The contemporary approach to developing new materials typically involves creating a substance and then utilizing computer software to assess its properties. However, imagine reversing this process: using generative AI to design materials from the outset. This innovative concept is at the heart of CuspAI, a startup based in Cambridge, U.K. The company has successfully raised $30 million in a seed funding round led by Hoxton Ventures, with notable contributions from Basis Set Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Co-founder and CEO Chad Edwards explains, “We’re completely rethinking the traditional method by asking, ‘If you can input materials or molecules to obtain properties, why not input desired properties to derive materials and molecules?’”
The market landscape features established players like Schrodinger, listed on NASDAQ, and Dassault Systemes, both of which offer software for computational chemistry and material simulations. A newer entrant, Orbital Materials, includes team members from Google’s DeepMind and boasts an AI-driven platform designed to discover materials such as advanced batteries and carbon dioxide-capturing solutions. Orbital recently secured $16 million in a Series A funding round.
Edwards emphasizes the transformative potential of CuspAI’s platform, stating, "Just as search engines revolutionized how we navigate the internet, we’re on the brink of a new era where searching through the vast landscape of new materials will enable us to discover substances with precisely the properties we need. We believe we are entering a 'materials-on-demand' age."
CuspAI’s platform operates like a materials search engine, allowing for rapid assessment of an extensive array of novel structures. “Throughout history, civilizations have defined themselves by the materials of their time—be it the Bronze Age or the Stone Age. We are moving toward the materials-on-demand age,” he suggests.
Although CuspAI launched this year, Edwards does not start from square one. His co-founder, Max Welling, is a distinguished AI researcher and former VP at Microsoft Research and Qualcomm, as well as a professor at the University of Amsterdam. “Our AI can generate and assess new materials as needed. For instance, if you need a material that selectively binds carbon dioxide under certain conditions, our AI will generate, evaluate, and optimize potential molecular structures that precisely match those criteria,” he shared.
Edwards brings to the table his experience as a chemist involved in deep tech commercialization at companies like Google, BASF, and leading quantum computing firm Quantinuum.
Notably, Geoffrey Hinton, often referred to as the “Godfather of AI,” will join as a board adviser. Hinton stated, “Humanity will face many challenges in the coming decade. While some will arise from AI, others can be resolved through it. I’m genuinely impressed with CuspAI and its commitment to speeding up the design of new materials using AI to tackle one of humanity’s most pressing challenges: climate change.”
One area where CuspAI believes AI-designed materials can make an immediate impact is in carbon capture and storage technologies. Edwards explained, “We are developing molecular sponges that selectively absorb carbon dioxide from the air. When heated, these sponges release the captured carbon dioxide, allowing us to either utilize it or store it underground.”
CuspAI is collaborating with Meta on an open science initiative aimed at uncovering new materials to combat climate change. Yann LeCun, VP and Chief AI Scientist at Meta, remarked, “The Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team is excited to partner with CuspAI to leverage AI in rapid material discovery, including our OpenDAC efforts, to find new direct air capture sorbent materials. The world urgently needs swift advancements in affordable carbon capture, and CuspAI is exceptionally positioned to tackle this critical issue.”
The seed funding round also attracted investments from LocalGlobe, Northzone, Touring Capital, Giant Ventures, FJ Labs, Tiferes Ventures, and Zero Prime Ventures, as well as angel investors including Mehdi Ghissassi and Dorothy Chou from DeepMind.
Ranking
