AMSilk, an industrial supplier of synthetic silk biopolymers, has been chosen by the German edition of MIT Technology Review as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world.

Now in its fourth year, this list honours companies that have achieved a technological breakthrough with their industry-changing products. AMSilk was recognised for its bioengineered spider silk, a new material which is said to open new possibilities for applications throughout the medical, cosmetic and textiles industries.

Together with AMSilk, among the 50 most innovative companies recognised this year are industry giants including the Chinese online-retail leader Alibaba, Amazon, Continental, Daimler, Microsoft, and Tesla.

Finalist in Technology category

As a first-time honouree, AMSilk was named among the three finalists in the Technology category. The company will participate in the solemn prize awarding ceremony at the StartupNight in the Berlin Representation Office of Deutsche Telekom on 8 September.

“Being honoured as one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world makes us very proud. This award shows that AMSilk’s synthetic silk is not only a highly innovative product, but that it has the potential to disrupt industries and provide substantial added value for our partners, “said AMSilk CEO Jens Klein.

“We are looking forward to the prize awarding ceremony in Berlin and to the exchange of ideas with other innovation makers of the international business world.”

Learning from nature

“Since its foundation, Technology Review has been looking for companies and people which move at the limit of the feasible,” said Robert Thielicke, editor-in-chief of Technology Review.

“This method might be subjective to a certain extent. But what would objective criteria be? The expenditure for research? The number of patents? In this case AMSilk would not have been considered although the company has achieved what has long been regarded as impossible: to learn from nature and produce the spider silk artificially. Now it is possible to produce incredibly robust, skin friendly and at the same time environmentally friendly clothes.”

AMSilk

AMSilk is the first industrial supplier of synthetic silk biopolymers and has its headquarters in Planegg near Munich, Germany. Sustainably produced using a patented biotechnological process, AMSilk high-performance biopolymers can be used in multiple ways, including in medical or technical products as well as cosmetic ingredients. Among other things, the polymers are biocompatible, breathable and especially robust.

AMSilk high-performance biopolymers are distributed in the form of Silkbeads (microparticles), Silkgel (hydrogel) or Biosteel fibres. They are currently used in coatings for medical technology products, in the textiles industry and as an ingredient in cosmetic products.

www.amsilk.com