Interview With Mathieu Nohet Founder and CEO of baCta

In this edition of Founder Spotlight, we’re featuring Mathieu Nohet, the Founder and CEO of baCta, a Paris-based startup focused on producing biosynthetic, carbon-negative natural rubber using engineered microorganisms. The company has developed a unique manufacturing process that could reduce carbon emissions by up to 151%. Under Mathieu’s leadership, baCta has significantly progressed in developing its technology. baCta raised €3.3 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate its research and production capabilities. 

Continue reading to learn more about baCta.

Hi Mathieu, Welcome to Founder Spotlight! We’re curious to know how you balance your roles as a founder and an investor. Do you see them inspiring each other in meaningful ways?

Most of my time is dedicated to baCta, being an investor in way less time-consuming! I try to gain insights into new scientific breakthroughs, and get in touch with inspiring founders, which I probably wouldn’t be able to do without investing. These roles complement each other; my founder experience makes me a better advisor to startups, and my investor lens sharpens my understanding of what an investor is looking for.

What inspired the decision to focus on synthetic biology for rubber production, and how do you see this technology evolving in the future?

I strongly believe that we need to maximize energy and raw materials availability for sustainable abundance (I actually wrote a full rant about that). After exiting my previous startup, I knew I wanted to work either in energy or raw materials. 

Synthetic biology has clear parallels with the computer science industry, because the ultimate goal is to have cells that behave as computers, programmable molecular factories. I started looking into the field during Covid, drawn by the immense potential of mRNA vaccines. Then I made a list of critical raw materials, and rubber seems to be the best opportunity: we have no alternative to natural rubber, it’s a huge and growing market, there are clear issues around sovereignty, supply safety and climate change, and a biological process already exists.

For the future, I strongly believe that biology and bio-production can replace a significant chunk of the petrochemical industry, and our vision is to create bio-based synthesizers that can produce chemicals and molecules for various applications at various scales, using renewable feedstocks. Basically, a programmable factory, where you just enter the output, and then it figures out the optimal biochemical pathway, before synthesizing the enzymes and the target material.

In a world increasingly focused on sustainability, how do you define success for baCta beyond financial metrics? What impact do you hope to achieve on a global scale?

One of our key metrics is our production capacity. Our goal is to produce several % of the world’s rubber, obviously to decarbonize, but also to prove that bioproduction can actually compete with traditional raw materials, and that we can envision a sustainable future without reducing standards of living.

baCta is pioneering the use of engineered bacteria to produce natural rubber. Can you explain how this process works and its environmental benefits?

We’ve engineered bacteria with synthetic organelles to polymerize isoprene inside the cell, the building block of natural rubber. The process is inspired by what happens in the Hevea rubber tree, but on a much smaller scale, without requiring a full-grown tree to function.

By using a mix of CO2 and acetate as feedstocks, our process is carbon-negative. It avoids the deforestation and sovereignty issues associated with natural rubber, while producing a high-quality product that is superior to oil-based alternatives. 

How do you anticipate market acceptance of biosynthetic rubber compared to traditional rubber sources? What strategies will you employ to encourage adoption among manufacturers?

Our goal is to provide a drop-in replacement for natural rubber. Sustainability and carbon-negative are nice characteristics, but industrial buyers want high quality, low costs and short delays. This is what adoption will rely upon, and this is what we are working on improving. 

 Our biosynthetic rubber matches or exceeds the quality of traditional rubber, with added benefits like hypoallergenic properties. To encourage adoption, we’re focusing on premium markets—luxury brands and high-end footwear—where customers value sustainability and have the resources to experiment. Early partnerships and proof of concept with high-profile brands will pave the way for broader market acceptance.

How does baCta plan to scale its production from lab-based processes to industrial levels? What milestones are you aiming for in the next few years?

Currently, we’re optimizing strain performance and validating production at the lab scale and we are moving to small fermentors. The next step is to implement pilot-scale fermentation (100 liters) by 2025, followed by establishing a Minimum Profitable Unit producing 100 tons/year by 2027. 

Key milestones include creating our first prototypes, securing binding price-volume agreements with customers, and validating our unit cost per kg to ensure profitability.

Looking ahead, what are your long-term goals for baCta, and how do you envision its impact on sustainability and carbon reduction in the rubber industry?

Long term, baCta aims to become a global leader in rubber production, supplying industries from footwear to automotive. Beyond rubber, our platform will expand to produce other isoprenoids, tackling sustainability challenges in cosmetics, therapeutics, and more. By 2030, I envision baCta significantly reducing the carbon footprint of industrial materials, setting a new standard for sustainable production across industries.

What keeps you motivated in your work at baCta, especially when faced with setbacks or challenges?

I strongly believe in the necessity of maximizing raw materials availability, and I am quite happy to participate in the growth of the bioproduction field. It really feels transformative, and even if we are still early, the promises are immense.

Having founded multiple companies, what key lessons have you learned about entrepreneurship that you apply to baCta?

You need to believe in the mission and be passionate about the problem you are solving, otherwise you will not be able to overcome the challenges. If you do it just for the money or the status, you will lack the resilience required to succeed, and every single setback will feel insurmountable. 

Hiring is probably the best usage of your time, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Having the right people at the right place makes your life 100x easier, and work more enjoyable. One of your aims as a founder is to find the very best people and motivate them to join your team.

Talking to customers is critical, even if as an engineer you would prefer to work on building a beautiful machine. 

As an angel investor, what qualities do you look for in startups before deciding to invest? What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs seeking funding for their ventures?

It feels cliché but since I invest very early in the life of the company, I always ask myself if I would be able to work with the founders, and if they are inspiring enough to get great people to join their team. My advice for business angels would be to be smart about targeting, and get warm intros from relevant founders. Just take the time to map your ecosystem, 2-3 months before the fundraise, and get in touch with people, so that when you need introductions you can ask.

VCs have their own logic, which is quite different from Business Angels, and you need to understand it. “Venture Deals” is a great book for that, and I recommend reading it. Again be smart about targeting, if you can get an intro to the relevant partner, in the relevant firm, telling her why you think you could be a fit based on previous investments you are already way.