Join our online Q&A for nature-inspired startups about the Ray of Hope Accelerator. Ask anything about applications, program benefits, or The Biomimicry Institute.

We accelerate nature-inspired startups scaling environmental solutions. Ten global startups annually (Pre-seed to Series A) receive $15,000 non-dilutive funding and over $50,000 in services: mentoring, investor introductions, and a Nature Retreat. We foster founder growth and community, with 60+ successful companies in our portfolio.

Applications for the 2025 Cohort open March 2nd and close April 24th. Visit our website to learn more, including eligibility, criteria, and FAQs on the application page.

Join Tim McGee for a live conversation exploring how manufacturing and materials can draw inspiration from living systems. From self-healing fibers to future electronic systems, his work reveals how biology can spark a materials revolution, building resilience and reshaping our relationship with nature.

Tim, a resident at the Astera Institute, leads a lab pushing fiber manufacturing boundaries, inspired by nature's playbook. With over a decade of experience, he translates biological insights into real-world innovation, using biomimicry to connect science with future technologies.

Learn more: [Biomimicry Institute](https://biomimicry.org/), [AskNature](https://asknature.org/), [Community](https://biomimicry.org/community/). Connect on social: [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/biomimicryinstitute/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/biomimicryinstitute/).

Join author Erica Berry for a virtual gathering. Drawing from her acclaimed debut, *Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear*, Berry invites us to rewild our imaginations and reweave connections with the living world. She explores how inherited myths shape our understanding of wildness, fear, and belonging, encouraging us to listen differently to nature and guiding stories.

We'll consider biomimicry as a way of being, learning from nature's patterns to inspire healing, creativity, and renewal. This event offers space for reflection and reimagining our place within the web of life, welcoming all seekers of connection.

LEARN ABOUT BIOMIMICRY
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Biomimicry Community

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Explore critical questions like "What could possibly go right?" and "What does it mean to join the biomimicry movement?" in the "Thoughts in Three" segment. This short clip, part of "From a Meme to a Movement: 25 Years of Biomimicry," features Janine Benyus answering three insightful questions posed by Lex Amore.

Watch the full discussion with Janine Benyus and Lex Amore here. Learn more about the Biomimicry Institute and connect with us on social media: biomimicry.org, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

High schoolers Annika and Kellen addressed local flooding through the Youth Design Challenge, applying biomimicry principles. Studying mangroves and beaver dams, they engineered an Urban Floodwater Reduction System, earning 1st Place for their nature-inspired solution.

Their success highlights the impact of our MIMIC Curriculum, which has reached 12,000 students. We are expanding this program to provide more future innovators with biomimicry education and professional learning. Support our mission by donating today at http://www.biomimicry.org/donate.

Rob Gilson champions hands-on, real-world learning for all students. At Blue School, his model demonstrates how children become deeply invested in urgent issues, accelerating their learning within an expanding STEAM curriculum.

In this video, Rob shares the significant impact of the Biomimicry Youth Design Challenge on his students and highlights some of the innovative designs they created.

To explore the Challenge further, visit: http://youthchallenge.biomimicry.org

India's GreenPod Labs, an agricultural biotechnology startup, tackles food loss in developing nations. By mimicking nature's pest and fungal resistance in fruits and vegetables, they address both climate and societal problems.

GreenPod Labs is the proud recipient of the Ray of Hope Prize. Discover more about the program at biomimicry.org/rayofhopeprize/.

Explore further resources from the Biomimicry Institute: biomimicry.org/, asknature.org/, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Traditional surface finishing technologies, including chemical etching and sandblasting, often rely on ecologically harmful processes. Fusion Bionic offers a sustainable alternative with its Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) technology.

DLIP creates functional surface textures inspired by nature, mimicking structures found on lotus leaves and shark skin. This innovative approach earned Fusion Bionic recognition as a runner-up for the prestigious Ray of Hope Prize.

Learn more about the Ray of Hope Prize program, explore biomimicry and AskNature, or connect with the Biomimicry Institute on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Janine Benyus, the "Godmother of Biomimicry," advocates for humans to become a "welcome species" by designing settlements that give back to the planet. Through Biomimicry 3.8, she demonstrates how human environments can emulate nature's ecological gifts.

Benyus envisions cities functioning like forests—storing water, purifying air, cycling nutrients, and nurturing biodiversity. Her "Project Positive" initiatives prove this regenerative vision is achievable by asking, "What would Nature do here?" Discover more at biomimicry.net.

John Todd's lyrical exploration reveals essential ecological design principles, demonstrating how mimicking nature leads to breakthrough solutions. He shares insights from his award-winning eco-industrial park and strategies for purifying water bodies, from Lake Champlain to Venice. His natural sewage treatment systems utilize native plants to break down pollutants and produce clean water, aiming to evolve a holistic technological and social framework.

This talk was delivered at the 2002 Bioneers National Conference, part of the Ecological Design Collection, Vol. 1. Since 1990, Bioneers has served as a vital hub for social and scientific innovators, offering practical solutions for pressing environmental and social challenges.

For decades, scientists have warned of climate and biodiversity crises stemming from deforestation and fossil fuels, simultaneously developing nature-based solutions. Despite the urgency and available solutions, peer-reviewed climate science, including Dr. Simard's work informing forest climate solutions for western North America, faces widespread efforts to discredit it. Her talk will delve into the recent backlash she has experienced.

This keynote was delivered at the 2024 Bioneers Conference. To view other talks, visit http://www.bioneers.org.

The world's design challenges can often be addressed by copying nature, a concept known as biomimicry. Explore this idea further with 99% Invisible, an independent radio show by Roman Mars focusing on design and architecture. It began as a collaborative project between San Francisco's KALW and the American Institute of Architects.

For additional insights, download a biomimicry infographic here.

This environmental video essay explores biomimicry, examining how nature-inspired design extends beyond architecture and materials to foster better relationships, activism, and communities.

Drawing on adrienne maree brown's emergent strategy, the essay demonstrates how natural principles can guide us through a complex social world.

Support future videos via Patreon, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or email occ.climate@gmail.com. Download a biomimicry infographic here.

In a TEDxSingaporeWomen talk from March 18, 2013, Dr. Low Hong Yee explores Nano Imprint technology. This innovative field creates natural structures and textures, enabling applications such as chemical-free color.

A 2010 L'Oréal for Women in Science Fellowship recipient, Dr. Low aspires to industrialize her research. She currently leads an Industrial Consortium on Nanoimprint Technology. Discover more about her work here.

George Crombie, President of the American Public Works Association (APWA) and a senior faculty member at Norwich University, discussed key principles in an interview. He emphasized the importance of looking to nature (biomimicry), a multi-disciplined approach to problem-solving, applying cultural principles, visionary leadership, and acting for the common good.

Ruth Ann Barrett of EarthSayers.tv conducted the interview on July 28, 2011, during the APWA Sustainability in Public Works Conference in Portland, Oregon.

Janine Benyus urges inventors to look to nature for design solutions. She demonstrates how natural principles inspire innovative products—from waterproof materials to aerodynamic and solar-powered technologies—achieving spectacular results.

Presented on August 6, 2009, this talk highlights the power of biomimicry. Explore more at the Biomimicry Institute, TED.com, and TED's Top 10 Talks.