A'Pelago Pitch Challenge Winners in Turku: NIDO, the Chilean Startup Aiming to Replace Concrete with Algae and Desert Bacteria
With roots in Chile and Spain, Loretxu García and Karina Gómez won the A'Pelago Pitch Challenge in Finland. In an interview with Entreprenerd, they explain why they are targeting the Nordic countries, how their algae-based hydrogel panel works, and when the technology could reach Chilean homes.
November 2026. The construction industry has been using essentially the same ingredients for more than a century. That was the realization Loretxu García came to after years of managing construction projects in Chile, Colombia, Spain, and Poland.
That insight led to the creation of NIDO, a research and development startup focused on biomaterials designed to reduce costs and the environmental impact of the construction industry.
Together with her business partner Karina Gómez, NIDO's co-founder and Head of Science, García won first place at the A'Pelago Pitch Challenge 2026, held in Turku, Finland. The achievement earned the startup a place in the Turku Startup Prize final and access to Slush 2026 through the accelerator's Blue Economy program.
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A Bold Question: The Ingredients, Not the Recipe
Loretxu previously ran her own construction company. Over time, she began to suspect that the industry's fundamental problem was not how buildings were constructed, but what they were made of.
"I realized that the problem wasn't in the construction systems — the dishes, so to speak — but in the ingredients," she explains. "We're missing ingredients in construction, and the ones we have are practically the same as those used centuries ago."
The idea took shape during her pregnancy. She began thinking about the human body as a living system capable of regulating temperature, sound, and protection for the person inside it.
Why couldn't the materials used to build a house work in a similar way?
When she first shared the idea with engineers, they thought she was crazy. A year later, she recalls, the concept no longer seemed so far-fetched.
The scientific answer came through Karina Gómez, a biochemist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile with experience in the circular economy, recycling, and carbon credits.
The two met at a conference and, according to both, it was "love at first sight."
Karina brought her own conviction to the project: building materials should be alive and capable of interacting with their surroundings.
"She throws a stone, and I send it back like a volcano," Loretxu says, describing the dynamic between them.
An Algae-Based Hydrogel for Timber Construction
NIDO's first product is a panel containing macroalgae and water, essentially a hydrogel enclosed within a building panel.
Its purpose is to provide timber construction with three properties that currently rely heavily on carbon-intensive materials: thermal mass, acoustic insulation, and fire resistance.
Karina explains that the water contained in the hydrogel helps regulate indoor temperatures, potentially reducing energy consumption in homes.
Loretxu highlights another important feature: the panel is dense.
"When you touch the wall, it feels solid," she explains, contrasting it with lightweight construction systems that sound hollow and are often perceived as lower quality.
The goal is not simply to make timber construction slightly better.
"The idea is to provide the same properties as concrete, but without the concrete," she says.
In other words, timber would provide the structural framework, while NIDO's panels would contribute thermal and acoustic mass, creating a construction system capable of competing with concrete.
Why the Nordics? Regulations, Timber, and the Blue Economy
NIDO was founded in Chile, but its commercial strategy is focused on Europe.
The reason is practical: European environmental regulations are significantly stricter than those in Chile and create incentives for builders to adopt lower-impact materials.
In a conservative industry, where established materials have been on the market for 50 to 100 years, matching technical performance and price is not enough when introducing something new.
NIDO is targeting the Nordic countries — Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark — as well as Germany and Austria, because of their strong timber construction industries and growing interest in the Blue Economy, which is closely linked to NIDO's raw materials.
Finland plays a particularly important role.
"Architects there are trendsetters. If something works in Finland, it can work in other markets," Loretxu explains.
The founders also received a warm welcome in Turku.
They arrived at the A'Pelago final with their daughters, joking that they had broken every Finnish protocol.
Karina recalls that the jury particularly appreciated the authenticity of Loretxu's presentation. The event also opened the door to new conversations and potential collaborations within the local innovation ecosystem.
Their participation ultimately earned them first place in the A'Pelago Pitch Challenge.
"We Want Producing Our Panels to Be Better for the Planet Than Not Producing Them"
NIDO's environmental ambition goes beyond reducing emissions.
"What we want is for producing the panel to be better for the planet than not producing it. And that's a powerful statement. We don't just want it to be harmless," Loretxu says.
Karina explains how the company intends to achieve that goal.
"Our material acts as a sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide," she says.
Algae absorb CO₂ to produce biomass. They also absorb nitrogen and phosphorus, nutrients that can contribute to eutrophication in marine ecosystems.
For this reason, Karina argues that cultivating the raw materials can provide an ecosystem service.
To demonstrate this impact, NIDO is working with the University of Zurich on measurement methodologies and developing a project in the Faroe Islands to track how much carbon the algae absorb and how their cultivation contributes to the regeneration of marine flora and fauna.
The company's objective is to ensure that the biogenic carbon captured by the algae remains stored throughout the panel's life cycle.
Through an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), NIDO hopes to demonstrate that its material can be recognized as carbon-negative and regenerative.
Karina also explains that the company plans to present a proposal at a global conference in India advocating for measurement standards that recognize the environmental contributions of marine-based biomaterials.
Desert Bacteria and the Road Back to Chile
NIDO has a second project underway: using the same hydrogel as a habitat for extremophile bacteria from Chile's Atacama Desert.
These microorganisms can generate and absorb heat, potentially enabling the development of a natural climate-control system.
The initiative involves patented technology and partners including the University of Cambridge and Wageningen University in the Netherlands. The founders have also held discussions with Japanese air-conditioning giant Daikin.
There are plans for Chile as well.
Loretxu says NIDO is in talks with Tecnofast and Arauco about incorporating its panels into timber construction projects.
The company is also collaborating with Huiro Regenerativo, a startup focused on seaweed cultivation, and with one of the world's largest algae companies.
NIDO's laboratory remains in Chile, while the industrialization of its pilot project is progressing with support from a technology center in Santiago.
"We're keeping our feet firmly planted in Chile," Loretxu emphasizes.
Chilean Talent, Recognized Abroad
The conversation ended on an uncomfortable but recurring issue within Chile's entrepreneurial ecosystem: local talent often needs to succeed abroad before gaining recognition at home.
Loretxu puts it plainly:
"When people abroad recognize you, that's when we finally begin recognizing our own talent."
NIDO's entire team is Chilean, although some members live overseas.
Karina also sees Chile's geography as a competitive advantage.
The country is a "natural laboratory," with extreme ecosystems that offer unique opportunities to develop technologies capable of addressing climate change.
For both founders, this connection to nature is central to NIDO's identity.
Karina closes with a clear statement of purpose: the company wants to promote genuine sustainability, far removed from greenwashing.
It is also worth noting that Karina Gómez is a finalist for the Women in Tech Europe Awards in the "Most Disruptive Award" category. The ceremony will take place on November 20 at the French Senate in Paris.
Her nomination recognizes her work involving macroalgae, biotechnology, and biomaterials aimed at advancing decarbonization.
Where to find NIDO:
Website: https://nido.eco
LinkedIn: NIDO Contech