altM Turning Agricultural Waste into Sustainable Biomaterials

altM is an innovative Bengaluru-based startup founded in 2022 by Apoorv Garg and Yugal Raj Jain, aimed at transforming agricultural residues into high-performance biomaterials. With their shared background in engineering and manufacturing—sharpened at Tesla—the founders envisioned a scalable solution to combat industrial reliance on unsustainable materials.

At the core of altM’s approach lies the use of lignocellulosic biomass—such as rice straw, sugarcane bagasse, and other crop residues—as raw material. Leveraging a proprietary thermochemical process, they efficiently deconstruct this biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin components. Each component is then refined into valuable products like rheology modifiers (for cosmetics), gut-health ingredients, and formaldehyde-free industrial adhesives.

Their model embodies a circular economy: diverting agro-waste that would otherwise contribute to air pollution or landfilling, and converting it into safer, eco-conscious alternatives for industries like cosmetics, packaging, FMCG, and construction. By avoiding harsh chemicals and high-temperature processing, altM’s technology remains energy-efficient and gentle on the environment.

To bring their vision to life, altM raised seed funding in 2023, enabling the establishment of a pilot production unit to scale their innovations. Their immediate goal is to validate their technology with early customers and expand toward commercial manufacturing by the end of 2026.

With deep expertise in supply chain engineering, practical know-how in large-scale manufacturing, and a focus on execution, altM is well-positioned to bridge the gap between laboratory breakthroughs and industrial impact. The company aims not just to replace petrochemical-based materials—but to offer biomaterial solutions that are competitive in performance, cost, and sustainability.

As awareness of clean and circular materials grows globally, altM stands at the forefront—turning agricultural waste into opportunity, and contributing meaningfully to the future of sustainable materials.