TL:DR

• Successful IMPEL+ workshop round 1

• Technology transfer milestone with LML

• Submission of concept paper for ARPA-e HESTIA FOA

• Begun our patent prosecution

ASK

• Sign up for our Regulation CF “Test the Waters” campaign interest list

• Schedule a 30 minute meeting with the team to learn about how you can invest in the future of regenerative building materials

Britta Bielak, NCIDQ, ASID, IDEC
VP of Design

Naomi Clum
Director of New Markets

IMPEL+ Workshop!

We recently participated in the first round of the incubator, IMPEL+. We got a chance to perfect our pitch messaging and to also sharpen our value proposition with some wonderful mentors. But perhaps the best part, was how the team at okom wrks labs came together to make the workshop a very beneficial exercise.

The team was able to develop our pre-workshop materials as well as craft our initial 1-minute pitch. We had an opportunity to work on the pitch throughout the workshop. It all culminated in a 5-minute presentation at the end. We got some really great feedback, and now we feel very confident that we have our messaging in place to make the case for structural mycelium. Our co-founders Britta Bielak and Naomi Clum were an amazing duo!

The workshop was a crucible, and the okom wrks team thrived! It was our first big test as a team, and if first impressions mean anything, this is a great glimpse into the shape of things to come. Our involvement with IMPEL+ will be vital to our pursuit of the standards and certifications testing we have ahead. The technical experts at the DOE’s BTO will be crucial in streamlining our path toward building code development for structural mycelium.

Living Materials Laboratory Technology Transfer

The same day as the IMPEL+ workshop, another one of our co-founders and VP of Structural Materials, Chad Harris oversaw the technology transfer to our university lab partner at CU Boulder, the Living Materials Laboratory (LML). The transfer was a significant milestone for us. Up to this point, we had always produced the specimens for testing in our own workshop. With the successful transfer, we now have expanded our ability to execute our ambitious experiment plan. These efforts at LML are a major part of our ongoing R&D efforts. The focus at LML is to better understand the underlying biology that creates the structural properties of zerø-frm.

Chad Harris
VP of Structural Materials

Chris Magwood
Co-founder, Chief Climate Officer

ARPA-e HESTIA

Through the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-e) HESTIA (Harnessing Emissions into Structures Taking Inputs from the Atmosphere) program, the government is signaling it’s commitment to eliminating the impacts of embodied carbon in the built environment. The program changes the paradigm for building construction by using carbon negativity as a key design parameter. HESTIA is also important to reducing embodied emissions. The majority of these are concentrated at the start of a building’s lifetime and locked in before the building is ever used.

We’ve prepared our concept paper submission for the HESTIA program FOA. Our co-founder and Chief Climate Officer, Chris Magwood will be leading the project team. His deep experience with natural building systems and LCA analysis will provide our team with the level of expertise we need to prove out our carbon negative solution.