Communication
Founded, a publication in Switzerland, interviewed our startup about our origins and plans for the future. It all started with a frustrating surf trip to Biarritz, where our founders watched the seams of their expensive wetsuits fall apart within days with adhesive residue floating off into the ocean. That moment sparked a bigger question: why has the wetsuit market seen almost no innovation, while other sports categories like running shoes have advanced dramatically? And why does no real alternative exist to a material that harms both the environment and the athletes wearing it?
Billoba was founded in early 2025 by a team combining B2B expertise, material science, product development, and elite athletic experience. Together, we're developing a plant-based foamed rubber that functionally replaces PVC and neoprene, with a fraction of the environmental footprint. Unlike existing alternatives such as geoprene, which still relies on energy-intensive limestone processing and fossil fillers, our approach rethinks the entire formulation. We test in ZHAW labs, apply standardized performance benchmarks, and hold to one firm principle: a sustainable material that performs worse sets the whole movement back. We only ship solutions that match or beat the alternatives they replace.
Our material adapts across yoga, water sports, and beyond — even into Swiss watchmaking, where we're developing a sustainable compound for high-end watch straps. Backed by Innosuisse, Venture Kick, and the ZHAW, we go to market as a B2B licensing model, working directly with manufacturers and the brands that influence their material choices. The goal is simple: make the trade-off between performance and sustainability obsolete.
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