About Us

About Notpla

We’re hard to define because what we’re doing hasn’t been done before.

Notpla is a sustainable packaging start-up founded in 2014. A combination of designers, chemists, engineers, and entrepreneurs. We create advanced packaging solutions made from seaweed and other natural materials as an alternative to single-use plastic.

We received multiple awards and grants from Innovate UK and the Ellen Macarthur Foundation for our innovative product “Ooho” – an edible and fully biodegradable sachet. Our portfolio has now extended with multiple innovation solutions.

How it started

Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre Paslier cofounded Skipping Rocks Lab while studying Innovation Design Engineering at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art.

After their first video of Ooho went viral in 2013, they joined Climate KIC, Europe’s largest funded accelerator focused on climate innovation.

The team started collaborating with chemists and chemical engineers from Imperial College to test Ooho at running events, festivals and takeaway shops. They soon started working on a scalable manufacturing technology.

In April 2017, they raised their pre-seed round on Crowdcube which helped grow the business, build the first machine and set up a manufacturing hub in London.

Sky Ocean Ventures invested in summer 2018 to accelerate the development of the second product and expand the chemistry, commercial, engineering and design teams.

Notpla, the material developed by Skipping Rocks Lab has expanded beyond just Ooho, and in 2019 the startup decided to give it a name and became Notpla.

Funding & investors

In April 2017, we raised £850,000 in a record 3 days on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, thanks to the 900 investors who believed in our vision.

In August 2018, we raised our first VC round from Sky Ocean Ventures.

In December 2019, we raised our seed round led by Impact VC funds Astanor Ventures and Lupa Systems, including participation from Doen Foundation, Torch Capital and our OG crowdfunding investors.

In December 2021, we closed a £10 million Series A financing round led by Horizons Ventures, with participation from existing investors Astanor Ventures, Lupa Systems and Torch Capital.

You can find details about this last round in our Notpla Press Release For further information, or to arrange an interview, please email [email protected]