Phoebe Heseltine
Natural Negative helps manufacturers replace conventional plastics with bio-based alternatives, using AI to predict performance and reduce R&D risk.
Project
Natural Negative
Year founded
2024
Business stage
Pre-Seed
High-growth sectors
Advanced Manufacturing
Sector
Materials
Location
South East
Funding
Funded Award Winner
The problem and opportunity
Manufacturers under pressure to hit net zero and sustainability targets want to switch from conventional plastics to bio-based alternatives, but adoption stalls because material performance is hard to predict. Every new formulation means months of slow, expensive lab trial-and-error, with no guarantee it will meet specification. That risk locks bio-based materials out of the high-volume, single-use categories where they could have the greatest impact.
The solution and innovation
DropForm is our AI platform for bio-based plastic development. Formulators specify the properties they need – stiffness, flow, cost, and degradation — and DropForm returns manufacturable recipes using materials already on the market. What normally takes months of lab trial-and-error can be done in hours, and the platform becomes more accurate with every project.
Market and ambition
We work with consumer product and healthcare manufacturers that want to move to bio-based plastics but have been blocked by the cost and risk of reformulation. Over the next 2–3 years, we aim to expand across hygiene, healthcare and consumer goods.
Founder perspective
Dr Phoebe Heseltine is a biomaterials scientist with 10 years’ experience in polymer processing and scale-up, and former R&D lead for a 12-person materials team at a Series B start-up. A repeat founder, she started Natural Negative on a simple belief: the products people use every day should make them healthier, not harm them.
Women in Innovation Award
Recipient of an Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award 2025/26, receiving funding, tailored business support, and access to specialist training and networks. View all winners and highly commended applicants from the Women in Innovation cohort 2025/2026.