have someone in charge of customer discovery and business development. He has a background in the fashion industry and helps us understand the right angle to approach companies and what they really want. The other co-founder, Margot, has a degree in management, so for a small team, we are quite well-equipped with different kinds of knowledge.

How costly is the process? Can it be a real substitute for natural exotic leather?

Yes. Based on our techno-economic analysis, we predict that at scale, we can produce our material for about €800 per square meter. For comparison, natural crocodile skin can cost anywhere from €1,000 to €4,000 per square meter, so we will be able to produce at price parity.

In terms of characteristics, we want to go beyond simply reproducing natural skin. We are working on adding specific features, some of which are driven by feedback from potential clients we’re already in discussion with. We’re focusing on giving the skin different properties, such as varying thickness or elasticity, while maintaining the same quality.

We also have a huge cell bank, which allows us to propose a different set of animals—for example, small reptiles like bearded dragons or chameleons. It was never possible to make something out of their skin because they are so small, but we can make it happen. We are working on a new era of exclusive materials that can truly replace exotic skins because they offer impressive properties, quality, and durability. The market is very receptive to this new, amazing material.

What is the reaction you get from your customers?

We are growing based on the feedback they share with us. Our potential clients are very open, sharing their concerns and what they would like to see. Reaching out to them was surprisingly easy because they already have a problem to solve. Some of them found us through our website or LinkedIn, and others we reached out to ourselves. They were very open from the beginning, and it’s been very rewarding to work with these high-profile groups.

What are your biggest challenges being a deep-tech startup?

Honestly, the biggest challenge is getting funding. In terms of technology, we don’t see major constraints because we are benefiting from the wave of the cell-based food and meat industry. That market is growing rapidly, with companies developing everything from the products themselves to the bioreactors and culture mediums needed to lower costs. We’ve combined all this existing knowledge for our techno-economic analysis.

A big advantage for us is that we have less regulation compared to cell-based food. We fall under the textile and leather regulations, which are quite simple to comply with. And since we are targeting the luxury market where materials are already expensive, cost is not a major concern for us at this stage.

What’s been the biggest challenge for you personally on this journey?

The biggest challenge was the shift from being a scientist to an entrepreneur. I have a degree in pharmacy, so I was comfortable with project management, but my co-founder and I were unprepared for the business and legal matters. It took us a lot of time to internalize concepts like business development, financials, and evaluating term sheets.

As for being a woman in business, we are aware of the statistics—that startups founded by women receive only about 3% of private investment. For our last funding round, we reached out to over 200 investors. It took a very long time, but we were ultimately successful. I can’t say for sure if being two women dealing mostly with male investors had an impact on the decisions, especially since most interactions are online now, but we know the gap exists.

How did your team of seven people grow?

It happened very organically. We have strong partnerships with public universities. Our business development lead, Juan, is someone I’ve known for a very long time, and he was already working with us pro bono before officially joining. For the other researchers, we asked for recommendations from our partners and colleagues at public institutes we collaborate with. We trust them, so they pointed us to the right people, and we are really happy with the team we’ve built.

What helped you navigate the startup environment and learn the basics?

The first thing we did was join a “School of Startups” program at UPTEC, the incubator associated with the university here in Porto. Shortly after, a public institution in Portugal, Portugal Ventures, opened a call for early-stage projects to support the economy during COVID. We applied with what little we had—mostly our scientific papers—and they gave us our first ticket of €100k. We learned much more after getting that first investment.

Later, we applied to a bootcamp to prepare our investment thesis for biotech investors, and the accelerator running it ended up investing in us as well. After that, we applied to the EmpoWomen program. I wish I had this kind of tailored program with dedicated mentors sooner, but I’m still learning a lot from it.

What was the most helpful part of the EmpoWomen program?

What I really like is that it allows us to speak with mentors from very different profiles and backgrounds. The richness of the program comes from getting inputs from so many different perspectives. It was particularly interesting to discuss our pitch—how to improve it, which angle to take to tell our story, and how to ensure the message gets across. And, of course, everything related to getting ready for the next funding round is always very interesting and valuable.

What is your dream for the future of Corium Biotech?

I see it becoming a technology broker company. I don’t foresee Corium as a big leather manufacturer. Instead, we develop the technology, license it to our clients, and continue to work on more innovation. We can functionalize the material to go beyond simple features like elasticity or thickness. That’s how I see the company in five years: a research-based biotech that develops technology to be adopted by clients in fashion, automotive, or even space.

What inspires you and drives you every day?

My daughter is my main inspiration. She has almost the same age as the company; we officially created Corium within 20 days of me giving birth to her. Everything I do, I do for her, for her future, and to try to teach her how to be a good woman and a good human being.

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