Cruz Foam

Cruz Foam is a circular‑materials company headquartered in Santa Cruz, California that turns shell‑fish waste and other up‑cycled food residues into protective packaging that can replace expanded polystyrene (EPS). Spun out of University of California research in 2017 by surfer‑chemist John Felts and materials scientist Marco Rolandi, the start‑up extracts chitin from shrimp shells, treats it into biodegradable chitosan and blends it with starches, natural fibres and air to create a rigid, closed‑cell foam. The material is ASTM‑D6400‑certified compostable and degrades in roughly 100 days, yet it drops into existing foam‑moulding and converting lines—easing adoption for packaging suppliers. After early NSF and National Science Foundation grants, Cruz Foam raised a US $ 18 million Series A in 2022 (lead investors: Helena, Regeneration.VC, Ashton Kutcher & Leonardo DiCaprio) to scale a 35,000 ft² pilot plant that now outputs 4,200 m² of foam per month and a curbside‑recyclable cold‑chain cooler called Cruz Cool. The product won TIME “Best Inventions 2023” and Pentawards “Gold Sustainability”. Go‑to‑market happens via distribution agreements with Atlantic Packaging and other converters, with European manufacturing planned for 2026.