Some stories begin in a lab, others in a garage. Ohoskin® was born from a powerful intuition: transforming by-products of Sicilian oranges and cacti into a sustainable alternative to leather. A visionary idea that, just a few years after its founding, has become an industrial reality: Ohoskin® blows out its candles and officially becomes a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME).
But this isn’t just a change in administrative status. It’s the tangible sign of solid, steady, international growth. It’s proof that yes, an idea can become an industry. And that innovation, when well guided, really can change the rules of the game.
From orange and cactus to the future of leather: a timeline of milestones
Ohoskin® has come a long way in a short time. What started as a circular economy experiment is now a patented material, tested and validated for the most demanding sectors: fashion, automotive, yachting, and interior design.
📌 2020–2021
- International Patent
- First industrial partnerships
- Start of the industrialization and scalability process
📌 2022
- First series production
- Development and optimization of a non-fossil formulation
- First comparative tests show that Ohoskin® performs better than animal leather
- Launch of blockchain-enabled traceability
- Validation for the fashion sector and first market collections, our first sales: an emotional turning point.
- Trademark registration
📌 2023
- Carbon footprint analysis (we measure just how sustainable we are… and the results speak clearly)
- Passed automotive tests (Level C material) – after years of work and hundreds of trials, we made it
- Validation for furniture as well – we begin selling to major global brands: a testament to the versatility and strength of our solution
- First tranche of pre-seed round: €150,000 CDP Venture Capital believes in us and invests
- Unitary and European patent filing
- C14 analysis and transparency testing to validate the bio-based content
📌 2024
- Validation in the automotive and nautical sectors – and here we are, signing our first contracts in mobility
- Second tranche of pre-seed round (€150,000 more from CDP Venture Capital through the Female Entrepreneurship Fund)
- Development and validation of a new Bio-Based resin product line
- New product catalogs and technical dossiers, 18 products now in our portfolio
- We close the financial year with a positive EBITDA
Ohoskin® now counts 2 active patents, international clients, and continuous growth
A community of innovators who brought us here
Ohoskin® is what it is today thanks to those who believed in us from the very beginning. A special thanks goes to our clients who have chosen (and will continue to choose) us, and to the visionary brands that brought our material to the world. Thank you for sharing the challenge of building a more conscious version of luxury.
A huge thank you also to the incubators and accelerators who ignited our spark and supported us along the way: Motor Valley Accelerator, Unicredit StartLab, Intesa Up2Start, Murate Idea Park, Le Village, Joule, and La Carica delle 101. And to the banks that supported our early investments in technology. Without your support, vision, and courage, we wouldn’t be here to tell this story.
And finally, thank you to all the people who work and have worked with us: team members, external collaborators, consultants, technical and industrial partners. Each one left a piece of their heart in this project. And we left a piece of our orange heart with them.
From startup to SME: what it really means
Becoming an SME means many things. It means industrial maturity, financial solidity, bigger structures but also the responsibility to keep growing without losing our soul. Ohoskin® has grown, but remains true to its mission: to create value and beauty from what the world discards, to change a piece of the future by offering a credible alternative to animal leather.
Today we blow out a symbolic candle, but under the hood, our engines are running fast: new markets, new products, new investments. We’re writing the next chapter of a story that’s only just begun.
What’s next?
If you’ve read this far, maybe you’re a startup dreaming of becoming an SME. Or maybe you’re an investor looking for concrete, scalable, patented innovation. Or perhaps you’re a designer, a brand, a company ready to choose a material that’s not only sustainable but also tells a real story.
In any case, welcome to the world of Ohoskin®.
Today we celebrate. Tomorrow, we build again.
Happy birthday, Ohoskin®.
The best is yet to come.
