BioBond Adhesives Inc, a portfolio company of Big Idea Ventures' Generation Food Rural Partners I, LP (GFRP) Fund, has announced a significant licensing agreement with the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization (Purdue OTC) at Purdue University. This collaboration will see BioBond commercialize cutting-edge material technologies developed at Purdue, paving the way for biodegradable adhesive alternatives that address the environmental concerns associated with traditional petroleum-based adhesives.

The partnership comes at a crucial time as industries worldwide grapple with the need to reduce their environmental footprint. Conventional adhesives used in a vast array of consumer product packaging are often derived from fossil fuels like crude oil and benzene, contributing to the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and the persistent problem of microplastic pollution. BioBond aims to disrupt this status quo by leveraging Purdue's innovative research in biomaterials to create high-performance adhesives that are both sustainable and readily biodegradable.

Marc McConnaughey, CEO of BioBond, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration, stating, "Petroleum-based adhesives are a major source of VOCs and microplastics and are in need of innovative solutions which reduce our day-to-day exposure and decompose quickly. I am pleased and excited to partner with Purdue in bringing these needed technologies to the market."

Frank Klemens, Managing Director of the GFRP Fund, highlighted the strategic advantages of BioBond's location near Purdue University and its access to the Indiana Corn and Soybean associations. "BioBond's ability to create novel, biobased adhesives and coatings that remove fossil fuel based components will be accelerated by licensing materials technology generated from innovative professors at Purdue University," Klemens noted. "This close relationship is possible due to our decision to locate BioBond in a rural area near Purdue University. Being in close proximity to the Indiana Corn and Soybean associations also enables BioBond to source and produce products efficiently resulting in a product that is at cost parity or better. The Fund looks forward to a long, fruitful relationship with Purdue's team of professional innovators and Indiana's ecosystem for many years to come."

Brooke Beier, Senior Vice President of Purdue Innovates, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the potential impact of the partnership on global sustainability challenges. "It has been great working with Generation Food Rural Partners Fund. We are excited to work with BioBond in advancing the field of sustainable packaging to help solve some important global challenges associated with adhesives," Beier said. "This license from work within Purdue's College of Science's Tarpo Department of Chemistry is further proof that industry and academia can work together to advance technologies to improve people's lives around the world."