MycoTile Panels

Solution Pitch

The Problem

Kenya has an annual housing demand of 250,000 units with an estimated supply of just 50,000, leaving an 80% deficit. Hundreds of thousands live in informal housing to cover this deficit.

The Solution

MycoTile offers a high performance and cheaper alternative to traditional building materials. A carbon negative process is used to bond agricultural waste (such as maize cobs, coffee husks, coconut coir and rice husks) with mushroom mycelium to create a building material composite. The pilot product is wall and roof insulation, which have superior acoustic performance and fire-retardant properties compared to the available alternatives. The fire-retardancy is naturally enhanced by the chitin present in mycelium. MycoTile intends to prototype a larger portfolio of products, such as ceiling tiles, construction blocks, MDF-style panels and furniture. An important growth step was the conclusion of a co-manufacturing contract with a Kenya government entity. MycoTile is establishing partnerships with small scale farmers, who are compensated for providing agricultural waste, to assure security of raw material supply.

Stats

• There are currently 28 contracted farmers and locals who package agricultural waste for MycoTiles and six non-contracted suppliers of agricultural waste. 

• Since the product has not been installed on a large scale, the benefits of the product in housing are yet to be documented.

• One metric ton of waste has been reduced through reduction, recycling, and reuse so far, with the aim of upcycling hundreds of tons of agri-waste once production is rolled out. 

Market Opportunity

Our pilot market is retrofitting informal settlements with thin-walled housing. Nairobi houses 2.5 million in these informal settlements with an assumed 10SQM of walling per person. This is a $150 million market in Nairobi alone. This does not include offices and roof insulation.

Organization Highlights

• Partnered with the Kenya Government through Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) for consultancy services in mycology and space and facility for co-manufacturing.

• Implementing partners of Challenge Fund for Youth Employment through Habitat for Humanity Kenya and Netherlands.

Partnership Goals

MycoTile Panels seeks:

• Expertise on product management / review of a product roadmap

• Expertise on accounting and financial reporting

• Technological expertise in testing products for fire, heat, acoustics and life cycle analysis to prepare a standard and specification sheet

• Financial partnership that will help grow out of government partnership and build internal production set-up