University of Cambridge spinout Sparxell has raised £3.7m in pre-Series A funding to scale a biomimetic colour technology based on structural colour rather than chemical dyes.

The company’s patented process extracts and assembles cellulose crystals from wood pulp to reflect specific wavelengths of light, replicating the physical mechanisms responsible for colour in butterfly wings and beetles.

Unlike pigment chemistry, the colour is generated through structure, eliminating the need for petroleum-derived dyes, heavy metals, and plastics.

The round is led by SWEN Capital Partners’ Blue Ocean 2 fund, with participation from Alpha Star Capital and Cambridge Enterprise. The investment accelerates Sparxell’s transition from pilot programmes to commercial-scale manufacturing, with tonne-scale production facilities operational by 2026.