Holon Bionics wins VivaTech 2026 Tech For Change spot

Holon Bionics was selected as a Tech For Change startup for VivaTech 2026 in Paris, giving the South Korean mycelium-materials company global exposure as it moves toward commercial deals with luxury brands. The recognition comes as the company pushes its PU-free, certified biomaterials into a market facing tougher EU rules on leather and plastics.

Why it matters: - Holon Bionics is pitching a PU-free mycelium material as a substitute for leather and plastic-based vegan leather. - The company says incoming EU rules on supply-chain carbon reporting, digital product passports and PFAS restrictions will make conventional animal leather and synthetic PU leather harder for responsible luxury brands to use. - Holon Bionics says the market for certified alternatives is growing fast, but commercially scalable and fully certified suppliers remain scarce. - The company is targeting a luxury materials market it pegs at $2.05 billion in 2026, rising to $2.5 billion by 2031.

What happened: - Holon Bionics was selected as a Tech For Change startup for VivaTech 2026, Europe’s largest innovation and technology event. - VivaTech confirmed the selection in June 2026. - The company will exhibit in Paris from June 17 to 20. - Holon Bionics plans to show engineered mycelium material samples and application prototypes to global visitors. - The startup joins about 500 recognized companies across VivaTech’s Environment, Society and Health categories.

The details: - Tech For Change is VivaTech’s impact recognition program for startups with measurable positive impact, technological innovation and commercial viability. - Selected companies receive visibility on VivaTech’s platform and during the four-day event. - The program partners with Axionable, Envision Group, UNESCO, WWF and Les Echos-Le Parisien. - Holon Bionics is the biomaterial brand of Heri Farm’s Inc., a South Korean biotech company. - The company was founded in 2023 and is built on more than 28 years of mushroom cultivation experience. - Heri Farm’s says it has a group of seven affiliated companies and annual fresh mushroom production capacity of 5,350 metric tons. - Holon Bionics says its production system exceeds 43,000 square feet per year and keeps strain development, cultivation, mat formation and finishing in-house. - The company says it holds five registered mycelium strain patents, two registered technology patents, three pending technology patents and additional domestic and international filings, including PCT applications. - HolonFabric™ is the company’s platform for engineered mycelium materials. - Holon Bionics says HolonFabric™ uses the mycelium’s three-dimensional biological structure and HolonLink™ natural crosslinking technology, with zero synthetic reinforcement. - The company says its HolonTex™ System improves material performance, surface quality and finishing compatibility for industrial use. - Holon Bionics says the Korean government awarded its technology NET certification, or New Excellent Technology certification. - The company says its materials cut CO₂ emissions by 92% versus conventional animal leather, reduce water use by 98% and lower land use by 99%. - Holon Bionics says it has completed OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification from TESTEX. - The company also says it holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications. - Holon Bionics says those certifications support compliance with EU Digital Product Passport requirements. - The company says it is in advanced paid sample validation with multiple European luxury brands. - Holon Bionics is raising a Series A round of KRW 10 billion, or about $7.2 million, for tannery optimization and production scale-up. - The company aims to reach annual production of 7.1 million square feet by 2031.

Between the lines: - The VivaTech selection gives Holon Bionics a credibility boost at a time when biomaterials firms are competing for brand trust as much as technical performance. - The company is trying to move from certification and sampling into commercial supply, which is often the hardest step for new materials. - The combination of government certification, third-party testing and active luxury-brand sampling suggests Holon Bionics is positioning itself as a ready-to-scale supplier, not just a lab-stage developer. - CEO Sung-hyuk Im said 28 years of mushroom farming formed the technological foundation for the company and that the recognition is another milestone in the company’s path.

What’s next: - Holon Bionics will present at VivaTech in Paris and use the event to court global customers and partners. - The company will continue paid sample validation with European luxury brands as it works toward commercial agreements. - The Series A raise will fund production expansion and tannery optimization if completed. - Holon Bionics plans to scale annual output to 7.1 million square feet by 2031.

The bottom line: - Holon Bionics is trying to turn certified mycelium into a commercial alternative to leather at the exact moment luxury brands face stronger materials and disclosure rules.