news release
Apr 16,2025
Polymer EF Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Okinawa/ Founder and CEO: Narayan Lal Gharjar; hereinafter “EF Polymer”), which develops 100% naturally derived super absorbent polymers, raised a total of 1 billion yen in capital through a third-party allotment of shares as the first close of the Series B round.
Our business progress and future focus
<農業資材のグローバル展開>
Since sales of the agricultural material “EF Polymer” began in India in 2020, the market has expanded to Japan, the United States, France, etc., and has achieved a cumulative sales record of approximately 400 tons as of 2025. Global demand is expanding due to recent droughts and soaring fertilizer prices due to climate change, and demonstration tests and business negotiations are currently underway in over 20 countries. Going forward, in addition to strengthening our system in major markets, we will also expand into new fields such as gardening, landscaping, and greening.
<非農業分野への応用>
In addition to thickeners for cosmetics and daily necessities, we have expanded our business in fields other than agriculture, such as the biodegradable ice pack “Cy-Cool,” which was jointly developed with Iwatani Sangyo, and water-absorbing sheets jointly developed with Soken Chemical. We are promoting green transformation (GX) in various industries by proposing organic polymers in fields where materials derived from petroleum have been used until now.
Research and development (R&D) priority areas
In future R&D, we will focus on the following themes in addition to improving the functionality of existing polymers.
Series B round funding details
The purpose of this funding is to accelerate research and development, strengthen organizational structures, expand domestic and international business, and establish overseas manufacturing bases. Investors who participated in First Close are existing shareholdersUniversal Materials Incubator (UMI),MTG VenturesIn addition, as a new shareholderBank of the Ryukyus,Future Food Fund,Shinryo Fundparticipated. Round B of this series is scheduled to close for the second time this summer, and we will continue to solicit participation from domestic and foreign investors.
Representative comments
Narayan Ghaljal, founder and CEO of EF PolymersIt is stated as follows. “EF Polymer's mission is to solve water issues and improve farmers' lives. Furthermore, I am convinced that by deploying our technology to a wide range of industries, we can contribute to the realization of a sustainable society. This Series B funding will further accelerate global business development and research and development, and is a major step towards realizing a circular and sustainable model. We will continue to work together with everyone who sympathizes with our vision to create further social impact.”
Adopted for NEDO startup support project
EF Polymer was selected by the 2025 Deep Tech Startup Support Fund/Deep Tech Startup Support Project (DTSU) hosted by the National Research and Development Corporation New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). We will receive a subsidy of up to 800 million yen from NEDO for this support project, and will accelerate long-term research and development and business over 3 years from 2025 to 2028.Click here for details
About EF Polymer
EF Polymer Co., Ltd. is a deep tech startup born in India and raised in Okinawa. Residues that have been discarded conventionally, such as orange and banana peels, are upcycled, and “EF Polymer,” a 100% naturally derived super absorbent polymer, is manufactured and sold as agricultural materials. We also support corporate green transformation (GX) by promoting the application of fully organic polymers as raw materials for daily necessities, cosmetics, and medical products. Through the dissemination of our technology, we aim to solve environmental problems centered on water scarcity.https://efpolymer.jp/
