UK-based Mater-AI, a deeptech startup pioneering AI-powered materials innovation, has secured £1.5 million in pre-seed funding to tackle one of energy’s most persistent inefficiencies: wasted heat. The round was led by Twin Path Ventures, with participation from Mishcon de Reya, One Planet Capital, XTX Ventures, the Conception X Angel Syndicate, Koro Capital, and Tailored Solutions.
Over 70% of global energy—worth more than $152 billion annually—is lost as waste heat in industries ranging from data centers to heavy manufacturing. Mater-AI is developing a new platform to design high-performance thermoelectric materials that can transform heat into electricity or provide cooling without refrigerants. Using a combination of AI and physics-based modelling, the platform can evaluate 100 material structures per hour—accelerating discovery by up to 438 times compared to conventional R&D.
Founded by Dr. Nickel Blankevoort (CEO), Gatleen Bhambra (COO), and Chelsea Williams (CTO), the startup leverages Dr. Blankevoort’s research at the University of Warwick in quantum nanoelectronics and thermoelectrics. “Our mission is simple: make heat useful again,” Bhambra explained. “We want data centers, electric vehicles, and industrial systems to reclaim wasted energy and power themselves.”
Thermoelectrics convert heat directly into electricity without moving parts, making them highly durable and maintenance-free. Mater-AI initially targets defence, automotive, and industrial IoT applications, where recovering heat could unlock £3.4–4.6 billion in new market value. Laboratory testing of AI-designed thermoelectric materials is set to begin in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and the Henry Royce Institute.
Dr. Bhambra emphasizes the team’s rapid progress: “We built our discovery engine in six months with a small team. The AI continually refines itself with lab results, accelerating the path to commercially viable materials.” Dr. Jack Broad, the company’s founding AI scientist, ensures the platform’s predictive accuracy, while industry leaders, including Dr. Edward Grant, provide rigorous validation.
Nick Slater, Partner at Twin Path Ventures, commented: “Mater-AI is addressing a fundamental bottleneck in the energy transition. Their AI discovery engine could unlock applications that harvest waste heat in extreme environments, from sensors to vehicles and defence systems.”
Editorial View:
The potential of Mater-AI lies not just in materials discovery but in creating a systemic shift in energy efficiency. The company’s modular AI platform allows it to focus on thermoelectrics today while remaining adaptable for other material classes in the future. If its technology reaches the predicted efficiency gains, it could halve the cost of energy recovery, providing an economically compelling alternative to incumbent solutions.
Moreover, Mater-AI exemplifies the growing trend of AI-enabled deeptech, where non-technical founders like Gatleen Bhambra play a critical role in translating highly specialized science into commercially viable solutions. Their combined expertise—technical, operational, and commercial—positions the company to address an urgent global challenge: the efficient use of energy in a warming world.
The startup’s early traction with investors, despite minimal product validation at the outset, reflects both the novelty of its approach and the strategic foresight of its founding team. The rapid acceleration from concept to laboratory testing illustrates the scalability and adaptability of AI-driven materials research, marking Mater-AI as one of the most promising players in sustainable energy innovation.
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