Mobius Materials, the B2B marketplace bringing liquidity and transparency to the semiconductor spot market, has successfully closed a $3 million Series Seed financing round. The investment will accelerate the development of its platform, which is designed to combat a $25 billion problem of waste and inefficiency plaguing global manufacturing, particularly amid ongoing geopolitical volatility and trade tariffs.
The funding round was led by Spero Ventures, an early-stage VC fund committed to purpose-led companies. Additional participants included Outsiders Fund and RefashionD Ventures, bringing deep expertise in sustainable and industrial supply chain solutions.
Neutralizing Supply Chain Shocks
The $600 billion semiconductor industry is one of the world’s most volatile, characterized by long supply chains, geopolitical tensions, and an opaque gray market. This volatility often leaves manufacturers with rigid purchasing models that result in either large stocks of unused, excess chips or critical shortages. Mobius Materials offers a solution by providing a safe, certified marketplace for contract manufacturers and OEMs to directly buy and sell excess electronic parts quickly, safely, and at true market prices.
For Margaret Upshur, Founder and CEO of Mobius Materials and a former supply chain executive, the mission is equally economic and environmental. She saw firsthand the waste generated when hundreds of thousands of dollars of new, unused chips were simply discarded.
“We’re building the first stock market for semiconductors so companies can finally buy and sell components the way they should: transparently, safely, and at true market prices,” says Upshur. “This raise and our partnership with Spero Ventures will help us scale our marketplace so supply-chain teams can achieve real liquidity in an industry that’s been stuck with rigid purchasing, constant supply shocks and quality risks.”
Platform Expansion and Quality Control
The new capital is slated for platform acceleration, including the upcoming launch of an e-auction platform designed to connect sellers with thousands of qualified buyers, often improving returns up to three times traditional broker rates. Furthermore, Mobius Materials has filed a patent for its proprietary machine-learning-based system for authenticating component quality, ensuring that all inventory is vetted and certified.
Shripriya Mahesh of Spero Ventures emphasized the need for trust in this market: “Chips power nearly every device we rely on, yet the secondary market remains opaque and inefficient. Mobius Materials is building a trusted marketplace that delivers transparency, liquidity, and quality control. We’re proud to support Margaret and her team as they create a more resilient and sustainable future for global manufacturing.”
The funds will also support the company’s expansion of its leadership team, with a current search underway for a Head of Operations, positioning Mobius Materials for fast-track global growth across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
📰 Editorial View: Taming Volatility and Championing the Circular Economy
The successful Series Seed funding for Mobius Materials signals a long-overdue market acceptance that the semiconductor supply chain requires a sophisticated secondary market to function optimally. In an era where geopolitical tensions and trade tariffs create wild, unpredictable swings in supply and demand, the rigidity of traditional purchasing is no longer tenable. Mobius Materials is not just solving a logistics problem; it is introducing a vital economic shock absorber to a highly crucial, yet brittle, global industry.
By transforming “excess inventory” from a write-off liability into a liquid, tradeable asset, Mobius Materials achieves two profound outcomes. Firstly, it provides financial resiliency for manufacturers who can now recover significant value from unused parts, mitigating risks associated with constantly changing product forecasts. Secondly, and equally compelling, it embeds a strong principle of sustainability into the electronics supply chain by preventing billions of dollars worth of new components from prematurely entering the waste stream. This aligns perfectly with the mission-driven focus of lead investor Spero Ventures.
The company’s focus on using machine learning for authentication is a critical differentiator. The gray market is plagued by counterfeit components, which introduces catastrophic quality risks for manufacturers. By providing a certified B2B marketplace with rigorous testing protocols, Mobius Materials establishes the trust necessary for high-value transactions, thereby legitimizing the secondary market. Mobius Materials is set to become an essential global utility, creating a more resilient, efficient, and environmentally responsible future for industries spanning consumer electronics, healthcare, and national defense.
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