Active Surfaces
Woburn, US · Founded 2022 · Delaware corporation · 15 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
Active Surfaces develops flexible, thin-film solar panels using organic and perovskite photovoltaic materials and roll-to-roll manufacturing, aimed at deploying solar in locations where conventional rigid panels are unsuitable. The company builds on printed electronics and materials research to make lightweight solar for remote and unconventional surfaces.
Also known as Active Surfaces
Founders & leadership
Active Surfaces was founded in 2022 by Shivam Bhakta, Richard Swartwout, and Shiv Bhakta.
Board
Investors · 5
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$4.9M disclosed across 2 rounds · 2023–2025
▶$1.3MraisedJun 2025 · 5 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Vera SchroederDirector
- Shivam BhaktaExecutive Officer, Director
- Richard SwartwoutExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $2M
- Amount sold
- $1.3M
- First sale
- May 2025
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2022
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$3.6MraisedFeb 2024 · 8 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Richard SwartwoutExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $6M
- Amount sold
- $3.6M
- First sale
- Sep 2023
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2022
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Active Surfaces develops ultra-lightweight solar modules intended to be installed rapidly on buildings and surfaces where conventional rigid photovoltaic systems are impractical. The company positions its modules as roughly ten times lighter and ten times faster to install than traditional panels, requiring no complex structural modifications to the host building, and claims about 90% lower installation labor costs and a lower cost floor than conventional solar.
The company frames its market opportunity around constraints in existing solar deployment: soft costs representing the majority of project costs for commercial and industrial projects, structural weight limits that it says prevent more than 60% of warehouses from hosting traditional solar, multi-year transmission and interconnection delays, and concentration of the solar supply chain in China. Its stated approach is local manufacturing without reliance on foreign supply chains and generation sited at the point of consumption.
Business model
Active Surfaces manufactures and supplies lightweight solar modules, marketing them to building owners and project developers as a way to deploy solar faster and at lower installed cost than conventional systems.
Traction
Active Surfaces won the inaugural MIT.nano PITCH.nano competition, joined the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator, and received an investment from J-POWER.
Latest developments
Recent milestones publicized by the company include an investment from J-POWER aimed at new business creation in next-generation solar, the MIT.nano PITCH.nano competition win, and joining the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator with a stated goal of unlocking 40 TWh of new solar potential.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market
Market position
Active Surfaces positions itself against traditional solar modules, emphasizing weight, installation speed, labor cost and domestic manufacturing as points of contrast; it cites a projected $20 trillion of global investment in solar capacity by 2050 driven by AI-era energy demand.
Stated differentiators are 10x lower module weight, 10x faster installation, roughly 90% lower labor costs, a lower cost floor than incumbent solar, and local manufacturing independent of foreign supply chains.
Technology
The company's modules are ultra-light and designed for rapid installation without structural modification to the supporting building, targeting surfaces that cannot bear the weight of standard rigid panels.
Go-to-market
The company markets directly through its website with a contact-based sales approach for deployment projects, and has participated in the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator.
Commercial and industrial building owners, including warehouse operators whose roofs cannot support the weight of conventional solar installations.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 1
by search overlapCompanies competing with Active Surfaces for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 3
launches, deals, and filingsActive Surfaces won the first MIT.nano PITCH.nano competition, tied to accelerating next-generation solar manufacturing.
Japanese power company J-POWER made an investment in Active Surfaces, framed as driving new business creation through next-generation solar.
Active Surfaces joined the Amazon Sustainability Accelerator, with the stated aim of unlocking 40 TWh of new solar potential.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Active Surfacesactivesurfaces.xyz · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Active Surfaces do?
- Active Surfaces makes ultra-light solar modules designed for fast installation on rooftops and surfaces that cannot bear conventional panels.
- Who founded Active Surfaces?
- Active Surfaces was founded by Shivam Bhakta, Richard Swartwout, Shiv Bhakta in 2022.
- Who are Active Surfaces's investors?
- Active Surfaces's investors include New Climate Ventures, Safar Partners, Type One Ventures, SeaX Ventures, Umami Capital.
- How much funding has Active Surfaces raised?
- Active Surfaces has disclosed $4.9M raised across 2 rounds.
- Where is Active Surfaces headquartered?
- Active Surfaces is headquartered in Woburn, US.