Is this the most sustainable Acoustic Absorber ever made?

Julien: Welcome back to Fighting Noise, the podcast where we talk to innovators tackling sound pollution with bold practical ideas. Today's guest is Helge Schritt, co-founder and CEO of MycoLutions a Hamburg-based startup growing sustainable acoustic panels from fungi and agricultural waste. We explore how mycelium can make indoor spaces quieter and healthier and what it takes to turn circular materials into real-world products. Hi Helge, good morning.

Helge Schritt: Hi Julien

Julien: Nice to have you on the show, on the podcast. Helge, before we get into your work, what does noise mean to you personally? Is it something you've always been sensitive to or aware of?

Helge Schritt: I think I've been becoming aware of acoustically optimized rooms or noisy rooms as a musician. So I'm a drummer in a psychedelic rock band as well as my co-founders. They are part of the band too. And I think, yeah, for us it started early to think about how to optimize the rooms when we started to together.

Julien: Mm-hmm. I have the feeling I meet a lot of drummers fighting against sound pollution, noise pollution, which is maybe not something everyone is aware of, but it's interesting. So let's move on and introduce yourself, Helge. Please, who are you?

Helge Schritt: Yeah, I'm Helge Schritt. I'm one of three co-founders of MycoLutions and CEO. We are developing acoustic absorbers from fungal mycelium and straw. And we use these absorbers to optimize offices as well as restaurants and basically everywhere where there's a reverberation problem in the room. And we can use our panels to make it more calm and harmonized.

Julien: Let's maybe be more precise. What's mycelium for the audience, not for the listeners not knowing about that? What's mycelium?

Helge Schritt: Mycelium is the root-like structure of fungus. What we know from the supermarkets are the mushrooms, which are only the fruiting bodies of a fungi. The mycelium is the underground network that consists of very thin thread-like strands. These strands are called hyphae, and the hyphae together is called the mycelium.

Julien: Okay, and what exactly does MycoLutions offer today? asking differently, how do mycelium panels perform compared to more conventional solutions we will be aware of?

Helge Schritt: So we engineer the material in a way that is comparable in the acoustic absorption to conventional materials. But our USP is that it is much more sustainable. The material is completely biodegradable and it's free from toxins. It's 100 % biologically made. So in the end, you can just put it on your compost at home or also we can reuse it.

Julien: Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: And this is the difference. We are looking into the fibers that we use for making the material. And this way, we optimized the acoustic absorption. And our first product, our Vogel panel that, if you see the video, you can see in my bag, it achieves the absorption class B. So it's already a good sound absorber.

Julien: Mm-hmm. And it's a funny or very interesting in terms of sustainability fact about your product. It's self-growing, right? You don't need to produce it. You need to stop the organic production of your panel.

Helge Schritt: Mm-hmm. Yeah, the fungus is basically doing the work. It grows into a shape in 14 days. And after these 14 days, we will make sure to stop the growth by having a heat treatment. So ⁓ after the process is finished, the fungus is dead. It cannot start growing again.

Julien: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: But before that, in the process, we are working with the fungus. We are trying to give the fungus the optimum conditions. So it grows really nicely and the way we want it.

Julien: Why do you do that? You first explored this topic in your master's thesis, I think. What did you discover then and what made you believe it could be or it could work at scale?

Helge Schritt: So in my master thesis, I was also looking into recycling spent mushroom substrate. These are the blocks that are left after the farmers pick the mushrooms. I was looking into ways to reuse the substrate inoculated again with the fungal culture.

Julien: Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: grow it into panels so that it can be used as thermal insulation. This was basically the starting point for MycoLutions. then in the process, we were focusing more on acoustics first. Also because my other co-founders joined and this is also like a common interest of us as band members.

Julien: As bed members, you were playing music together and discovered that solution to absorb better in a more sustainable way the music you produce by yourself. What kind of spaces or customers do you target first? Because we already saw the product even...

Helge Schritt: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Julien: met and saw the product together. the very sustainable way is expended by a few spaces, but not anyone. At large scale, it may be too expensive for very large buildings. So what's your specific customers?

Helge Schritt: Our main target customers are offices, ⁓ where it's often a problem that these spaces are too noisy. This is basically the first customer group. And then second also restaurants, cafes, hospitality, where it's also a problem when there's a lot of reverberation in the room.

Julien: Mm-hmm. meaning designers and architects are the first users of the solution or the people recommending the solution to a company for their office or to a restaurant.

Helge Schritt: Yeah, this is one way architects, interior designers recommending the solution. And we are also working together with other companies that produce acoustic products and they use our solution as material, as a component in their products. So we are not only making our own products, we do that as well. But then there's like the second focus where we are providing a solution and help others to make

Julien: Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: sustainable acoustic absorbers.

Julien: with your solution only or mixing with another one? Mixing with a manual wool or foam or anything else.

Helge Schritt: No, with our solution and it can be just integrated in a design. So we can just grow components or we can grow the whole panel, doesn't matter. And we can produce a shape in the design that is wanted and then the The mycelium basically grows in any kind of shape. There are some things we have to look into, how we get it out of the mold. That can be a little bit tricky. But in general, the fungus is not limited in which kind of shape it can grow.

Julien: Mm-hmm. Okay, so in terms of sizing, it's not really limited. I say you founded the company in Hamburg, Germany, in the north of Germany. When did you found the company?

Helge Schritt: We founded the company 2023 and before that we started as a project. So I think as a team we are working on that topic now for four years already.

Julien: for four years. Okay. And what's the stage of my collisions today? What's your current size? I don't know if you can share turnovers or any metrics to understand your current stage.

Helge Schritt: Yeah, we just accomplished our first pilot production year. We produced 150 square meters, like very small scale, and did the first pilot projects. Yeah, used it in cafes, co-working spaces, offices. And now we are just finishing the construction of our second pilot plant. ⁓ And the second pilot plant, we start producing

Julien: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: in two weeks and will have a capacity of 1,000 square meters a year. So now we are able to do bigger projects and also supply our first reoccurring customers like other producers of acoustic materials.

Julien: So that's your self-production and you told me you are able to use your technology for other production capacities. need 1,000 square meters on your own production, right?

Helge Schritt: And with this, are also doing products for others. But it's still pilot stage. Besides this, are raising at the moment for seed funding. And then the aim is to establish a commercial production plan until 2027.

Julien: Okay, how much do you raise?

Helge Schritt: We are raising 2.5 million euros.

Julien: 2.5 million euros, okay. And the goal of this is to create the next production capacity to go at scale. Speaking about cost and maybe about, if you don't speak about turnover, but at least about cost for the designer, the architect, for the office. What's the cost difference? Because I understand, I would like to understand.

Helge Schritt: Yes.

Julien: the customer journey or the reason why an architect should pick your solution much more than any foam material or any mineral wool or rock wool.

Helge Schritt: In terms of costs, we believe that we will be cost-competitive once we reach commercial scale. ⁓ Why should we be picked is because we offer material that creates healthy indoor air as well. The materials are free from toxins. They are also good absorbers.

Julien: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: Also, they have a very appealing natural aesthetic. And the haptic is also very interesting. So when people touch it, it's very soothing. It has a very soft velvety surface. So it's very special material.

Julien: I do confirm. But I fully understand the sustainable perspective and that's why I like your product so much once I discovered your startup. Because fighting against noise and noise pollution, normally we have some sensitivity on sustainability more in general. So you combine... the fight against noise and against CO2 having a real sustainable product. But there is a lot of greenwashing in eco panels and sound panels. So how can buyers identify truly sustainable or circular acoustic products? like yours and also how do we make a real difference on the market and how is the buyer able to make the right decision? What do you think?

Helge Schritt: I would say we are still in the process of helping buyers to make the right decision. So one thing is we are working on an ecological product declaration that shows we are having a much lower carbon footprint. And then the second is we also want to get certain certifications showing that we are free from toxins and

Julien: Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: or helping the buyer to make their decision. At the moment, we don't have these certificates yet, but we know we don't put anything in the panel that is harmful. So it's basically just the straw and the mycelium. And I think this is also convincing already.

Julien: Mm-hmm. So a question of time until you get the certification and you don't need to change anything in your production. Speaking about that and about regulation, what are the biggest technical or regulatory hurdles you face or you face when scaling a fungus-based product? I guess in terms of regulation, it may have been unexpected as you started your production and to sell this product. So maybe a word about regulation.

Helge Schritt: Yeah, I think the first challenge that we discovered was the fire safety requirements for the materials. We saw there are many applications where we need a higher fire safety requirement and therefore we started to look into sustainable ways to improve the fire resistance of the products.

Julien: Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: We found a solution, we are still working on optimizing that, but we found a solution that we can use eco-friendly additives in our material. So the panels have an increased fire resistance, but are still compostable in the end of their use phase.

Julien: Was it possible to do the same 10 years ago? And why should the market open the arms to your solution? Now, why do you think that's the right time to market? I think about investors listening and hearing, okay, they are raising money, but why is it the right momentum?

Helge Schritt: I think first the technology is still kind of young. was invented around 20 years ago in the US. ⁓ The mycelium composite technology and applied for packaging first, packaging solutions.

Julien: The mycelium? kit.

Helge Schritt: I think there was a lot of research done in the last years and it's still growing and growing. I think now we are at a point where there's more awareness already about the material. Also, there is quite some research done. What we need to do now is to scale the process. This is still a challenge.

Julien: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: We did the first steps and we know what steps we want to take next and we are optimistic that this material can be cheap.

Julien: can be really cheap, so really attractive even for bigger surfaces. You tackle noise absorption with a product. Do you other benefits like time-all insulation? Because we see in your background for those watching YouTube and not listening to the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcast. We see the panels behind, which is a decorative aspect in the way you have it on your own wall. are you able to tackle, spoke about the fire safety on one side, but are you able to provide something else, again like thermal insulation or the values?

Helge Schritt: Yeah, that's a good question. This is how the project started for us and we see the potential there. So besides the acoustic absorption, has great thermal insulation properties. And it can be used for thermal insulation. We did the first pilot project there as well. Doing a tiny house with the material. ⁓

Julien: Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: So it is very promising as a thermal insulation material, just we need to do it at a bigger scale.

Julien: Okay, and what's your long-term vision for my collisions?

Helge Schritt: For my collusions, we definitely want to expand into the thermal insulation market. That's on our roadmap. We see that the acoustic market is a very interesting entry market. And from there, with reaching a higher scale in production, we want to expand to the thermal insulation market.

Julien: Yeah. I would like to dive a little bit deeper on your own profile and creating a startup like MicroLution, which is, I guess, not an easy one. That's not a first startup for a first-time founder. It's not an easy one because it's not only hardware, but it's a new technology, a new patented technology. So you tackle long development scales, development cycles. to put your product on market with a high cost of R &D. So what about your first lessons? You mentioned 2023, so it's been two, three years, four years, taking this idea with your co-founders. What were the biggest hustles when starting this startup from scratch?

Helge Schritt: I think the biggest hustle is in securing funding. But we see there's also great support here in Germany. We started our journey with the Exist Stipend program, which allowed us to work on the idea for the first year.

Julien: Mm-hmm. So the pre-seed

Helge Schritt: There's a similar grant here from Hamburg that we received after that. So we had the first two years already funded. And from there, we started to look for private investors. We closed the convertible loan round last year. So we see there is good support here in Germany, but it's also an effort to secure the funding.

Julien: and a lot of effort on investor side, meaning less effort on customer side or less time for your own customers and for your own product, right?

Helge Schritt: Yeah, that's true. we see there's a lot of curiosity from the customer side, a lot of interest. So even without being able to do a lot of advertisement, we got a lot of requests via our website. And we see there's a fascination that we spark.

Julien: Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: at our customers when they hear about how it's made and when they feel the product.

Julien: It's a different product indeed. When I saw that first online and then when I met you on a fair in Berlin, guess, it's really a different product. There's touch of difference, so it's interesting to see. Are you marketing the product in all Europe already or because you have a limited capacity, you are tackling the German market first?

Helge Schritt: Now we are open for partnerships within all of the EU. Yep.

Julien: And do you have success stories already to share? Because you said it, most or the biggest hustle you had was on finding investors. You also mentioned you are raising now for your next round and this time a bigger round to create the industrial capacity to produce more. So that's your time to convince investors. What are maybe a few success stories to share with the investors listening to? to your situation today.

Helge Schritt: One reason for us also to scale to a bigger pilot plant was because we wanted to be able to supply enough material for sales partners. And we are just starting this now. have established a sales partnership that is starting with the production now in our second plant. And this is bringing a change for us. So now we are not only selling our own products anymore. We are able to sell it indirectly through other companies and that's taking a lot of sales effort away from us.

Julien: And do you have competition on mycelium based acoustic panels or wall panels?

Helge Schritt: The competition is limited I would say. There are a few other startups that are exploring the same application for mycelium materials but in Germany we are the only ones and this gives us a great first mover advantage here.

Julien: Mm-hmm. OK, great. What's the timeline now on your roadmap? Because you mentioned your goal to enhance the capacity. But if we put it in business metrics a little bit more, because you mentioned production metrics and your goal to target offices, architect, and to produce, I think you say. 1,000 square meters instead of 150. So what's in terms of business metrics? What are your goals for the next 18 months?

Helge Schritt: Mmm.

Julien: If I'm not too curious, you may say no.

Helge Schritt: Maybe that's something not to share on the podcast.

Julien: Okay, so let's keep that and for investors listening to just get in touch with no noise and we can share a date maybe or similar information for very targeted or very specific investors. ⁓ You, your team, both your team, you mentioned your co-founder, is that the two of you?

Helge Schritt: Yeah, of course.

Julien: How many employees do you have? What are you doing? Are you organized?

Helge Schritt: We are a team of five people at the moment. And we are a team of engineers and designers. So it's also great interdisciplinary work we are doing there. Having the design perspective as well as the engineering and production perspective. And we are also scaling the team at the moment. We are looking for more people who can

Julien: Mm-hmm.

Helge Schritt: help us with the production as well as with the sales. So it's also the time where we expand the team.

Julien: So maybe you can't share exact information and figures, but maybe you can share what kind of job description do you need. Because I know we have listeners fascinated by acoustics and noise in general. So it's maybe the right time for you to do some advertising about your plans in terms of recruitment.

Helge Schritt: On one side we're looking for people who really love to work with fungi hands-on, who like to the production. And on the other side we are interested in employees that have market insights and want to work with sales.

Julien: working on sales size and targeting architects, designers and direct companies.

Helge Schritt: Exactly, yeah.

Julien: I like ending each episode with the same question, double question. One is, what can the listeners do for you? But first, I will ask, what can you do for our listeners listening to this episode? How can you help them in the fight against noise and noise pollution?

Helge Schritt: Yeah, we are spending our effort to make great acoustic materials that are healthy and that create a nice living environment.

Julien: So I would say be careful about this healthy perspective of materials because to move on to what you said and that's why I like your product. When you deep dive into acoustic panels, for instance, you realize that a lot of materials or lot of products on the market. are made, for instance, made in China, which can be nice as well, but mostly with a lot of chemicals. And when you put something on your walls in your restaurant or even home, just be careful about the material used for that. When we speak about sustainability, it's not only that you can waste it in the organic garbage, but also in your... in the atmosphere or the air quality of your office, restaurant, of your home can be really different. So that's, I think that's point where people are not aware enough when buying some solution and mostly when you look for cheap solutions in DIY market and so on. I'm not sure about the exact material used there. No general point of view, but I think for sure it's something our listeners should deep dive. And what can the listeners do for you?

Helge Schritt: I hope if I made you curious about our products then the listener can reach out. We have a website mycollutions.de. There's a way to contact us and so we are always excited to have more exchange.

Julien: Perfect. Then for all listeners willing to have, I will put some additional pictures on the video, share the link in the show notes. And for the investors listening too, just get in touch with No Noise or with my collation directly to know a little bit more and everything which is way too confidential to share in this podcast. Helge Schritt, CEO and co-founder of MycoLutions So Hamburg based, Hamburg Germany based startup offering mycelium based wall panels and acoustic panels for offices and restaurants mostly. Thanks a lot, Helge, for your time today. It was a pleasure to have you. And I'm... I really invite you to share in a few months, in a few years, the development of this because I see a really great potential behind this solution. It's kind of early stage today. I guess that's a great solution for the future. So thanks a lot for sharing this with us and following your story in the next months.

Helge Schritt: Thank you for having me.

Julien: Thanks. Bye.