Aqdot

Aqdot (Aqdot Limited) is a supramolecular chemistry company headquartered in Cambridge, England. Its core product platform, AqFresh, is a patented molecule capture-and-release chemistry built on cucurbiturils, macrocyclic host molecules whose structure enables them to capture a wide range of odour and pollutant molecules. The company positions AqFresh as a means of improving indoor air quality and enabling more sustainable manufacturing, and states the technology eliminates odours, pollutants, allergens and viruses while also offering prolonged fragrance release.

AqFresh is marketed across home and pet care, deodorants, absorbent hygiene and automotive interiors, with stated potential in fibres, nonwovens, textiles, coatings and paints. The company describes the technology as a drop-in addition to existing formulations and manufacturing processes, validated in industrial trials, and says it has been launched in more than ten different industries. Claimed performance benefits include non-biocidal, non-toxic odour control in nonwovens (removing the need for silver and other biocides), fragrance-free odour elimination, VDA-270 scores well below 3.0 for automotive interior odour, and odour elimination in recycled plastics.

The business originated as a University of Cambridge spin-out and initially commercialised broader encapsulation technology, protecting and triggering the release of active cargos, with early focus on household products, fragrances and niche industrial applications and stated future potential in agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Founding story

The core technology was co-invented at the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, by Dr Jing Zhang, while completing a PhD on microfluidic droplets, and Dr Roger Coulston, then a post-doctoral research associate in the Scherman Research Group; the research findings were prepared for publication in Science. Coulston was awarded a European Research Council Proof-of-Concept Grant in 2012 to fund technology and market validation of the supramolecular capsules. Aqdot was spun out of Cambridge University on this basis.

Business model

Aqdot states its mission is to scale and sell proprietary AqFresh air quality solutions to multinational customers, enabling them to formulate and sell sustainable products. It describes achieving this through licensing and selling the AqFresh technology rather than selling finished consumer goods.

Licensing and sale of the AqFresh platform technology and application-specific formulations to manufacturers.

Traction

The company states AqFresh has been launched in over ten different industries, validated in industrial trials and in consumer research, and that a £11m round was raised to accelerate commercial and manufacturing scale-up driven by increasing demand. At its Series A it reported first agreements with target customers.

Latest developments

In 2025 Tim Wright moved from Chief Executive Officer to Chairman of the Board and Dr Jing Zhang is listed as Chief Executive Officer. The company announced a strategic partnership with Menadiona to manufacture AqFresh in Europe, alongside an investment by Menadiona in Aqdot.