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20 Start-Ups Bring New Ideas To ITMA 2027

• By  Textile Excellence
• September 30, 2026

The next wave of textile technology is heading to Hanover.

Twenty start-ups from nine countries have been selected for the CEMATEX Start-Up Grant and will showcase their technologies at Start-Up Valley during ITMA 2027. CEMATEX is fully funding their participation, giving young companies a direct route to manufacturers, brands, investors and technology partners.

And the ideas coming through are not small tweaks. They target some of textile manufacturing’s toughest problems - chemicals, water, waste, recycling, traceability and production efficiency.

The 20 companies span colourants and chemicals, fibres, yarns and fabrics, garment making, recycling, software and automation, and testing.

The full line-up is Amphico, BioFluff, Eeden, EverDye, Fibarcode, Gemell Technology, Innovo Fiber, NunoX, Re.Solution, Recyc’Elit, Refiberd, ReSpin, Revoltech, RubyLab, Sages, Silana, Solena Materials, Sparxell, SwitchDye and Tintte.

Chemistry is in the crosshairs

Some are taking aim directly at chemicals used across textile production.

Amphico is developing a PFAS-free membrane for waterproof and breathable performance fabrics, alongside a colour platform that introduces colour through weaving rather than conventional dyeing.

SwitchDye is attacking another familiar headache: the dye bath. Its CO₂-switchable dyes are designed to reduce chemical, water and energy consumption while working with existing dyeing equipment.

Recycling gets smarter

Blended fabrics remain one of textile recycling’s biggest headaches.

Recyc’Elit is developing technology to separate blended materials and convert them back into pure monomers for new recycled polyester, while recovering materials such as elastane and cotton.

Refiberd is approaching the problem from another direction. It combines software with hyperspectral imaging to identify fabric composition, helping recyclers know exactly what material is entering the recycling process.

That may sound like a small step. It isn't. You cannot efficiently recycle what you cannot accurately identify.

Sustainability is moving upstream

What stands out across the 20 companies is that sustainability is not being added at the end of the development process. It is increasingly built into the technology itself, from alternative fibres and chemistry to recycling, digital identification and smarter production.

That fits neatly with ITMA 2027's wider themes of Advanced Materials, Automation & Digital Future, and Human-Centric Manufacturing.

Alex Zucchi, President of CEMATEX, says many of the start-ups “cannot imagine innovating any other way” than with sustainability built in.

The real test, however, will come at ITMA itself.

Start-Up Valley gives these companies more than exhibition space. It puts early-stage technologies directly in front of the manufacturers and industry players who can test them, invest in them and, most importantly, take them towards industrial scale.

Alex Zucchi, President of CEMATEX, says many of the start-ups “cannot imagine innovating any other way” than with sustainability built in. The real test, however, will come at ITMA itself. Start-Up Valley gives these companies more than exhibition space. It puts early-stage technologies directly in front of the manufacturers and industry players who can test them, invest in them and, most importantly, take them towards industrial scale.