13Apr
13Apr
CleanFiber wants to turn millions of tons of cardboard boxes into insulation
...Cardboard would seem like a perfect, paper-based solution to the insulation industry’s short supply, except there’s one problem: Corrugated boxes are riddled with contaminants like plastic tape, shipping labels and even metal staples. Transforming it into insulation is far more challenging than newsprint ever was. Yet one startup, CleanFiber, anticipated the shift and has been working on the problem for years. Read more >>
12Jan
5 Buffalo-area startups to watch in 2024
With the Covid-era days of funding a plenty long gone, 2023 marked a tough year for many startups across the country. Some banks and venture capital firms failed, companies laid off staff and businesses shut down. Yet, the environment meant the positive standouts shone all the brighter. Read more >>
23Jun
Founders who closed funding rounds this year share advice for raising capital
In this tough economic environment, venture capital funding can be difficult to find. In the U.S., startups’ total amount raised in Q1 2023 declined for the seventh straight quarter, according to Pitchbook. CleanFiber raises another $6.7M to expand production capacity - As CleanFiber works toward completing its factory expansion and ramping up production, the Buffalo-based startup is raising more funds. The business, which manufactures building insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard, recently raised $5 million in debt financing and $1.7 million...
07Jun
CleanFiber gains $5 million in investment as it continues growth
CleanFiber wrapped up a $5 million investment round last month that will support the completion of an expansion to its factory in Blasdell and help fund future growth. Read more >>
01Dec
CleanFiber ready to scale with $10 million investment
CleanFiber has the demand and is getting ready to ramp up the supply. The startup, which moved to Buffalo in 2017 after winning a $500,000 43North contest prize, manufactures building insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard. Read more >>
01Dec
Transforming old cardboard boxes into insulation nets CleanFiber $10 million round
It’s the middle of the holiday season here in the U.S., that magical time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when stores are packed with bodies and porches are piled with packages. All those packages produce a lot of waste — anywhere from 33 million tons to 51 million tons annually, depending on the estimate. A majority of it gets recycled, but there’s still a significant fraction that finds its way into landfills. One startup has a plan to slash that fraction...
20Oct
CleanFiber seeks approval for expansion project in Hamburg
CleanFiber Buffalo – which won $500,000 in the state-funded business-plan competition in 2016 as UltraCell – is planning to construct a 5,250-square-foot metal panel addition to its existing 60,000-square-foot masonry-and-panel building at 250 Lake Ave., bringing the total size to 66,000 square feet. That will give the company more room for material handling, as well as new equipment, as part of what CEO Jonathan Strimling described as a $15 million investment in the facility. The project will be reviewed at...
31Aug
CleanFiber raises $8.5 million to expand Buffalo facility
“Extremely strong” demand is driving CleanFiber to expand its Blasdell factory. The company has raised $8.5 million in venture capital to support that expansion. CleanFiber moved to Buffalo in 2017 after winning $500,000 in the 43North startup business competition (43North invested $300,000 in follow-on funding in CleanFiber in 2021). CleanFiber manufactures building insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard. The company moved into its own factory in Blasdell in late 2018 and bought the building earlier this year. CleanFiber will use the...
14Jul