one.five Secures €14 Million Series A to Scale AI-Driven Sustainable Packaging Solutions

The Hamburg-based biomaterials technology company one.five has successfully closed a €14 million Series A funding round on January 19, 2026. This round was led by Dr. Hans Riegel Holding, the investment arm of the Haribo family office, with participation from 212 NexT, Symbia VC, and Btomorrow Ventures. The company intends to use the capital to accelerate its mission of replacing single-use plastics with high-performance bio-alternatives across the global packaging sector. The startup focuses on bridging the gap between laboratory science and industrial production, a phase often described as the "Death Valley of R&D." Traditionally, approximately 60 percent of sustainable packaging research fails because materials that work in a lab often cannot withstand the speeds of industrial machinery. To solve this, one.five utilizes a proprietary machine learning platform to identify promising academic research and predict commercial success before physical prototypes are manufactured.

Their core technology, the "Product Market Fit Compass," analyzes thousands of material properties to evaluate processability and barrier performance. This AI platform predicts how a material will behave on a high-speed production line, identifying potential issues like tearing or poor sealing properties. By addressing these technical hurdles digitally, the company aims to dramatically increase the success rate of bringing sustainable materials to the market.

The fresh funding is earmarked for the expansion of their 5,000 square meter research and development campus in Hamburg. Additionally, the firm plans to grow its internal software and data team to further refine the predictive capabilities of its AI platform. These resources will allow for the faster deployment of market-ready products, such as "Hazelsun," a paper-based barrier material derived from agricultural waste.

Founded by former Infarm executives Martin Weber and Claire Hae-Min Gusko, the company operates with a team that blends deep material science with agile software development. Their approach emphasizes transparency and a "duty to care" for the planet, ensuring all material developments align with the 1.5 degree climate target. By integrating data scientists with laboratory technicians, they have created a streamlined path from scientific discovery to corporate supply chains.

The success of this funding round highlights a growing trend of utilizing digital tools to solve physical material challenges. As global brands face increasing pressure to eliminate plastic, one.five provides a data-backed solution that ensures new materials are functional and scalable. This latest investment reinforces their methodology of using software to de-risk the future of the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing.