WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — May 27, 2025 — Renaissance Fiber (RF), the nation’s first manufacturer of hemp fiber for textiles, announced an investment from Equilibrium Impact Ventures (EQIV). This first investment will fund the initial phase of RF’s state-of-the-art fiber refining infrastructure in Mocksville, N.C. This is a crucial step towards integrating domestically grown hemp into the US and global textile supply chains.
The new Mocksville facility will utilize RF’s proprietary, clean processes to refine US-grown hemp fiber. This process prepares the fiber for blending with cotton and other textile fibers, creating a high quality textile input that improves performance. The $75,000 investment is key to scaling these operations, strengthening a transparent farm-to-fabric supply chain that guarantees traceability from American farm to finished apparel.
Processing hemp into a textile fiber compatible with existing cotton machinery — a process known as “cottonization” — has presented significant challenges. Conventional methods require chemistry that is dangerous for workers and water supplies, which has made it unfeasible to do in the US. Renaissance Fiber overcomes these through a state-of-the-art approach combining clean degumming, with precise refining to control fiber length, fineness, and surface quality. This represents a breakthrough for short-staple hemp, unlocking hemp’s potential as a true plug-and-play fiber for textiles.
“This investment from Equilibrium Impact Ventures is crucial for launching the initial phase of our infrastructure buildout in Mocksville, ” said Daniel Yohannes, CEO and co-founder of Renaissance Fiber. “For the first time, we can scale our process to integrate degummed hemp as a versatile fiber into U.S. and global textile production. By building this advanced refining capacity here in North Carolina, we are not just enabling sustainable, domestic fiber production — we are creating vital new opportunities for American farmers and manufacturers to lead the global shift towards eco-friendly textiles.”
“This is an exciting investment for Equilibrium Impact Ventures because not only are we supporting a company that is making the planet more sustainable, but we are able to continue to prove our Fund thesis that the gaps in the funding landscape can be closed with the help of Foundations and Philanthropic dollars,” stated Kasem Rodriguez Mohsen, General Partner. My Partners [Dr. Shante Williams and Adrian Smith] and I recognize that growing businesses face many challenges; however, some challenges can be easily removed by deploying capital quickly, strategically and in a patient enough way that businesses are allowed to achieve the positive outcomes that help make both of our bottom lines sustainable. Renaissance Fiber is a US manufacturer of the future.”
Posted: May 27, 2025
Source: Renaissance Fiber (RF)
