Actress Natalie Portman has become a strategic partner and investor in American biomaterials company UNCAGED Innovations, joining its $7.9 million funding round. The company is developing ELEVATE, an alternative to animal leather made predominantly from plant-based raw materials, specifically proteins derived from grain crop by-products. By design, ELEVATE is meant to replace natural leather across several industries — from fashion to the automotive sector — making the project one of the notable ones in the sustainable materials segment.

What ELEVATE Is and How the Material Works

UNCAGED's technology is based on the use of structural proteins from grain by-products, which are combined with other biomaterials. The result is a fibrous structure that mimics the properties of collagen in natural leather. A key advantage is tunability: the material can be adapted in thickness, texture, color, strength, and flexibility for a specific application. According to the company, ELEVATE is 99% plant- and naturally derived and holds a range of certifications and assessments, including USDA BioPreferred, FSC Certified Materials, and PETA Approved Vegan; the environmental characteristics, as stated by UNCAGED, were evaluated using life cycle analysis (LCA).

Environmental Impact: The Company's Figures

Compared with traditional leather, UNCAGED claims that ELEVATE reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 95%, water consumption by 89%, and energy use by 71%. Importantly, these figures are provided by the company itself based on internal LCA analysis and certifications, not an independent audit, so they should be regarded as developer-stated benchmarks rather than third-party-verified results.

Scaling and Partnerships in 2026

In 2026, the company is moving to expand production and availability of the material. In June, UNCAGED announced a partnership with the European platform Substanz, which is set to help independent brands and designers gain access to ELEVATE and integrate it into production. In parallel, the development has already attracted attention from the automotive industry: the company previously reported a collaboration with Hyundai CRADLE on using a plant-based leather alternative in cars.

Portman: From Activism to Direct Investment

For Portman, this project is a logical continuation of her long-standing work at the intersection of fashion, ethics, and animal welfare. The actress now not only publicly advocates for moving away from animal leather but also invests in a technology that attempts to solve one of the main problems in the vegan leather segment — the reliance of many alternatives on synthetic materials. Thus, the bet is on a biomaterial with stated low carbon and water footprints, capable of competing in the fashion and automotive segments, rather than on a marketing substitute.