A Bristol-based startup developing microplastic filter technology has received investment from funds backed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Ashton Kutcher.
Matter, which is working on several projects to prevent microplastic pollution, secured $10m (£7.84m) in Series A capital from the Hollywood A-lister round.
One of the Bristol-based startup’s projects is a device that connects to washing machines and removes microplastics from laundry.
It’s also working to add its patented microplastic filtration to both commercial and home washing machines.
Microplastics that enter oceans and rivers are harmful to marine life and humans. There can be as many as 700,000 microplastic fibres from an individual washing cycle that are then let into the water network.
Matter is also researching ways these microplastics gathered from laundry can be recycled in an eco-friendly way such as packaging.
Adam Root, founder and CEO of Matter, said: “Matter’s vision is to live in a world without micropollutants. We are dedicated to building the necessary tools, techniques, and scalable solutions to drive this transformation.”
S2G Ventures, the investment division of Builders Vision, and SOUNDWaves spearheaded the round into the microplastic startup. Investors in SOUNDWaves include Two and a Half Men star Kutcher, and talent manager Guy Oseary.
Regeneration.VC, which is backed by Oscar-winning actor Dicaprio, and Katapult Ocean were also among the investors.
“Continued investment in solutions like the ones Matter provides are critical, if not essential, to ensuring the long-term health of our oceans, and subsequently, the overall health of our planet,” said S2G Ventures’ managing director Kate Danaher.
The Bristol startup’s product comes ahead of French legislation mandating new washing machines to have microfibre filters from January 2025.