Posted Tuesday 9th December 2025
Joelson, the leading London law firm, has advised Nova Biochem, the UK-based green-chemistry pioneer, on its successful oversubscribed Seed funding round, securing strategic investment from Circulate Capital, Coca‑Cola Europacific Partners, Archipelago Ventures, TSP Ventures and the Circular Plastics Accelerator.
Nova Biochem is harnessing a proprietary, super-critical water process to transform “black liquor”, a lignin-rich waste stream derived from the pulp and paper industry, into high value bio-aromatic chemicals such as BTX. These chemicals can substitute the fossil-based feedstocks currently used to produce plastics, coatings, adhesives and resins, including PET, offering a carbon-negative, scalable alternative that integrates seamlessly with existing industrial infrastructure.
The fresh capital, combined with a €7.5 million grant from the EU awarded earlier in 2025, will enable Nova Biochem to build out its first pilot plant in Sweden, scale its technology, initiate industry integration, expand its team, and move toward commercial production.
Joelson’s team was led by Partner Matthew Overton and supported by Emma Vantine, Associate.
Alexander Novitskiy, CEO of Nova Biochem, commented:
“We are thrilled to reach this critical milestone and it has been great working with Matthew and Emma from the Joelson team. Their expertise, attentiveness, and strategic guidance ensured the funding process ran smoothly from start to finish.”
Matthew Overton, Partner at Joelson, added:
“We are delighted to have supported Alex and Nova Biochem team on this transformative round. Working with talented founders of impact-driven businesses is always a privilege and Nova Biochem’s commitment to sustainability, circular chemistry, and industrial decarbonisation sets them apart as a true leader in the next generation of bio-based materials.”
This article is for reference purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. Specific legal advice about your specific circumstances should always be sought separately before taking or deciding not to take any action.
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