With the ambition of innovating environmental sustainability, ecorbio is a chemical engineering research-based start-up that reduces dependence on fossil fuels in industrial manufacturing processes. ecorbio began in December 2020, based in Nicosia, Cyprus. The inspiration for it, however, was planted many years before.
Born in Panevėžys, Lithuania, Lukas Jasiūnas spent his formative years on a farm in a remote village, which sowed an intrinsic appreciation for nature and the environment. At the same time, he was exposed to technology through his father, who often worked on repairing motorcycles, cars, and bicycles.
“[Technology] is something that enhances the human experience. You can be kind of superhuman using technology. You can become stronger. You can become efficient at solving problems,” Jasiūnas said. “It opened my mind to thinking ambitiously. It helped me to think bigger and aim higher.”
This sparked a fascination within him to study engineering at school, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at VIA University College in Denmark, as well as a master’s in thermal engineering at Aalborg University. While living in these bigger cities, he felt drawn back to his home and his roots in environmentalism.
“Sustainability was on the top of my mind during my final years at school,” Jasiūnas admitted. “[Growing] up on a farm…that really imprinted closeness to nature inside of me. It felt like I [was] missing that connection. It made sense then to work towards that.”
As a result, Jasiūnas worked to achieve his doctorate in philosophy at Kaunas University of Technology. Through exploration within energy, material, and chemical sustainability, he discovered the potential of waste-derived biopolyol: renewable natural oil polyols used to manufacture polyurethane, a polymeric material with many industrial applications.
After a decade of study, passion, and hard-work, ecorbio was finally established.
“I feel this drive, and I’m good at seeing problems. I feel this intrinsic drive to improve whatever it is,” Jasiūnas said. “These social issues, environmental issues, that’s something that needs to be solved in my opinion. We have the collective capacity to do it, it was more about how do I do this?”
Since co-founding ecorbio, Jasiūnas faced many challenges, specifically in bringing his idea to scale in the world through social enterprise. He credits much of his progress to his co-founder, Panayiotis Philimis, a serial entrepreneur and angel investor.
“The final step from technology into the real world seemed like the tricky part to me. What got me up to speed the quickest was my business partner, my co-founder,” Jasiūnas said. “We’re so different, which actually helps. We bounce ideas off of each other and think of things very differently.”
From navigating his personal journey in environmental science to the footfalls in running a social enterprise, Jasiūnas remains humble in his commitment to continue learning. Through fellowships like Yunus & Youth, start-up accelerators, and conversation with others, he learned the importance of perspective from others, especially when overwhelmed by decisions and problems.
“I can really get lost in [a big challenge]. But once I consult with someone who’s either been there already or has different opportunities at hand, they might see it completely differently,” Jasiūnas said. “I was so in my head that I didn’t even consider that [there] might be an option C or D out there. These perspectives can really spark novel solutions or inspire extra motivation.”
Since their founding, ecorbio has launched their full-scale tests and proven reliability in developing biopolypol plants via direct chemical upcycling of biomass byproducts. Their chemical production process is patent-pending, based on direct chemical upcycling and valorization.
“It’s still a journey for me to try and find a niche where I can have the most impact…I’m self-conscious and love to criticize myself, so there’s not very many of those moments [of pride],” Jasiūnas said. “When we see that something works or if we hit a benchmark or collaborate with partners, that’s very rewarding, but what I fixate on is, ‘What’s next?’”
For the future, ecorbio plans to implement biopolypol plants in the Mediterranean region, followed by all of Europe. Jasiūnas hopes to not only improve efficiency and innovation, but also avoid a major pitfall of many failed start-ups: becoming stuck in their own ideas.
“I want there to be more of a platform for creativity, ideas, and implementation, like a well-oiled machine that can identify opportunities and not get stuck working on the same thing, just because we’ve done it for ten years,” Jasiūnas said. “I hope that this first approach will be like a springboard for building a team that has that belief, talent, and motivation to do many other things.”
Jasiūnas’ work in sustainable chemistry is innovative, novel, and inspiring, but it is clear that his story is far from over. His inherent commitment to making the world a better place through environment sustainability reminds us all of the power of purpose-driven innovation.
