Agreka Build: Transforming Agricultural Waste into Building Materials for a Net Zero Future
Agreka Build – Top 5 Startup Wheel 2026 – International Track – offers a fresh perspective on building materials, where agricultural waste is not the end of the line but the starting point for a new, more sustainable value chain.
When Agricultural Waste Becomes a New Resource
The construction industry faces a growing demand for high-performance materials that can also reduce environmental impact. Meanwhile, agriculture generates large quantities of by-products that remain underutilized.
Agreka Build sees an opportunity at the intersection of these two challenges.
According to the brand story shared by the company, Agreka Build aims to decarbonize the construction and agricultural sectors by transforming waste wheat straw into innovative insulation materials. This solution addresses the construction industry’s growing demand for Net Zero-oriented materials that do not rely on petroleum-derived chemicals, while also supporting farmers in transitioning toward a circular agricultural model.
Rather than treating agricultural by-products as the end of a production cycle, Agreka Build approaches them as resources capable of creating new value.
This is also the foundation of the company’s story: sustainable materials do not necessarily have to come from new resources. They can begin with what we currently throw away.
From Wheat Straw to Sustainable Building Materials
At the heart of Agreka Build’s technology is wheat straw composite, a material developed to create bio-based insulation solutions for the construction industry.
This approach gives agricultural by-products a new lifecycle, transforming materials once considered waste into valuable resources for construction.
According to Agreka Build, its goal is to develop innovative insulation materials from waste wheat straw, helping meet the construction industry’s demand for Net Zero-oriented solutions that reduce dependence on petroleum-based materials.
This is about more than simply replacing one material with another.
Behind this solution lies a different approach to the value chain: agriculture supplies the raw materials, material technology creates new value, and construction becomes the sector where these resources continue to serve a purpose within a more sustainable lifecycle.
Agreka Build – Connecting Construction and Agriculture in a Circular System
One of Agreka Build’s defining approaches is its vision of bringing construction and agriculture together within a single sustainable ecosystem. Rather than treating agricultural by-products as waste after harvest, the company seeks to repurpose them as raw materials for building products, extending the lifecycle of resources and reducing reliance on conventional construction materials. Its mission is to revolutionize the construction industry through sustainable, high-performance building materials made from agricultural waste, simultaneously reducing environmental impact, supporting rural economies, and advancing Net Zero ambitions. For Agreka Build, the materials of the future must not only be environmentally responsible but also meet the practical demands of the construction industry. This combination of material innovation, performance, and carbon reduction defines the company’s distinctive approach.
A Multidisciplinary Team – The Foundation for Sustainable Material Innovation
Behind this vision is a deep connection to agriculture and local communities. According to the company, many team members grew up in families with agricultural backgrounds, helping shape their philosophy of responsible resource use and restoring balance to the built environment. To address challenges spanning agriculture, materials, construction, and the environment, Agreka Build brings together expertise in architecture, regenerative design, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, environmental chemical engineering, materials science, and sustainable manufacturing. Among its team members, Dr. Vu Viet Dung, Co-Founder & Advisor, is identified as an expert in sustainable fiber materials and the inventor of wheat straw composite. The R&D team also brings expertise in environmental chemical engineering and biomass-derived carbon materials. This multidisciplinary approach enables the company to advance material innovation from technical, environmental, manufacturing, and social perspectives, ensuring that technology remains connected to real-world needs.
From Material Innovation to Recognition Across the Global Innovation Ecosystem
Agreka Build’s long-term ambition extends beyond bringing a new product to market. The company seeks to change how resources are perceived and used through a circular economy model. Wheat straw is a clear example: an agricultural by-product can become an input for the materials value chain, contribute to the built environment, and generate value throughout a new lifecycle.
This approach has received recognition from various innovation programs and organizations. According to the company’s website, Agreka Build won Futurebuild’s Big Innovation Pitch Award 2025, received the Innovate UK Smart Grant 2024, earned the Founder 50 Award 2024 from Central Saint Martins, UAL, won first place in Imperial College London’s Climate Entrepreneur Pre-Accelerator Program 2024, and received the Royce’s Industrial Collaboration Program 2025 award. The company also won the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition UK North.
These milestones highlight Agreka Build’s potential in climate innovation, the circular economy, and sustainable construction, where waste from one sector can become a valuable resource for another.
Agreka Build – Top 5 Startup Wheel 2026, International Track
At Startup Wheel 2026, Agreka Build secured a place among the Top 5 startups in the International Track, joining international ventures competing in the program’s final round.
Startup Wheel 2026 followed more than five months of international outreach, selection, and ecosystem engagement. This year’s edition attracted 2,458 projects from 28 countries, alongside more than 80 domestic and international partners. Agreka Build’s inclusion in the International Track Top 5 brings its story of transforming agricultural waste into building materials to a multinational startup ecosystem, where technological solutions and innovative business models are evaluated for their potential to deliver tangible impact.
For Agreka Build, the answer lies in material innovation. By combining agricultural resources, material technology, and circular economy principles, the company is pursuing an approach that aims to address the challenges facing both the construction and agricultural sectors.
