At a glance
Publicly launched: 2021
Headquarters: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Technology: Artificial intelligence–aided development of catalysts to produce high-volume chemicals
Founders: Jacob Grose and Aruna Ramkrishnan
Funding or notable partners: $10 million from investors including Breakout Ventures, Future Ventures, Engine Ventures, and Innospark Ventures
Jacob Grose had spent 15 years in the chemical industry, including 9 at the chemical giant BASF, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. During the lockdown, he began to feel the entrepreneurial itch. When he started scouting for ideas, he didn’t have to look very far.
“I was thinking a lot about how to make the most impact on the chemical industry at large,” Grose says. “Manufacturing of major industrial chemicals requires catalysts.” As a trained physicist, he was intrigued by the idea of using computation for materials discovery. He decided to apply the approach to developing catalysts.
