The innovative product belongs to Photio, a Chilean startup with a scientific-technological base, capable of being combined with all kinds of products for construction, roads, furniture, vehicles, and even clothing and footwear. The national soccer team Guillermo Maripán has just invested in the venture, who bought part of the shares of the company that expects its expansion in 2023.
A Chilean start-up focused on the environment called Photio launched an innovative additive that, when mixed with paint, asphalt, plastic, textiles, leather and other materials, allows greenhouse gases to be captured from the environment. The national soccer team Guillermo Maripán has just invested in the venture, who bought part of the shares of the company that expects its expansion in 2023.
After the unprecedented investment of the national soccer player, Matías Moya, CEO of Photio, stated: “We received this investment with great enthusiasm. We knew that investment by great figures was common in the sports environment in Mexico and Spain, and we are proud that our startup has been of interest to Guillermo. With this milestone, we validate that it is a transversal proposal that demonstrates environmental co-responsibility”.
On January 28, the World Day for the reduction of CO2 emissions is celebrated, an instance in which the innovations that today allow us to contribute to the fight against global warming become important. This science-technological startup was certified in Chile by the Catholic University and in the United States by the University of California Riverside, and has already received national and international recognition, including the Creative Business Cup 21 in Denmark, Avonni 2022 and PwC 2022 ( prize awarded by PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Matías Moya comments that this is his first venture, since before he was a consultant in mining operations. «Precisely at that moment I had the motivation to look for answers to the problem of pollution for that industry. Together with my current partners, Constanza Escobar and Jaime Rovegno, we had the idea of creating this additive, intended to become a decontamination platform, since it can be applied to all types of surfaces”, he added.
Photio’s business model is focused on verticals, decontaminating projects: combining art and science in urban interventions to offset polluting emissions, the direct sale of the additive to construction and real estate companies, and finely the generation of final products such as gallons of paint. or synthetic leather applicable to furniture and footwear, for example.
Moya explains that this year they expect to launch 4 products on the domestic market and that they have just closed a round of Pre Seed for US$600,000, focused on strengthening the R&D area to consolidate their position in the Chilean market.
The useful life of the product is 3 to 4 years in paint, and even more in the case of concrete. The company has already successfully carried out tests on asphalt sections on the Central Highway, and already has validations in leather and textiles, for furniture and slippers.
«This is a good way for organizations, companies and people to take action in the development of better products and in their own lives, contributing to reverse the impact of polluting emissions. It is estimated that one square meter covered with this product is equivalent to the same decontaminating potential as generating two trees”, concludes one of the creators of the Chilean startup.
