A Magic City biotech startup will soon have its materials imported and distributed in Japan.
TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation, a developer of nanofiber production technology and supplier of nanofibers, inked a distribution agreement with Japanese distributor Filgen Inc., one of Japan’s major distributors of scientific materials, supplies and research equipment.
Filgen, based in Nagoya, Japan, will import various types of organic, inorganic and polymer nanofibers produced by TruSpin and market these materials to Japanese scientists developing technologies using nanomaterials.
Filgen is a trading and manufacturing company operating in bioscience and nanoscience research fields. It develops scientific instruments and offers analysis services as a manufacturer, while it imports products and services from overseas as a trading company.
The distribution agreement marks an inflection point for TruSpin’s goal of establishing a foothold in the Japanese research market and is of strategic value to the company’s long-term goal of accelerating the adoption of nanofibers for industrial and medical uses.
“We’re delighted to have the opportunity to work Filgen in the Japanese market," TruSpin CEO Robert Agnew said. "They’ve built an impressive reputation and established relationships with the scientists and researchers currently developing industrial and medical products that use nanofibers.
"Those developments ultimately drive mass-adoption of our materials, so the rewards of helping Filgen serve their customers with an ample supply of premium nanofibers extends far beyond the results that will be reflected on our balance sheet in the coming months. Inevitably, the mass-adoption of nanofibers will necessitate the production method with the highest output, and TruSpin has it.”
TruSpin was named one of the BBJ's 2023 Startups to Watch. Founded in 2019, the startup is developing materials that have applications in everything from lab-grown meats to wound care. In 2022, it raised a total of around $900,000 in capital. Most of the funds came from an investment round that was closed in the middle of a funding drought. The rest was in the form of grants from the National Science Foundation and the Innovate Alabama Supplemental Grant Program.
