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Executive Summary: Which are the Top 10 New Functional Fabric Companies to Watch?

  1. TIBEKA Protections (France): Manufactures recyclable 3D multi-layer fabrics for impact and ballistic protection using interlock weaving for aeronautics, defense, and sports applications.
  2. Dispowear Protection (India): Produces non-woven spun-bond functional fabrics with antimicrobial, hydrophobic, UV-resistant, and flame-retardant properties for healthcare and industrial uses.
  3. Texinno (India): Develops cooling fabrics that regulate body temperature using phase-change and moisture-wicking technologies to enhance comfort in high-heat environments.
  4. Veloise (Canada): Creates polylactic acid-based biopolymer fibers from agricultural waste for breathable, antibacterial, and hypoallergenic fabrics.
  5. Filium Corp (USA): Provides smart fabrics treated at the molecular level for liquid repellence, odor resistance, and stain protection while preserving natural softness and breathability.
  6. 29acacia (UK): Converts banana agricultural waste into soft, breathable, and sustainable fabrics for creating ethical and low-impact alternatives to cotton and viscose.
  7. Freshpack Technologies (Tanzania): Designs smart-fabric cooling boxes that preserve fresh produce without electricity. This reduces spoilage and improves food security.
  8. Eweave Solutions (France): Integrates microLEDs into woven ribbons to create flexible, smart textile lighting systems for architectural and design applications.
  9. Manjushree Spntek (India): Produces durable nonwoven composite fabrics for construction, including moisture barriers, scaffolding covers, and floor protection sheets.
  10. Renegade Plastics (USA): Develops recyclable polypropylene-coated fabrics that replace PVC textiles, thus eliminating PFAS, VOCs, and toxic additives.

Global Startup Heat Map highlights New Functional Fabric Companies to Watch

Through the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 9M+ startups, 20K+ technology trends, plus 150M+ patents, news articles & market reports, we identified the top functional fabric startups.

The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights emerging functional fabric startups you should watch in 2026, as well as the geo-distribution of 120+ startups & scaleups we analyzed for this research.

According to our data, we observe high startup activity in India and the USA, followed by the UK. The top 5 Startup Hubs for Functional Fabrics are London, Bangalore, Mumbai, New York City, and Dubai.

 

 

New Functional Fabric Companies & Startups to Watch [2026]

We hand-picked startups to showcase in this report by filtering for their technology, founding year, location, funding, and other metrics. These emerging functional fabric startups work on solutions ranging from polylactic acid-based fiber and smart textile-based lighting strips to fabrics from banana waste and non-woven spun-bond fabric.

1. TIBEKA Protections – 3D Fabrics

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Tourcoing, France

French startup TIBEKA Protections manufactures multi-layer 3D fabrics for impact and ballistic protection. Its 3D interlock weaving technology creates a three-dimensional textile architecture that absorbs kinetic energy during impact while minimizing internal deformation.

These fabrics, made from high-performance fibers, combine lightness, flexibility, and formability. This enables them to conform to complex shapes without compromising protective performance. Unlike conventional rigid materials, its textiles require no additives or heat, making them fully recyclable and easy to defibrate.

Moreover, the fabrics’ structure enables precise cutting and efficient integration into composite materials. This allows reliable reinforcement for aeronautics, automotive, defense, sports, and industrial applications.

TIBEKA Protections provides these sectors with lightweight, formable, and recyclable fabrics that enhance safety, reduce material waste, and improve overall performance.

2. Dispowear Protection – Non-Woven Spun-bond Fabric

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Udaipur, India

Indian startup Dispowear Protection produces non-woven spun-bond fabric for diverse industrial and medical applications. The startup’s spun-bond process bonds polymer filaments into a strong, uniform sheet.

This results in a reusable, recyclable, and non-toxic material. It also provides variations like anti-static, anti-microbial, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, coated, laminated, printed, and filter-grade fabrics.

 

 

Further, this material combines lightweight structure with high tensile strength, provides moisture resistance for protective use, and maintains breathability for comfort in healthcare and agriculture.

It provides UV resistance for outdoor applications, flame retardancy for safety, and flexographic printing for customization.

3. Texinno – Functional Cooling Fabric

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: Gurgaon, India

Indian startup Texinno produces functional cooling fabric through its proprietary technology. This fabric regulates body temperature through evaporation and phase change processes. Then it draws heat away from the body while maintaining airflow through its porous structure.

Moreover, its hydrophilic composition absorbs moisture from the skin, while its moisture-wicking properties ensure that the surface remains dry and comfortable.

Texinno provides industries with a fabric that improves wearability, thermal regulation, and measurable value in environments where temperature control is essential.

4. Veloise – Polylactic Acid-based Fiber

  • Founding Year: 2024
  • Location: Quebec, Canada

Canadian startup Veloise produces polylactic acid-based fiber from non-food agricultural waste to create functional fabrics for sensitive skin.

The startup utilizes a controlled polymerization process that stabilizes molecular weight distribution and crystallinity. This results in strong, breathable, and thermally stable textiles as well as a microstructure that promotes air circulation and moisture permeability.

Moreover, the biopolymer composition provides inherent antibacterial and anti-mite protection without chemical additives. These materials are hypoallergenic, soft, and non-irritating, suitable for intimate apparel, babywear, and medical textiles.

Further, each fabric incorporates NFC/RFID tags linked to blockchain-verified carbon tracking to ensure transparent traceability across the supply chain. Therefore, Veloise delivers fabrics that enhance comfort, safeguard health, and enable a measurable transition toward sustainable and circular textile production.

5. Filium Corp – Smart Fabrics

US-based startup Filium Corp combines natural textiles with advanced molecular treatments to create smart fabrics. They preserve the look and feel of the original material while adding functional performance.

Moreover, this solution bonds to fibers at the molecular level to create fabrics that repel liquids, resist stains, block odors, and remain breathable without altering texture or comfort.

Hence, garments and textiles require fewer washes, last longer, and maintain freshness, while enabling thermoregulation and comfort in daily use.

 

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6. 29acacia – Fabrics from Banana Waste

  • Founding Year: 2023
  • Location: London, UK

UK-based startup 29acacia converts banana agricultural waste into a sustainable alternative to cotton and viscose. The company processes discarded banana stems into fibers, which are then refined into textiles that retain softness, breathability, and versatility.

Moreover, the startup ensures a fully transparent supply chain from plant to finished fabric and enables ethical sourcing by compensating low-income farmers for waste.

As a result, 29acacia enables fashion and interior brands to access high-performance, low-impact textiles while reducing the environmental burden of raw material production.

7. Freshpack Technologies – Smart-Fabric Cooling Box

  • Founding Year: 2022
  • Location: Morogoro, Tanzania

Tanzanian startup Freshpack Technologies provides a smart-fabric cooling box that extends the shelf life of fresh vegetables in regions without reliable access to electricity.

This box uses a patented fabric lining that activates when watered. Moreover, as the water evaporates through the material, it generates a natural cooling effect that slows spoilage and maintains nutritional quality.

This solution requires no electricity, gas, or chemicals, and it preserves produce for a few days in hot, open-air markets. The startup thus offers vendors an affordable and sustainable alternative to refrigeration. Freshpack Technologies reduces post-harvest losses and improves food security.

8. Eweave Solutions – Smart Textile-based Lighting Strip

  • Founding Year: 2022
  • Location: Saint-Just-Malmont, France

French startup Eweave Solutions builds smart textile-based lighting strips that integrate LEDs into woven ribbons to enhance the functionality of textiles.

The company embeds microLEDs within polyester ribbons of varying widths and lengths to create flexible and durable lighting elements for indoor and outdoor use.

Moreover, these ribbons adapt to surfaces like walls, ceilings, blinds, awnings, and curtains. This solution supports both ambient and precision lighting needs, with options for dimming, data transfer, and electrical conductivity.

Eweave Solutions enables architects, designers, and textile manufacturers to integrate lighting into environments, offering adaptable illumination that enhances both utility and aesthetics.

9. Manjushree Spntek – Nonwoven Fabrics for Construction

  • Founding Year: 2021
  • Location: Bengaluru, India

Indian startup Manjushree Spntek provides nonwoven and composite fabrics for the construction industry. It creates protective layers that manage moisture, shield surfaces, and enhance site safety. Moreover, it ranges from concrete vapour barriers that block seepage under slabs to curing blankets that retain moisture for stronger finishes.

Further, the company provides scaffolding covers that resist dust, UV, and weather, and floor protection sheets that safeguard interior surfaces during renovation.

The startup’s materials feature high tear resistance, moisture-proof bases, UV stability, and easy installation. They enable construction teams to enhance performance, safety, and sustainability across diverse construction environments.

10. Renegade Plastics – Recyclable Polypropylene Fabrics

USA-based startup Renegade Plastics manufactures recyclable polypropylene fabrics that replace traditional PVC-coated and polyethylene textiles.

The startup produces low-carbon coated fabrics that eliminate toxic additives like lead, phthalates, PFAS, and VOCs while maintaining durability, UV resistance, and chemical stability.

Its materials significantly weigh less than conventional PVC fabrics, retain equivalent strength, emit little fumes during fabrication, and integrate into existing production systems.

 

 

Moreover, these fabrics serve diverse applications in agriculture, sports, and industrial uses. It offers waterproof, fire-retardant, and weather-resistant performance without compromising safety or functionality.

Renegade Plastics reduces plastic waste, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and provides a sustainable alternative for long-term environmental and economic resilience.

Discover All Emerging Textile Startups

The functional fabric startups showcased in this report are only a small sample of all startups we identified through our data-driven startup scouting approach. Download our free Textile Innovation Report for a broad overview of the industry or get in touch for quick & exhaustive research on the latest technologies & emerging solutions that will impact your company in 2026!