Rennovia Raises VC To Make Chemicals from Renewable Feedstock
Rennovia, an early-stage chemical development company, recently raised $6 million in startup funding from 5AM Ventures and Versant Ventures, according to regulatory documents. The funding is the first infusion of a proposed $12.3 million Series A round that the company is seeking, documents show. The stealth Menlo Park, Calif.-based startup is working to make specialty chemicals from renewable feedstock. The company has not disclosed what chemicals it will make. A chemical company such as Rennovia is something of an anomaly in Silicon Valley, where information technology and life science companies vie with cleantech for attention from venture capitalists. Still, some VCs are willing to go out on a limb for a compelling chemistry process applied to an industry that has long relied on petroleum as the principle input for its products.
