VITO4STARTERS makes its first investment in deep-tech startup Virenti

Taking fossil materials out of electronics

Almost every electronic device contains a printed circuit board. Most are made using FR-4, a composite of glass fibre and fossil-based epoxy resin. Virenti, founded by Victor Verlinden and Margo Billen, is working on an alternative based on wood fibres.

The material is designed to meet the mechanical, electrical and thermal requirements of the electronics industry while remaining compatible with existing production lines. With this product, Virenti is developing a first-of-its-kind bio-based PCB laminate, with the entire supply chain based in Europe.

From laboratory to industrial production

Virenti has already developed its technology on a laboratory scale. The next step is to make production more efficient, circular and suitable for industrial use. Over the coming 12 months, two VITO research teams will help the startup tackle three key optimisations:

• Scaling up production: VITO’s sustainable polymers team will translate Virenti’s existing process for larger-scale production and validate it at the LignoValue pilot plant in Mol.
• Recovering process solvents: VITO’s membrane technology team will evaluate different state-of-the-art technologies to improve the recovery and reuse of process solvents, reducing both costs and environmental impact.
• Creating value from side streams: Together, the teams will characterise the lignin-rich side stream to explore opportunities for further valorisation.

“As a hardware start-up, we constantly look for ways to optimise and prove our technology before we invest in expensive equipment. This is where working with VITO allows an acceleration. With this collaboration leading bio-refining experts review our existing process, improve it and proof the optimal configuration on their equipment, all within a year. The results will allow us to invest in the right equipment and avoid time- and capital intensive iterations. Having a centre like VITO, with expertise that matches our technology so closely, here in Flanders is a real advantage for us.” 

– Margo Billen, co-founder of Virenti

“At VITO, our ambition goes beyond developing excellent technologies. We want to see them transform industries and create lasting impact. With VITO4STARTERS, we are taking that commitment one step further: not only supporting ambitious entrepreneurs, but investing in their future and putting our scientific expertise and infrastructure behind them. Virenti is a great example of what this can achieve: combining entrepreneurial ambition with technological excellence to help build a more sustainable electronics industry.” 

– Inge Neven, CEO of VITO

“From the very first meeting with Virenti, I could feel the spark in the room. On one side, an ambitious, agile founding team, full of entrepreneurial drive and certainly not afraid to challenge conventional thinking. On the other hand, VITO’s R&D experts, drawing on years of applied research and deep technological expertise to show how they could help the founders take a major leap forward. Two very different worlds, but you could immediately sense how much they had to offer each other. And that is precisely what VITO4STARTERS is about: bringing entrepreneurial ambition and scientific excellence together, backed by capital, expertise and infrastructure, to turn promising technologies into successful businesses. From that first meeting, I had a feeling this partnership was meant to be.” 

– Nils Wuytens, Director Investments and Tech Transfer of VITO