VSParticle, a Dutch supplier of nanoparticle synthesis and deposition tools, has raised a €6.5 million A2 extension round. It was led by NordicNinja (which invested in LiveEO and Onego Bio) and existing investor Taavet Hinrikus’ Plural (which backed Teton.ai and Helsing).
This latest investment follows the €14.5 million funding secured last year. It brings the total investment raised by the company to €24.5 million.
Funds utilisation
The Dutch startup will use the fresh funding to further the development of VSP’s technology so its next-generation printers have up to 100 times higher output and will also support the company in expanding to Japan and doubling down in the US and Europe.
Rainer Sternfeld, Partner at NordicNinja said: “VSParticle’s technology is transforming material innovation and, combined with AI, this will be the basis of world-changing discovery and synthesis over the next decades. We’re delighted to be supporting the impressive VSP team in this extension round, particularly with their Japanese expansion plans to capitalise on the drive to scale the development of green hydrogen. We can’t wait to see what they achieve next.”
Sten Tamkivi, a Partner at Plural, said: “Material discovery has always been extremely important in science but over the past 12 months, the world has woken up to the need to speed up innovation so we can find the solutions to global challenges, including decarbonising society. VSParticle is the only company that is driving discovery at the critical early levels so teams can scale experimentation and development of next-generation materials. This technology is already making a difference to teams in Europe and the US, particularly when it comes to enabling AI-driven automation of material discovery and we look forward to working closely with Aaike and the team as they continue to expand.”
What change does it bring?
The ability to develop new materials has impacted society tremendously. However, it can take up to 10 years to discover new materials in the lab and a further five years to test and scale a discovery to mass production. This duration is holding back innovation across the globe. VSP’s technology is supporting teams to reduce the overall time of material discovery down to only one year.
What does the company do?
Founded in 2014 by Aaike van der Vugt, Andreas Schmidt-Ott, Tobias Pfeiffer, and Tobias Coppejans. The company was founded with the mission to scale this technology into an R&D tool for universities and organisations.
VSP accelerates material development to power next-generation products. Its technology enables materials to be broken down to the size of nanoparticles and produced at the push of a button, allowing university researchers and commercial R&D teams worldwide to experiment to create new materials that form the basis of revolutionary products.
Flagship nano-printer product
VSP’s technology enables the mass production of catalyst-coated Porous Transport Layers (PTLs), which are the key components in electrolysers and are essential to the production of green hydrogen.
Green hydrogen is essential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and power a more sustainable future for industries such as shipping, transport, heating, and aviation, yet the process currently relies on using scarce resources including platinum and iridium.
The company has shipped its flagship product, the VSP-P1 Nanoprinter, to teams across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America including the Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, the San Francisco-based Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the Materials Discovery Research Institute (MDRI) in the Chicago area, and the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research over the past year.
Customers are using VSP printers to develop new material combinations for PTLs, with a predicted 10x savings in scarce metals, such as iridium, and introduce new products faster and cheaper.
Süleyman Er, Department Head and Group Leader, DIFFER – Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research, said: “The collaboration with VSParticle aligns perfectly with DIFFER’s strategy to extend its national role in building the infrastructure ‘materials4energy’. With VSP-P1 Nanoprinter, we aim to accelerate material development for energy applications and reinforce the Netherlands’ leadership in sustainable energy research.”
Powers sustainable energy
By 2027, the first components developed using VSP’s technology should be in the market, creating the end product that will support green hydrogen production. This will support global net-zero goals.
An increasing number of VSP customers are pioneering autonomous labs that integrate robotics, AI, and high-throughput material synthesis to accelerate ground-breaking discoveries crucial for addressing urgent global challenges like sustainable energy. VSP’s advanced technology ensures top-tier material synthesis, paving the way for future innovations in nanotechnology and novel materials for the energy sector.
Aaike van Vugt, co-founder and CEO of VSParticle, said: “Our technology is empowering university researchers and commercial R&D teams across the world to create new materials that will transform the production of green hydrogen and reduce emissions in carbon-intensive industries. We’re excited about the role VSParticle will play in tackling the climate crisis and we’re delighted to have the backing of NordicNinja and renewed support from Plural as part of this extension funding that will help us to reach more research teams across the world, including in Japan, to pave a new way for material discovery.”
What do we think about the company?
VSParticle is revolutionising material discovery with its nanoparticle synthesis technology by accelerating the development of next-generation materials. By enabling rapid experimentation and production at the nanoscale, it is poised to transform industries, particularly in green hydrogen production, where its technology can reduce reliance on scarce resources. With a growing global footprint, the company’s innovations will drive sustainable energy solutions and accelerate breakthroughs in nanotechnology, making a profound impact on the future of material science.
