Matter Machine raises £4m for AI-driven materials discovery

Matter Machine, an AI-driven materials discovery spin-out from the University of Liverpool, has secured £4 million in an oversubscribed pre-series A funding round. The investment was led by IP Group and included participation from Northern Gritstone, the University of Liverpool Enterprise Fund, Norrsken Evolve, LYVA Labs, and the Northern Universities Venture Fund.

The company utilizes a combination of materials chemistry, automated experimentation, and machine learning to identify and optimize new inorganic crystalline materials. The funding will be used to expand technical and commercial teams, develop its discovery platform, and support engagement with commercial partners. Matter Machine is based at the Materials Innovation Factory, a collaborative facility between the University of Liverpool and Unilever.

Gordon Sanghera, the former chief executive of Oxford Nanopore, has joined Matter Machine as chief executive to lead its commercialization strategy. The company aims to reduce the time and cost of innovation across various industries, including energy, manufacturing, and electronics, by accelerating the identification of novel materials.