Dive Brief:
- Biomaterials startup Gozen has named a new CEO as it prepares for “its next stage of commercial growth,” the company said in a news release last week.
- Ece Gözen, the company’s co-founder, is stepping down from the CEO role to become chief innovation officer and creative director. In her place, Sedef Uncu Aki will become CEO.
- Uncu Aki was most recently the startup’s chief product officer, a role she’s held since January 2024. Prior to joining Gozen, she worked at denim brand Orta Anadolu and Bossa.
Dive Insight:
The leadership changes come a few months after the biomaterials company opened a 40,000-square-foot production facility in Turkey to expand the reach of Gozen’s leather alternative material Lunaform at scale.
The new leadership structure will support the ongoing rollout of Lunaform following the adoption of the material by brand partners Beymen Collection and Kering-owned Balenciaga, Gozen said in the release.
Gozen was founded in 2022, and it made its debut during Balenciaga’s Paris Fashion Week runway show in the fall of 2023.
The startup is now looking to deliver Lunaform across product industries in mass, premium and luxury segments, per the release.
Pelin Gözen, Gozen’s other co-founder and chief operating officer, will remain in her role and continue to lead the company’s product roadmap and operations.
Po Bronson, managing director of SOSV, a Gozen investor, said the new team structure gives the startup the ability to scale with focus and the ability to harness its creative capabilities, “exactly what’s needed to continue growing the adoption of Lunaform.”
Gozen’s other investors include Happiness Capital, Accelr8 and Astor Management.
