// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Kerecis skin say? I'm fish-ing for a match.
 | |
| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Medical devices Biotechnology |
| Founded | 2009 in Ísafjörður, Iceland |
| Founder | Gudmundur Fertram Sigurjonsson |
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Fertram Sigurjonsson (CEO)[1][2] |
| Products | Omega3 Wound MariGen GraftGuide SurgiBind/SurgiClose Shield Kerecis VET |
| Revenue | 25,492,874 euro (2021)  |
Number of employees | 630 (2025) |
| Parent | Coloplast |
| Subsidiaries | Kerecis AG |
| Website | kerecis |
Kerecis is an Icelandic company that develops wound care and tissue regeneration products derived from the decellularized skin of the Atlantic cod.[3] The company is headquartered in Ísafjörður, in the Westfjords of northwest Iceland, and has subsidiaries in Switzerland and the United States.[4][5]
History
[edit]
Kerecis was founded by chemist Gudmundur Fertram Sigurjonsson, who began entrepreneurial projects in the medical device field in 2007 after returning to Iceland.[6] Drawing on his prior experience in human-tissue repair and his youth in the fishing village of Ísafjörður, Sigurjonsson developed the concept of using fish skin to heal damaged human tissue.[7] He observed in 2009 that the skin of the fish and qualities, which are similar to those of human skin, expedited the latter's regeneration, particularly in the case of acute or chronic wounds.[8][9] Based on his discovery, he founded Kereceis in 2013.[10]
In 2012, Kerecis Omega3 Wound received its first CE mark in Europe.[11] In November 2013, Kerecis received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell MariGen Omega3, a decellularized intact fish-skin product, for the treatment of chronic wounds, including diabetic, vascular, and other hard-to-heal wounds.[12][13]
In 2015, Kerecis received a grant from the United States Department of Defense to adapt its products for burn and blast injuries, and the company transferred its sales and marketing head office to the Washington, D.C. area. In September 2016, the FDA cleared Kerecis Omega3 SecureMesh, a regenerative surgical mesh developed in collaboration with the Office of Naval Research, for use in lung, bariatric, gastric, colorectal, and other surgeries.[13][14] In the same year, Kerecis established headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.[15]
In February 2019, Kerecis acquired the Swiss life science company Phytoceuticals AG, subsequently renamed it as Kerecis AG.[15] In April 2019, Kerecis closed a US$16 million Series C equity financing, with Laurene Powell Jobs' Emerson Collective among the investors, and later expanded the round to a US$21 million total with additional capital from Silicon Valley Bank and existing investors..[16][17]
In 2020, Kerecis received an award given by Vaxtarsprotinn, a joint project of the Confederation of Icelandic Industries, the Confederation of Start-up Companies, Icelandic Research Center, and Reykjavík University.[10]
In October 2021, the FDA cleared Kerecis Omega3 SurgiBind, an implantable fish-skin graft for plastic and reconstructive surgery.[18] In July 2022, Kerecis completed a US$100 million Series D financing led by Kirkbi, the family holding company of the Kirk Kristiansen family that owns The Lego Group, valuing the company at US$620 million.[19]
In July 2023, Coloplast announced an agreement to acquire Kerecis for up to US$1.3 billion, consisting of an upfront cash payment of US$1.2 billion and an earnout potential of up to US$100 million.[20] The acquisition was completed on August 31, 2023, making Kerecis Iceland's first unicorn company.[21]
In December 2024, Kerecis transferred its intellectual property rights to Coloplast in a transaction generating an estimated 40 billion ISK (US$285 million) in tax payments to the Icelandic treasury, payable over a seven-year period.[22][23]
In 2025, a bald eagle in Wisconsin named "Kere" was rehabilitated using Kerecis veterinary fish-skin grafts in the first documented use of the technology on the species.[24]
Operations
[edit]Kerecis develops, manufactures, and distributes intact fish-skin medical devices that support soft tissue regeneration in the body, with U.S. federal and European regulatory clearance. The technology uses the decellularized skin of Atlantic cod caught in the North Atlantic off Iceland's northwest coast, which is processed in Ísafjörður using renewable energy.[13]
Kerecis is a member of the Iceland Ocean Cluster and a participant in the cluster's 100% Fish Project, which seeks to develop high-value products from byproducts of the country's cod fishery.[25][26] The company conducts medical research with the United States Armed Forces and supplies grafts to branches of the U.S. military for the treatment of burn and blast wounds.[8][27]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Kerecis allt að 30 milljarða króna virði". Morgunblaðið.
- ↑ "Kerecis bíður færis á yfirtökum". Fréttablaðið.
- ↑ Hannan, Daniel (October 25, 2020). "Taking back control of fishing could be an enormous growth opportunity for Britain". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ "Ólafur Ragnar kominn í stjórn Kerecis". Fréttablaðið.
- ↑ "Tekjur Kerecis þrefaldist og verði þrír milljarðar". Fréttablaðið.
- ↑ "The Cod That Became A Unicorn: How Kerecis Turned Leftover Fish Skin Into A Billion-Dollar Idea". The Reykjavík Grapevine. March 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Kerecis Fish Skin Graft Technology Revolutionizes Tissue Regeneration". WIPO. December 22, 2025.
- 1 2 "Dans le poisson islandais, rien ne se perd, tout se transforme". Le Monde. October 16, 2021.
- ↑ "Biotech Company Kerecis to Be Listed Abroad". Iceland Monitor.
- 1 2 "Kerecis valið Vaxtarsproti ársins". Morgunblaðið.
- ↑ "Kerecis Ltd. :: Medtech Insight".
- ↑ "Using Fish Skin to Heal Wounds". Iceland Monitor.
- 1 2 3 "Fish Skin for Human Wounds: Iceland's Pioneering Treatment". Bloomberg Businessweek.
- ↑ "Alaska's seafood industry by the numbers, plus fish skin's medical applications and antibiotics in Chilean salmon". Anchorage Daily News.
- 1 2 Lake, Sydney (January 25, 2021). "Arlington biotech company names CFO".
- ↑ "Ólafur Ragnar í stjórn Kerecis". Fréttablaðið.
- ↑ "Emerson Collective eignast hlut i Kerecis". Fréttablaðið.
- ↑ "FDA Approves Kerecis' Implantable Fish-Skin Product". Iceland Monitor.
- ↑ "Lego Billionaires Invest in Fish-Skin Biotech From Iceland". Bloomberg.
- ↑ "Ein stærstu kaup Íslandssögunnar". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 7 July 2023. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ↑ "Kerecis becomes Iceland's first Unicorn after being acquired by Coloplast for up to $1.3 billion". Northstack. July 7, 2023.
- ↑ "Kerecis pays $285 million in taxes to Iceland from intellectual property transfer". ArcticToday. February 7, 2025.
- ↑ "Iceland's first startup unicorn Kerecis turns state deficit into surplus". ArcticToday. February 24, 2026.
- ↑ "Wisconsin Bald Eagle Saved by Unique Treatment". Urban Milwaukee. July 22, 2025.
- ↑ "Iceland's Quest to Use 100 Percent of Its Fish Waste". Hakai Magazine. July 19, 2023.
- ↑ "A Circular Economy for Fish? These Icelandic Companies Have a Plan". Civil Eats. February 26, 2024.
- ↑ Torrance, Jack (June 24, 2018). "Iceland: From crisis to hotspot, 10 years on from the financial crisis". The Telegraph.