CleanFiber Funding, Investors & Competitors

CleanFiber has raised $110M across 11 funding rounds, most recently a $5M undisclosed-stage round in July 2026.

Last CleanFiber funding round

$5M

Undisclosed stage · Jul 2026

Cumulative funding CleanFiber raised

$110M

across 11 funding rounds

Key investors in CleanFiber

  • 43North
  • Clean Energy Venture Group
  • SustainVC
  • Western New York Impact Investment Fund
  • Global Brain Corporation
  • Keiretsu Forum
  • Keiretsu Capital
  • LaunchPad Venture

CleanFiber Overview

About CleanFiber

CleanFiber produces cellulose building insulation made from recycled corrugated cardboard, offering lower dust and contamination and better coverage than competing products through a patented fire-retardant embedding process. Formerly known as Ultracell Insulation, the company is based in Blasdell, New York, where it manufactures insulation aimed at decarbonizing building infrastructure. CleanFiber has supplied products for tens of thousands of homes and positions itself as a lower-cost, more sustainable alternative in the US insulation market.


Founded

2013

HQ

United StatesUnited States

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Product sales

CleanFiber Funding History

CleanFiber has raised a total of $110M across 11 funding rounds.

CleanFiber's first fundraising round was a $5M Series A in March 2018. The most recent completed round was a $5M undisclosed-stage round in July 2026.

CleanFiber funding rounds

CleanFiber funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Jul 2026Undisclosed stage-$5MCleanFiber raised $28 million in a Series B financing round in 2024, led by Spring Lane Capital and joined by Ahlström Invest, AXA Investment Managers, Climate Innovation Capital, and Tokyu Construction/Global Brain. The financing was paired with a $31.5 million project financing facility to support scale-up of production capacity. The capital was intended to expand manufacturing and accelerate commercialization of CleanFiber’s cellulose insulation made from recycled cardboard. CleanFiber had previously raised a $10 million Series A-2 round in 2022 and a $11.9 million financing in 2023 to expand its Buffalo production facility. Prior reporting said the company had raised over $100 million in combined equity and debt after the Series B, while another source cited about $95.8 million raised to date. CleanFiber manufactures building insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard and was developing production capacity in Buffalo/Blasdell, New York. Reporting described the company as generating revenue and preparing to scale operations, with earlier financing rounds tied to completing factory expansion and meeting demand for its insulation products.
Sep 2025Undisclosed stage-$34MCleanFiber produces high-performance cellulose insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard boxes, offering lower dust, lower contamination, and better coverage than competitors, with patented fire retardant embedding for cost-competitive pricing. Formerly Ultracell Insulation, it is based in Blasdell, New York, and focuses on decarbonizing building infrastructure. The company has secured over $100M in cumulative funding, including a $28M Series B in 2023 led by Spring Lane Capital and $32M project financing, plus DOE grants bringing 2024 capital to $75M. Around late September 2025 (approximate query date), CleanFiber filed for a $6.5M funding round as part of a $27.5M offering, supporting manufacturing expansion including a Blasdell plant. Earlier rounds included $4.9M and $2.3M raises for the factory. CleanFiber reported $13.02 million in revenue for 2024, up 219.12% from $10.62M in 2023 and $4.08M in 2022, driving its ranking as Western New York's fastest-growing company and #1 fastest-growing U.S. manufacturer on Inc. 5000 with 57X growth over three years. It employs 95 people and benefits from ARPA-E, NYSERDA, EPA, and NSF programs.
Apr 2024Series BSpring Lane Capital (lead); Global Brain Corporation; Climate Innovation Capital; Tokyu Construction; Ahlstrom Capital; AXA Investment Managers$28MCleanFiber is a materials science company that produces high-performance cellulose building insulation from recycled cardboard boxes, positioning itself as an environmentally friendly alternative in the $12.5 billion U.S. insulation market dominated by large players. The company closed a $28 million Series B equity round in early 2024, led by Spring Lane Capital, with participation from Ahlstrom Capital (Ahlström Invest), AXA Investment Managers, Climate Innovation Capital, and Tokyu Construction/Global Brain Corporation. Spring Lane also provided a $31.5 million project financing facility alongside the equity, supporting nationwide expansion beyond its initial Buffalo, New York factory, which has produced insulation for about 20,000 single-family homes. This Series B followed a $10 million Series A in 2022 that combined equity and debt to operationalize the Buffalo plant. In 2024, CleanFiber secured over $75 million total in financing, grants, and tax credits, including $20 million in U.S. Department of Energy grants announced October 25, 2024, for new plants in Lewis County, Washington, and Ellis County, Texas, plus a $10 million Section 48C tax credit and state incentives. Cumulative funding exceeds $100 million, enabling national rollout and job creation in disadvantaged communities while reducing carbon emissions. CleanFiber was recognized as the #1 fastest-growing manufacturing company in America on the Inc. 5000 list in August 2024, driven by 57X growth over three years amid strong market demand for its outperforming product.
May 2023Seed-$2M-
Aug 2022Series A-$9MCleanFiber raised $8.5 million in venture capital in August 2022 to expand its Blasdell manufacturing facility in Buffalo, New York. The company manufactures high-performance cellulose insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard and operates with a patented fire-retardant embedding process that delivers lower dust and contamination compared to competing products. By December 2022, CleanFiber had closed an additional $10 million Series A-2 round from AXA IM Alts, bringing total prior capital to approximately $40 million plus a $14 million debt facility. The company was not yet profitable at the time but management projected profitability within one year, with growth constrained primarily by production capacity rather than market demand.
Sep 2021Series AAligned Climate Capital (lead); 43North; Western New York Impact Investment Fund; Jeffrey Wilke; NOCO Energy$12MCleanFiber, a high-performance building insulation manufacturer, closed an $11.9 million funding round in September 2021 to expand production at its 60,000-square-foot factory in Lackawanna, Buffalo, and prepare for additional facilities. Investors included Aligned Climate Capital with a $4 million investment, Jeff Wilke (former Amazon executive), NOCO Energy, 43North ($300,000), and Western New York Impact Investment Fund ($500,000). The company employed about 45 people at the time, with plans to grow following the raise. This round brought CleanFiber's total private capital raised to $39 million. The firm reported a multi-million dollar backlog of demand and anticipated producing about three million bags of insulation annually at full scale. CleanFiber, a 2017 43North winner led by CEO Jonathan Strimling, demonstrated strong sales traction despite COVID-19 challenges.
Nov 2020Series A-$6MCleanFiber produces high-performance cellulose insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard and other clean fiber sources. The company, formerly known as Ultracell Insulation, was founded by veteran cellulose installers to address declining supplies of traditional feedstock like old newsprint. Its product offers lower dust, lower contamination, better coverage, and a patented process for embedding fire retardants at a cost-competitive price. CleanFiber has raised over $100 million in total funding, including equity from investors like Spring Lane Capital, AXA Investment Managers, Climate Innovation Capital, Clean Energy Ventures, Closed Loop Partners, and 43North, as well as debt and grants. In 2023-2024, it secured $33 million in Series B equity financing supplemented by a $31.5 million project financing facility and two $10 million grants from the Department of Energy to complete first-of-a-kind production facilities and roll out nationally. Earlier, in 2022, it obtained $14 million in debt financing from Lapis Advisers to expand its Buffalo facility. The funding supports scaling production, diversifying products, expanding market reach, enhancing sales and marketing, and achieving profitability as demand grows for sustainable insulation solutions.
Mar 2020Seed-$3M-
Oct 2019Series AKeiretsu Forum; Keiretsu Capital$5M-
Dec 2018SeedInvestor's Circle; SustainVC; Buffalo Angels fund; Western New York Impact Investment Fund; Richmond Capital Partners; Clean Energy Venture Group$2M-
Mar 2018Series AClean Energy Venture Group (lead); SustainVC (lead); LaunchPad Venture; 43North; Keiretsu Forum Northwest; NXT Ventures$5MCleanFiber completed a $9.2 million financing round in 2018, including an additional $2.3 million to launch full-scale production at its Buffalo facility. Investors included 43North and others, building on $2.25 million raised in 2017. The funding supported a 60,000 square foot manufacturing plant producing cellulose insulation from recycled corrugated cardboard, creating 30-35 jobs. The company reported millions in pre-orders, sold out into Q2 2019, with capacity for 3 million bags annually serving regions including New York, New England, MidAtlantic, Midwest, and Eastern Canada. CleanFiber's patented process yields cleaner, more uniform insulation at competitive prices compared to products from recycled newspapers.

Who has invested in CleanFiber?

21 investors have backed CleanFiber across its funding rounds, including 43North, Clean Energy Venture Group, SustainVC, Western New York Impact Investment Fund, Global Brain Corporation and Keiretsu Forum.

Lead investors include Spring Lane Capital, Aligned Climate Capital, Clean Energy Venture Group and SustainVC.


CleanFiber Investors

Investors in CleanFiber by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
SustainVCUnited StatesPhiladelphia, PA2LeadMar 2018
43NorthUnited StatesUnited States2ParticipantMar 2018
Western New York Impact Investment FundUnited StatesUnited States2ParticipantDec 2018
Clean Energy Venture GroupUnited StatesBoston, MA2LeadMar 2018
Global Brain CorporationJapanTokyo1ParticipantApr 2024
Investor's CircleUnited StatesWilmington, DE1ParticipantDec 2018
Climate Innovation CapitalCanadaToronto1ParticipantApr 2024
Buffalo Angels fund--1ParticipantDec 2018
Tokyu ConstructionJapanTokyo1ParticipantApr 2024
LaunchPad VentureUnited StatesBoston, MA1ParticipantMar 2018
Keiretsu ForumUnited StatesSan Francisco, CA1ParticipantOct 2019
Keiretsu Forum NorthwestUnited StatesSeattle, WA1ParticipantMar 2018
NXT VenturesUnited StatesBoston, MA1ParticipantMar 2018

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CleanFiber Competitors

CleanFiber competitors include listed companies like First Solar and Nextracker, and private ones like Fortera, Plantd, Toraphene and AISTI.

Public and private companies comparable to CleanFiber
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
ForteraUnited StatesSan Jose, CAPrivate--$355M-
PlantdUnited StatesDurham, NCPrivate--$120M-
TorapheneUnited KingdomLondonPrivate$1M-$111M110.5x
AISTIFinlandJyväskyläPrivate--$108M-
First SolarUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$5.2B$2.1B$22B4.0x
NextrackerUnited StatesUnited StatesPublicly listed$3.6B$747M$13B2.9x

CleanFiber Public Comps

CleanFiber is still privately-owned, but its public comps include CRH, Holcim, Martin Marietta Materials, UltraTech Cement, Vulcan Materials, Heidelberg Materials, Grasim Industries, First Solar, Amrize and James Hardie Industries.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
CRH$37B$7.6B2.0x1.9x10.0x9.4x
Holcim$19B$2.8B2.9x2.7x19.9x11.0x
Martin Marietta Materials$6.2B$2.1B6.7x5.8x19.8x17.1x
UltraTech Cement$9.1B$1.8B3.9x3.6x19.9x18.6x
Vulcan Materials$7.9B$2.3B4.6x4.5x15.5x15.1x
Heidelberg Materials$25B$5.1B1.6x1.5x7.5x7.0x
Grasim Industries$18B$2.6B2.7x10.7x18.9x196.9x
First Solar$5.2B$2.1B3.8x4.0x9.7x7.7x

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Common questions about CleanFiber

When was CleanFiber founded?CleanFiber was founded in 2013.
Where is CleanFiber headquartered?CleanFiber is headquartered in United States.
Is CleanFiber publicly listed?No, CleanFiber is a private, VC-backed company.
How much funding has CleanFiber raised?CleanFiber has raised $110M across 11 funding rounds.
What was CleanFiber's last funding round?CleanFiber's last funding round was a $5M undisclosed-stage round in July 2026.
Who are CleanFiber's investors?CleanFiber's investors include SustainVC, 43North, Western New York Impact Investment Fund, Clean Energy Venture Group, Global Brain Corporation, Investor's Circle, Climate Innovation Capital, Buffalo Angels fund, Tokyu Construction, LaunchPad Venture and 11 others.
Which companies are comparable to CleanFiber?Companies comparable to CleanFiber include Fortera, Plantd, Toraphene, AISTI, First Solar and Nextracker.

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