Kaumera is a material made from wastewater treatment and has shown promising characteristic as a flame retardant. In this research report we aimed to bridge the gap between academia and commerce by analysing the potential of Kaumera using a generalised framework of Sustainable Business Model Innovation and the Lean Startup Methodology. The named models were researched through the method of research through design. Using the SBMI framework of Bocken (2019) a startup was proposed and compared to the Lean Startup Methodology. As defined by the SBMI framework, the symbiotic dependencies were identified to be the producers of Kaumera, the clients of the company, the IP owners, academics involved and potential partners. The neutral dependency is related to legislation and legislative bodies, and the competitive dependency are competitors. Furthermore, it was analysed how the assumptions could be validated by the company for the early-stage, scaling and diversification and internationalisation phases of the company.
The results found that Kaumera is a feasible flame retardant both in a commercial and sustainability perspective. It was found that the SMBI framework focusses too much on the sustainability aspect to be truly a viable Business Model approach for startups and does not allow for flexible and adjustable business strategies. For this reason, a combination with the Lean methodology can be applied to overcome the shortcomings of the SBMI framework. This research report shows that the Lean methodology complements the aspects of SBMI which are not suited for startups. This research report therefore suggests the use of a framework based on Lean incorporating generalised aspects of SBMI as an effective and flexible sustainable business model for startups.