Founded in 2024, Tattva is a tech company that has developed a new process to grow building materials, based on how microscopic organisms in nature absorb carbon dioxide and turn it into solid rock.

By mimicking this process, Tattva produces materials that are strong, insulating, translucent and remove carbon dioxide from the air as they grow. Unlike conventional materials, which emit carbon dioxide, Tattva’s process creates net-positive impact from the start.

Prantar Tamuli, Founder and CEO at Tattva, says: “Our material changes how the world can think about construction. It delivers the strength of brick, the insulation of polystyrene foam and the light-transmitting qualities of glass, all while actively removing carbon from the atmosphere as it grows. That combination means buildings can be both high-performing and genuinely climate-positive.”

Funding and IP support power scale-up

Tattva began working with Innovate UK Business Growth in September 2024. Following a detailed needs assessment, Innovation and Growth Specialist, Vince McConville, developed a tailored action plan with the company, focused on securing funding, strengthening its intellectual property (IP) and preparing for manufacturing scale-up.

Vince introduced a funding and finance specialist from the Innovate UK Business Growth network of specialist advisors, who provided strategic feedback on a revised application. The result was an improved proposal, with Tattva’s score rising from 83% to 88% and securing a £650,000 Innovate UK Grant – one of the largest in the biomaterials sector.

Prantar explains: “The funding is giving us the runway to accelerate every part of the business. We were able to grow the team, build out our pilot facility and fast-track our development roadmap. It also gave us the confidence to engage with partners and investors at a much earlier stage.”

The company also raised £215,000 in private investment, providing additional resources to accelerate product development, strengthen its operations and prepare for future commercial partnerships.

To protect its innovation and prepare for future licensing, Vince recommended an IP Audit – a part-funded offering available to Innovate UK Business Growth clients through the Intellectual Property Office (IPO). The audit helped assess Tattva’s intangible assets and define a scalable IP strategy. The grant also enabled the business to begin filing patents for its bioengineering processes.

Manufacturing support accelerates production from lab to market

As a pioneering biomaterials company, Tattva faced major challenges in moving its living material from small-scale lab production to full industrial manufacturing. To help make this leap, Vince harnessed the expertise of a colleague. Working closely with the team, they mapped out a clear production model and practical steps to turn Tattva’s innovation into a consistent, reliable product.

Tattva has since reached a world-first milestone by growing one metre of carbon-removing material in under 10 days. This proves the process can produce high-quality materials at scale.

Prantar adds: “In the biomaterials space, scaling is the biggest challenge – there’s no manual, no literature, no playbook. The support we received gave us a clear operating model we could build around and the practical steps to make it happen. It turned what seemed like an uncharted process into a roadmap we could follow.”

A series of four demonstration panels, each measuring one metre by half a metre, has been installed at St Andrews Botanic Garden in Fife. Covering a total area of two square metres, the installation showcases the material’s strength, light-transmitting quality and climate-positive impact. In future, the technology could be adapted for use in areas such as infrastructure, agriculture and environmental clean-up, making it a versatile platform for sustainable innovation.

Building towards global markets and UK growth

With its commercial pilot underway, Tattva has completed a successful Innovate UK Industry Challenge project with Catnic, a specialist division of the Tata Steel Group. The £25,000 grant-funded project demonstrated how the company’s material could be applied in mainstream construction. Tattva is now in discussions with Catnic about the next steps for collaboration, with the potential to scale its innovation for both UK and international markets. The opportunity was introduced by two Innovate UK Business Connect colleagues.

This collaboration brings manufacturing expertise and a global supply network to accelerate Tattva’s route to market – supporting both domestic adoption and international deployment of its technology. Since working with Innovate UK Business Growth, the company has also expanded its team from two to six, creating high-value skilled jobs in the UK.

Tattva’s innovation can boost UK productivity by offering a home-grown, climate-positive building material that cuts reliance on imports, strengthens supply chains and supports the UK’s net zero targets. By combining strength, insulation and light transmission in one product, it can streamline construction, reduce costs and improve energy efficiency – delivering benefits for the economy, the environment and society.

Prantar concludes: “Thanks to Innovate UK Business Growth, we are moving from concept towards pilot scale at pace. The support has opened funding, partnerships and strategies that we couldn’t have accessed alone. It’s been the constant presence that’s kept us moving forward.

Thanks to Innovate UK Business Growth, we are moving from concept towards pilot scale at pace. The support has opened funding, partnerships and strategies that we couldn’t have accessed alone.

– Prantar Tamuli, Founder and CEO at Tattva