ITMF Announces Five Winners of Start-up Award 2026
Start-ups from Switzerland, Brazil, the USA and China to showcase business models at ITMF & IAF Conference in Fortaleza
The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has announced the five winners of the ITMF Start-up Award 2026. The selected start-ups will present their business models at the upcoming ITMF & IAF Conference 2026, scheduled for 14–15 October 2026 in Fortaleza, Brazil.
The conference will be co-hosted by ABIT (Brazilian Textile & Apparel Industry Association).
Start-ups to Present Business Models
The ITMF Start-up Awards are intended to provide start-ups with a platform to showcase their business ideas and create opportunities to meet established companies from across the textile value chain.
The five winners of the ITMF Start-up Award 2026, listed in alphabetical order, are:
- Matereal, Switzerland — Charting the New Frontier - Biobased Polymers and AI for Textile Manufacturing
- no.wasTee Soluções em Confecções Sustentáveis, Brazil — Zero-Waste Design for a Low-CO2 Textile Industry
- Tellura Technologies, Brazil — 100% Natural Yarn: From Fashion to Aerospace Biocomposite
- Unspun, USA — Automating Apparel Supply Chains with 3D Weaving
- Yuantian Biotechnology (Tianjin), China — Enzymatic Recycling and Industrialization of Waste PET Plastic
Focus Areas Across Textile Innovation
The five selected business concepts cover a range of areas including biobased polymers, artificial intelligence, zero-waste textile design, natural yarns, aerospace biocomposites, 3D weaving and enzymatic recycling of waste PET plastic.
The winners will have the opportunity to present their respective business models during the ITMF & IAF Conference 2026 in Fortaleza, connecting their ideas with established companies across the textile value chain.