MycoWorks

At the unveiling of Cadillac's SOLLEI concept vehicle, the first automobile to incorporate a mycelium bio-based material developed in collaboration with General Motors. The forward-looking concept convertible was unveiled at Cadillac House at Vanderbilt, the state-of-the-art facility at GM’s Global Technical Center campus in Warren, Michigan. Used in the charging mats on the console and the door map pockets, the Fine Mycelium™ material reflects Cadillac’s mission to pioneer renewable automotive resources.

“An unprecedented level of control over a natural material” – CEO Matt Scullin speaks with AgFunder News about the custom Fine Mycelium™ material used in Cadillac SOLLEI: • “The automotive-grade material is grown, re-tanned, and finished differently, rendering a distinct material from MycoWorks’ flagship biomaterial, Reishi.” • “Designers are very interested in Fine Mycelium’s capacity to deliver new levels of control over natural materials. Our platform provides numerous avenues for design interventions during the growth and finishing process. This enables MycoWorks to provide products and services to a number of industries across numerous applications including fashion, furniture, footwear and automotive design.”

Big things have small beginnings! We started working on this many years ago. It feels really great to now share with the world. BEEP BEEEEEEP!!!

Italy's Il Sole 24 Ore speaks with MycoWorks co-founder Sophia Wang & CEO Matt Scullin on scaling Fine Mycelium™ production for fashion and beyond: "'We have developed an alternative to leather that also responds to the needs of the industry given that there are more and more people in the world who do not eat meat' - Scullin explains - 'and I believe that in the coming years, also being able to produce more in terms of volume, the price will go down. Our work serves a growing demand from consumers and our task is to make this production as scalable as possible.' "Sophia Wang explains the genesis of MycoWorks: 'Mycelium is an extremely versatile material that can be used in the most diverse sectors, from art to design. Starting from a creative point of view, rather than an entrepreneurial one, allowed us to have a different look at the development of the company' – which to date, has filed 75 patents and has a staff of 160 people in the USA, France and Spain."

This is so cool! Well done to the GM Ventures crew for making this one happen. There are so many opportunities to use alternative (and cutting edge) materials inside of a vehicle. This is the culmination of 3 "generations" of GM Ventures Partners working in this space. What started with Alisyn Malek and some early partnerships was picked up by me into a few deals that almost happened and now has been brought over the line by the exceptional current team at GM Ventures. Congratulations to Stefon Crawford, Anirvan Coomer and the whole team - super exciting.

It is an exciting day for us at MycoWorks with the announcement of this new development with longtime partner General Motors. Together we are changing the way things are done. #finemycelium #sustainablecar

It's important for the field of biomaterials to evolve and become relevant in industries beyond fashion. Automotive represents a huge opportunity for next gen materials and we're looking forward to seeing designers in these brands get to grips with working with these innovations. Congrats to MycoWorks and General Motors #mycoworks #generalmotors #cadillac #bioinnovation #biomaterials #mycelium #leatheralternative #conceptcar #launch #partnering #biobased #sustainability

General Motors has unveiled a concept car—the ‘SOLLEI’ convertible electric vehicle—featuring MycoWorks’ ‘Fine #Mycelium’ bio-based materials in the interior. The luxury convertible includes MycoWorks’ biomaterials in the charging mats on the console, the door map pockets, and custom accessories, says the startup, which secured an undisclosed investment from GM Ventures—General Motors’ venture arm—in August 2022. As the SOLLEI is a concept car, it will not generate an ongoing revenue stream for MycoWorks but “showcases potential future applications for the new material developed using MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium technology,” said the firm, which has been working with General Motors via an industrial partnership exploring alternatives to animal leather in car interiors for two years. The material used in the car interior is distinct from the ‘Reishi’ biomaterial that MycoWorks has developed for other applications such as bags, shoes, clothing and furniture for luxury brands such as Hermès and Ligne Roset, says CEO Matthew L. Scullin “The automotive-grade material is grown, re-tanned, and finished differently, rendering a distinct material from MycoWorks’ flagship biomaterial, Reishi. The material is still under development and the specific properties are proprietary information.” #biomaterials #mycelium #solidstatefermentation AgFunder #fungi

designboom details the Cadillac SOLLEI concept vehicle, the first automobile to incorporate a custom mycelium bio-based material, co-developed with MycoWorks: "Cadillac has begun to use bio-based materials with the concept electric vehicle. Cadillac taps the biotechnology company MycoWorks for its charging mats on the console, door map pockets, and custom accessories. All of these are made of mycelium bio-based material produced especially for the concept electric convertible, giving it an iridescent finish in a soft hue color palette."

Today, Cadillac introduces the SOLLEI concept vehicle, the ultimate design expression of a coach-built luxury electric convertible. SOLLEI is Cadillac’s first concept vehicle to incorporate an innovative bio-based material developed in collaboration with MycoWorks. A beautifully iridescent version of MycoWorks’ Fine Mycelium™ material is used in the charging mats on the console and the door map pockets of the SOLLEI concept, reflecting Cadillac’s mission to pioneer renewable automotive resources. “MycoWorks’ collaboration with General Motors to incorporate Fine Mycelium™ in Cadillac’s SOLLEI concept car is an enormous step forward in the global new materials revolution, demonstrating the vast potential and applications for Fine Mycelium™ in the automotive industry.” — Matt Scullin, CEO of MycoWorks. MycoWorks is thrilled to share this latest achievement in our ongoing collaboration with General Motors. We are excited for what the future holds!