Meet BioHalo, one of the winners of the SYNBEE Pitch Competition

In the heart of Brussels, during the EIC x SYNBEE Day, a new wave of innovation took center stage, spotlighting new ideas in synthetic biology.

Among the 10 pitch competition finalists, was BioHalo, a startup company led with Johann Liebeton as Business Developer and one if its first employees.

As one of the winners of the SYNBEE Pitch Competition, BioHalo captured the jury’s attention with being at the forefront of revolutionising the halogenated chemicals industry. With their cutting-edge biofluorination technology, they offer a greener and more sustainable alternative to conventional fluorochemistry practices.

The SYNBEE Pitch Competition, part of a broader initiative to promote synthetic biology solutions aimed at environmental challenges, brought together some of the brightest minds in the field.

The competition focused on three key areas: the green economy, the blue economy, and sustainability. It was designed not only to highlight innovative projects but also to put them into the spotlight, connecting them with industry leaders, investors, and mentors to accelerate their development.

BioHalo’s approach to sustainability is both innovative and really necessary as it works with bio-based materials as safe, eco-friendly, and high-performance replacements for harmful PFAS.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. They are ingredients in various everyday products. For example, PFAS are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware, make clothes and carpets resistant to stains, and create firefighting foam that is more effective. PFAS molecules have a chain of linked carbon and fluorine atoms. Because the carbon-fluorine bond is one of the strongest, these chemicals do not degrade easily in the environment.

In our recent video interview with Johann Liebeton, we delved into the origins and purpose of BioHalo and the journey to becoming a SYNBEE Pitch Competition winner.

The SYNBEE Pitch Competition provided BioHalo with a platform to showcase this innovative technology to a broader audience. The competition’s rigorous selection process, which included evaluating projects on their potential to revolutionise sustainability, the green economy, and the blue economy, was no small feat. 

See the  full video interview with Johann here.

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SYNBEE Project coordination contact point:
Alexandra Chukas, European Grant Coordinator Da Vinci Labs (alexandra.chukas@davincilabs.eu)
 
SYNBEE PR contact point:
Andréia Santos, EU Project Manager at F6S
(andreia@f6s.com)
Sara Canedo, Communications Manager at F6S
(sarafc@f6s.com)

Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union under the Grant Agreement No 101100509. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authorities can be held responsible for them