Investing carries serious risks, including partial or total loss of capital. Please read the Key Investment Information Sheet and the Risk factors and login before investing.
Matteriall 1A
€13,500
total amount raised in round
- Eligible for a tax reduction
DISCLAIMER
Every investment decision must be based on an examination of an exhaustive set of information provided by the entrepreneur on their online profile. Spreds only proceeds to a limited verification of this information and does not control the investment opportunity within this company. Spreds did not verify the extent to which the business plan is deemed realistic and does not intervene in determining the final terms of the investment, including the retained maximum valuation. Spreds will align itself with the financial terms negotiated with the co-investor(s).
Matteriall, is a European Space Agency startup (incubated and funded by ESA), headquartered in Innovation & Incubation Center KU Leuven with a pilot manufacturing laboratory in Verhaert - Kruibeke; is set up to come up with a material portfolio consisting of the most ever superior materials which are feasibly manufacturable and applicable primarily in space, aerospace, healthcare, electronics, e-textiles & wearables, energy storage, sustainable energetics and automotive applications. The objective of Matteriall is delivering the ultimate theoretical characteristics of the most advanced nano-scaled structures to every macro-scaled structure with minimum attenuation in order to enhance the life quality.
Matteriall stands at the forefront of materials innovation, driven by a team with over a decade of hands-on experience in Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) and their applications. This extensive expertise is providing invaluable insights and capabilities in navigating the complexities of nanotechnology. With a deep understanding of CNTs and their potential, Matteriall’s team is positioned to tackle the challenges of translating theoretical advancements into practical, real-world solutions.
THE PROBLEM: BOTTLENECK IN MATERIALS SCIENCE
Next generation spacecrafts, aircraft, rotorcraft and unmanned aerial vehicles will have stricter requirements in terms of lightweight, increased speed, and maneuverability. Carbon fiber is currently the state-of-art material used across industries, from space to automotive. There’s potential for the structural properties of CNTs to be much stronger than carbon fiber composites. Moreover, traditional carbon fibers lack the necessary electrical conductivity for advanced functionality, limiting their effectiveness in several critical applications. Consequently, given that commercial carbon fibers, first introduced in the 1960s, have reached a point of performance saturation.
Copper, one of the best conductors on Earth, is widely used for carrying electrical currents across almost every conductive structure. Yet, copper's heavy weight and the rising demand for more efficient, lighter materials are creating a need for alternatives (the combustion of 1 kg of jet fuel in an aircraft engine produces 3.16 kg of carbon dioxide).
Meanwhile, silicon-based chips are reaching physical limits: with some integrated circuits now as thin as 2 nanometers, the ability to keep shrinking chips is nearing its end. At this scale, a silicon atom is just 0.2 nanometers wide, so further miniaturization is becoming nearly impossible. To continue advancing in power and speed, the industry will soon need new materials in chip manufacturing (CNTs will also be the main building blocks for quantum computing).
Consequently, it is affirmable that the world is at a bottleneck in materials science. Therefore, from space exploration to pharmaceuticals, it is undeniable that a new material transformation is needed by every single industrial domain. CNTs are ideal candidates to meet these demands, as they can be incorporated in a great number of technologies.
Therefore, CNT based products such as Matteriall’s fibers, yarns and films will inevitably dominate the society in the near future.
Therefore, CNT based products such as Matteriall’s fibers, yarns and films will inevitably dominate the society in the near future.
WHY MATTERIALL IS THE SOLUTION?
CNTs (essentially a sheet of graphene rolled into a cylinder) are remarkable objects that look set to revolutionize the technological landscape entirely in the near future. CNTs can have 50 times more mechanical strength than armour steel and 1000 times more current carrying capacity than copper. CNTs are the best heat conducting material ever known and they are chemically very stable like graphite. And above all, they are very light, their density is one sixth of that of steel. Tomorrow's society will be shaped by CNT applications, just as silicon and plastics have defined our world today. However, today, delivering these theoretical nano-scaled material characteristics of CNTs to a macro-scaled level is the challenge of the current state of nanotechnology.
Through years of research and development, Matteriall has improved its unique manufacturing technology to deliver macro-scaled, lightweight, strong, electrically and thermally conductive, flexible, corrosion resistant and biocompatible fibers, yarns, and films composed of essentially pure CNTs which will eventually enable to bring the extraordinary characteristics of CNTs in real life applications. Commitment to excellence and a relentless pursuit of innovation, Matteriall is to shape the future of materials science and revolutionize industries on a global scale.
"We reviewed with interest the groundbreaking work carried out and still to come by Matteriall Nano Technology, particularly in advanced materials, nanostructured materials and carbon nanotube based materials. Your expertise and accomplishments are considered relevant to our mission to push the boundaries of technological advancement in aerospace applications. By leveraging our collective knowledge and resources, we might unlock new possibilities and drive innovation in aerospace and nanotechnology. " - Matteriall had obtained a Letter-of-Intent from ASCO Industries NV.
Matteriall is driven by a profound vision: to revolutionize the materials industry by unleashing the full potential of nano-scale structures, transforming them into groundbreaking solutions that reshape the future.
TARGETED APPLICATIONS
In space, for instance, the lack of electrical conductivity in carbon fiber composites means astronauts often face costly and risky spacewalks to inspect spacecraft components for damage, as current non-destructive testing (NDT) methods are impractical in the space environment. Similarly, the aviation industry relies on either heating aircraft while parked and using thermal cameras or applying NDT techniques to assess structural health. These methods are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and costly. Matteriall’s technology promises to enable components with built-in electrical conductivity in addition to being lightweight and strong, facilitating on-board monitoring of structural health. This conductivity could also allow for in-flight de-icing by heating the component with a low current, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional methods involving glycerol and hot water which highly hazardous for environment. Furthermore, this built-in conductivity would ensure robust lightning strike protection, as well as enhanced shielding against electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electrostatic discharge (ESD)—both of which are increasingly important with the rise in automated electronic systems on board. Accordingly, the outcome of Matteriall's unique process will initially address the point-of-uses such as;
1. Spacecrafts:
· Replacement of Pressure Tank Wrapping Materials for Lighter and Stronger Solutions;
· Replacement of the Traditional Metal Foils for Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Protection;
· Structural Remote Health Monitoring;
· CNT Based Coatings for Scattered Light Suppression (CNTs also have outstanding optical absorbant characteristics).
2. Aircrafts:
· Heat Dissipation (One of the primary challenges in space/aerospace and automotive);
· Lightweight CNT Shielded Database Cables (An Airbus A380 has more than 500km length of wiring, weighing around 4.2 tonnes, and half of this weight comes from the wiring shielding components. For a single-aisle aircraft, a 1% reduction in weight can lead to a net cost savings up to 1.3M€ per year during the usage. For larger aircrafts, the savings can reach up to 5M€ per year);
· Lightweight CNT Shielded Database Cables (An Airbus A380 has more than 500km length of wiring, weighing around 4.2 tonnes, and half of this weight comes from the wiring shielding components. For a single-aisle aircraft, a 1% reduction in weight can lead to a net cost savings up to 1.3M€ per year during the usage. For larger aircrafts, the savings can reach up to 5M€ per year);
· Low Observability;
· Ablation/Erosion Protection;
· De-icing;
· Replacement of Heavy Metallic Lightning Strike and ESD Protection Systems (Aviation is responsible for 12% of global CO2 emissions from all transport sources compared to 74% from road transport, Matteriall is to contribute in emission reduction purposes of EU GreenTech and ClimateTech goals with lighter and better performing payload components);
· Structural Remote Health Monitoring.
3. Healthcare:
· Piezoresistive Flexion-sensitive and Stretch-sensitive e-Textiles;
· Drug Delivery Carriers;
· Tissue Engineering Scaffolds;
· Biosensors and Imaging Agents.
Matteriall’s unique process will be scalable for large volume manufacturing and be cost effective. Hence, Matteriall’s technology will eventually enable the realization of bold and game-changing concepts conveniently which are being considered since the initial work about CNTs has been published in 1991.
NASA computer modeling analysis has shown that composites using CNT reinforcements could lead to a 30% reduction in the total mass of a space vehicle; “No single technology would have that much of an impact to reduce the mass of a launch vehicle by that much. I’m not trying to be cliché, but that is a game changer!” - Michael Meador, Program Element Manager for Lightweight Materials and Manufacturing at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Matteriall has established itself as a key player in the space and aerospace industries, reserving recognition and partnerships with prominent international companies. Their extensive network, fostered through collaborations with the European Space Agency and industry clusters such as Flanders Space (Vlaamse Ruimtevaartindustrie), Space Hubs Network, Creative Destruction Labs and AGORIA-FLAG, further solidifies their position as a leading innovator in the field. The company has already secured grants and supports by renowned organizations and companies such as; European Space Agency, VLAIO, imec, Flanders Investment and Trade, Verhaert and Space Hubs Network.
Since its founding, Matteriall has engaged in numerous high-level meetings and idea exchanges with leading space and aerospace component manufacturers such as AIRBUS Defence & Space, ArianeGroup, ASCO Industries, Safran Group and MT Aerospace. The company has been consistently refining its technological roadmap to align with real-world industrial demands, directly shaped by insights from these key industry players. This ongoing collaboration ensures that Matteriall's innovations are not only cutting-edge but also tailored to meet the specific and evolving needs of the space/aerospace sector.
Furthermore, European Space Agency has organized two different Technology Transfer Challenge Competitions. The competitions in-question had the concept of utilizing an ESA patent or an upstream technology to be derived to come up with a downstream application. Matteriall has submitted idea proposals for both competitions and have been awarded prizes;
- BLOODFIT – 3rd Prize; Matteriall aimed to adapt a fluidic filtration technology developed by ESA for spacecrafts in order to improve the filtration process of hemodialysis machines (the ESA patent nr.: 642 – Advanced Fluidic Filter- has been utilized).
- Homogenous distribution of CNTs and Graphene within polymer/liquid matrice – 3rd Prize (ESA patent nr.: 630 - Contactless Electromagnetic Device for Even Distribution of Nanoparticles in Alloy Matrices – has been utilized).
NEXT STEPS
In addition to the grants received to date, Matteriall is a key player in Belgium’s largest-ever upcoming aerospace R&D project, a confidential initiative led by a consortium of top industry and research partners. As the only SME involved in the project, Matteriall's unique position underscores its innovation capabilities, placing it at the forefront of a groundbreaking initiative that is shaping the future of aerospace technology.
CNTs can be considered similar to plastics in terms of the variety of their characteristics. Every CNT manufacturing method is unique, and thus the properties of CNTs. Currently, all CNTs are produced from gaseous carbon sources, primarily methane—a gas with over 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years of entering the atmosphere. However, the founders of Matteriall previously developed a groundbreaking Chemical Vapor Deposition method to produce CNTs from plant-based solid carbon sources—the first such technique in the world. This innovative know-how will be fully integrated into Matteriall’s technology. As part of its growth strategy, Matteriall is on track to implement solid carbon sources in its production, including waste materials. Over the next 2 to 3 years, Matteriall’s mission is to become a fully integrated company, offering the most advanced material portfolio produced from sustainable plant-based carbon sources—pushing sustainability and performance to unprecedented levels.
Moreover about the next steps to be taken, Matteriall's team is currently in discussions with the European Space Agency and VLAIO to secure more than EUR 2 million in subsidies for the next major phases of their project. Notably, 20% and 40% of the subsidy (respectively) will need to be covered by the investment they are raising.
TAX SHELTER 45%
Investments in this company benefit from a 45% personal income tax reduction. Read more…A remaining amount of €496,500 is available for the Tax Shelter benefit.
Fact sheet
| Advised by a professional start-up advisor | |
| Valuation is set by the co-investor or incubator | |
| Co-investor or incubator will be members or observers to the board | |
| At the closing, an incubator, accelerator, or studio will have shares | |
| At the closing, the entrepreneurs have contributed a minimum of €15,000 in cash in exchange for shares | |
| Raised €10,000 during a private phase | |
| At the closing, a professional co-investor will have invested at least €25,000 | |
| Prior fundraising in equity or convertible loan with 10 or more investors | |
| Seasoned entrepreneurs | |
| Minimum 2 active entrepreneurs | |
| Valuation set by an organisation specialized in valuations of comparable size | |
| Valuation is less than €1 million or 10x last year’s turnover |
Raise summary
| Crowd investments | €13,500 |
| Committed by others | €0 |
| Amount raised | €13,500 |
| Minimum round | €25,000 |
| Maximum round | €3,000,000 |
| Shares in the company (total round) | 30% |
| Pre-money valuation | €7,000,000 |
| Post-money valuation min. | €7,025,000 |
| Post-money valuation max. | €10,000,000 |