IS SPIDER SILK THE PERFORMANCE FABRIC OF THE FUTURE?

“Spider silk is a much stronger natural fiber than traditional silkworm silk,” said Jamie Bainbridge, the vice president of product development at Bolt Threads.... READ MORE.

Utah State Spider Silk Lab Awarded Navy Grant Aimed at Maritime Defense

Utah State University's Utah Science, Technology and Research (USTAR) initiative-funded Synthetic Spider Silk Lab is the recipient of a $420,000 grant from the U.S. Navy Division of Unconventional Warfare aimed at designing and developing these devices, as well as applying USU silk manufacturing technology to enable commercial-scale production of other biomaterials ... READ MORE.

Spider Silk Key to New Bone-Fixing Composite

University of Connecticut researchers have created a biodegradable composite made of silk fibers that can be used to repair broken load-bearing bones without the complications sometimes presented by other materials. READ MORE.

Bolt Threads Announces Bioengineered Spider Silk/Wool Cap in Limited Edition

The first of its kind, the Best Made Microsilk™ Cap of Courage is only available in an extremely limited edition of 100 units. The cap is knit from bioengineered silk that has an identical molecular structure to spider silk. This groundbreaking fiber is the result of extensive research and development by California-based Bolt Threads: a team of scientists, engineers, and apparel experts who are devoted to innovating high-performance fabrics inspired by nature. We combined this radically new, soft and sustainable fiber with American Rambouillet wool from Wyoming. The Best Made Microsilk™ Cap of Courage is not only groundbreaking but extremely warm, resilient, and available in 10 designs that come presented in an official box.

Bolt Threads Brings a Glimpse of the Future of Advanced Materials to SXSW

On Friday, March 10th, Bolt Threads, a Bay Area-based biotechnology company creating the next generation of advanced materials, unveiled the company's first step towards commercial apparel production. At SXSW, the company will release a limited edition knit necktie made of 100 percent Boltspun spider silk—the first spider silk product ever available for purchase.

Bolt Thread's CEO, Dan Widmaier, will be showcasing the tie at his SXSW 2017 panel titled "Nature: The Future of Fashion and Tech." The unisex tie is 100 percent spider silk made by humans using the company's proprietary technology. It is the culmination of seven years and over 200 person-years of research and design, and embodies the company's mission to produce sustainable performance fabrics for commercial use.

"We wanted to demonstrate the reality of a completely new way of manufacturing textiles, one that has nearly unlimited potential for innovation and also produces a sustainable product," said Dan Widmaier, CEO at Bolt Threads. "Over the past seven years, a team of dozens of scientists, engineers, technicians, and designers has worked tirelessly to get us to this milestone. We're proud and excited about this achievement and what it means for the future of textile production. Bolt's first product is a precursor of what's to come."

Bolt Threads is releasing 50 limited edition synthetic spider silk neckties, which will be made available to the public to purchase on March 11. Ties will be sold on the company's website via a lottery, which opens on March 11 and closes on March 14. Winners of the lottery will be able to purchase a Boltspun silk tie and own a piece of history.

Co-founded in 2009 by CEO Dan Widmaier, Chief Scientific Officer David Breslauer, and Vice President of Operations Ethan Mirsky, Bolt Threads was born out of a curiosity about natural spider silk and the idea of engineering novel protein materials. Through its proprietary technology, the company has developed a way to closely mimic silk created in nature for mass commercial production, pioneering more sustainable and non-toxic processes for textile manufacturing.

Following its launch from stealth in 2015, Bolt Threads has continued to pique the interest of investors and partners alike. Last year, the company announced a $50 million round in Series C funding, along with a partnership with outdoor retailer Patagonia.

Spider Thread in the News

"In the future, everything you wear could be made of synthetic spider silk," according to this article about Agathon Associates' client, Bolt Threads in Business Insider

Agathon Associates' Client Bolt Threads Raises $50 Million, Forms New Partnership to Further its Mission to Deliver Sustainable, High Performance Fabrics

Bolt Threads, an American-based biotechnology company creating the next generation of high performance fabrics, today announced it has raised $50 million in Series C financing. Existing investor Formation 8 led the round, along with new investors including Nan Fung, a business conglomerate based in Hong Kong, and Innovation Endeavors. Other existing investors, including Alafi Capital, East West Capital, Foundation Capital and Founders Fund also participated.

Since launching out of stealth last year, Bolt Threads has attracted the interest of both new investors and partners, including Patagonia. The company is now producing its Engineered Silk™ protein at large scale, and is moving into yarn manufacturing this summer.

“The $1.5 trillion textiles industry hasn’t achieved a major step forward since the 1930s, with the development of nylon,” said Jim Kim, founder and managing partner of Formation 8. “Bolt Threads’ engineered and elegant silks represent an opportunity to fundamentally impact and enable properties in clothing we never dreamed would be possible. Dan and the team at Bolt Threads are visionaries who have applied new age proprietary techniques to a non-traditional technology opportunity in a big, old-world sector. We look forward to the fashion and function trends that Bolt Threads will lead in textiles.”

Bolt Threads was co-founded in 2009 by CEO Dan Widmaier, Chief Scientific Officer David Breslauer, and Vice President of Operations Ethan Mirsky. The three were fascinated with natural silk, its properties and the process of its production in nature. This curiosity led them to develop technology to produce Engineered Silk™ made wholly of natural proteins, creating a sustainable and durable new material. Together with partners like Patagonia, Bolt Threads is pioneering more sustainable and non-toxic processes for textile manufacturing.

“Manmade fabrics like nylon and polyester have transformed the fashion industry, for better and for worse,” said Widmaier. “The use of hydrocarbon polymers in these textiles has created a lingering toxic problem for the environment. At Bolt Threads, we’re re-thinking textile manufacturing, producing high performance materials that are also not nearly as harmful to the environment as existing options. It’s an incredibly important and challenging problem to solve and we’re excited to collaborate with Patagonia and other partners to make cleaner textile production a reality.”

ABOUT BOLT THREADS

The material world is about to get a whole new material. Bolt Threads is creating the next generation of performance fibers and fabrics using proprietary breakthroughs in industrial biotechnology. Working at the molecular level, Bolt Threads will transform the textiles market, turning renewable raw materials into products with outstanding properties that meet specific consumer needs.