A&B Smart Materials, an Oxford-based materials science startup, has raised an oversubscribed $2 million pre-seed round to develop biodegradable superabsorbent polymers for hygiene and agriculture. The company is targeting the fossil-based synthetic SAPs that underpin disposable diapers and sanitary products, while also supporting water retention in soils during dry periods. A&B says the new funding will accelerate research and development to reach high performance, competitive pricing, and industrial-scale validation.
Funding round and backers
The £1.5 million round, which A&B says was heavily oversubscribed, is equivalent to roughly $2 million and €1.7 million. The financing was led by three principal investors, existing backer Sake Bosch and new strategic investors Caesar and Living Hope VC. Additional participation came from Archipelago Ventures, Triple Impact Ventures, the Cranfield University Seed Fund, the Oxford Seed Fund, and business angels connected to the Cambridge Capital Group and Oxford Innovation Finance.
What SAPs are and why they matter
Superabsorbent polymers are high-performance materials that allow absorbent hygiene products to lock in liquid, and they are increasingly used to help agricultural soils retain moisture. A&B cites a global SAP market of about $9.1 billion in annual sales today, with projections reaching roughly $17.6 billion by 2035. Production volumes are also substantial, with an estimated 4.1 million tons of SAPs produced annually, the majority going into hygiene applications.
The environmental challenge in hygiene waste
A&B argues that today’s dominant SAPs are designed for absorption rather than biodegradability, leaving persistent residues that can fragment into microplastics. The company points to the scale of diaper disposal as a key driver, citing 250 million diapers disposed of globally every day and an estimated 300,000 sent to landfill or incineration every minute. In the broader context of plastic pollution, the press materials also reference public warnings from UN leadership about plastics infiltrating ecosystems and human health.
A biodegradable alternative built from natural feedstocks
A&B says it is developing modified biopolymers derived from abundant, low-cost natural inputs as a drop-in pathway to next-generation absorbent materials. The startup’s goal is to deliver performance comparable to incumbent SAPs while ensuring full biodegradability and compatibility with established industrial processes. Co-founder and CEO Amaury van Trappen and co-founder and CTO Dr. Benjamin White say the team’s early results are approaching commercial performance in both hygiene and agricultural use cases.
How the capital will be used
The company plans to use the proceeds primarily to optimize its SAP formulations and manufacturing approach as it moves toward industrial-scale demonstrations. A&B describes its near-term technical objective as a “trifecta” of performance, price competitiveness, and validation at scale for hygiene and agricultural applications. The startup also says the breadth of its investor base will add specialized networks and operational expertise as it prepares for the next stage of funding.
Early market signals and go-to-market direction
In a LinkedIn post, van Trappen said the company has secured “significant” letters of intent and active engagement with major chemical manufacturers and hygiene companies. A&B is positioning its materials as a sustainable alternative to synthetic SAPs used in products like diapers, where global consumer and regulatory pressure on persistent plastics continues to build. The company believes this combination of early customer interest and a favorable cost outlook can support adoption once industrial-scale performance is demonstrated.
A&B Smart Materials is entering a high-volume, entrenched materials market with a claim that it can replace persistent synthetic SAPs without sacrificing the absorption standards hygiene brands require. With $2 million in pre-seed capital and a syndicate spanning specialist funds, university-linked investors, and angels, the Oxford startup is now focused on proving manufacturability and economics at scale. If it can meet those thresholds, A&B aims to become a foundational supplier for biodegradable absorbent materials across hygiene and water-stressed agriculture.