Building on the Midwest's Foundation: Kemvera at Co_Invest Climate 2026

Why the next chapter of bio-based manufacturing starts in the heartland

Kemvera CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Chern-Hooi Lim recently pitched at Co_Invest Climate 2026, the annual flagship event hosted by Evergreen Climate Innovations in Chicago.

Co_Invest Climate showcases climate technology startups from across the Greater Midwest. It brings founders together with investors, corporate partners, and ecosystem leaders who are backing the region's climate economy.

The Midwest advantage

The Midwest already has much of what bio-based manufacturing needs to scale:

• Abundant feedstock: The region grows a large share of the nation's agricultural products, especially corn.

• Established ethanol production: Bioethanol plants are already operating at commercial scale across the region.

• A deep agricultural supply chain: Logistics, storage, and processing infrastructure are already in place.
  

That foundation means new bio-based chemical production doesn't have to start from scratch. It can plug into infrastructure and supply chains that are already built and have been refined over decades.

Kemvera's approach

In his pitch, Chern shared how Kemvera is building on that foundation. We convert U.S. bioethanol into drop-in chemicals such as bio-acetic acid and bio-ethyl acetate, giving manufacturers a domestically produced, bio-based and lower-carbon alternative to fossil-based chemicals without changing their processes.

For ethanol producers, it opens a new, higher-value market. For chemical buyers, it means more  reliable domestic supply. For the region, it means a greater share of the value from Midwest crops stays in the Midwest.

Evergreen Climate Innovations provided an important space to discuss this and more topics important to the companies building the Midwest's climate economy.

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