New Materials Startups

USALCO produces Aluminum Chloride solution, a chemical used for drinking water treatment, phosphorus removal from municipal and industrial wastewater, and as an intermediate in manufacturing various products. The product is certified under NSF/ANSI/CAN Standard 60 for potable water treatment.

1 investor

USA Rare Earth develops critical minerals from its Round Top deposit in Texas, using lower-impact extraction methods such as heap leaching, and builds mining and processing operations across Oklahoma, Texas, and Colorado. The company focuses on domestic rare earth resource development and manufacturing.

1 investor

Uster provides quality management systems and testing solutions for the textile industry, including fiber analysis, yarn and fabric inspection equipment, and process control software. The company serves textile manufacturers across raw material management, production quality control, and final product inspection.

1 investor

UW Solutions (Universal Woods) makes performance surface products across four brands, including dye sublimation photo panels and blanks (ChromaLuxe, Unisub), custom industrial coatings (RDC Coatings), and engineered industrial flooring panels (ResinDek) for applications such as personalized products and warehouse automation. The company was acquired by Apogee Enterprises in November 2024, and its standalone website has been retired.

1 investor

V-Glass develops affordable vacuum insulated glass aimed at the residential and commercial window market. The company focuses on energy-saving glazing technology and has operated since 2008.

1 investor

Vacuumschmelze is a manufacturer of soft magnetic materials, inductive components, current sensors, and permanent magnets serving automotive, industrial, aerospace, and energy sectors.

1 investor

Valerion Energy develops battery components using aramid nanofibers (ANFs), including a thin separator material and its ANVIL ion-conducting layer technology, to increase battery energy density and reduce cost. Its materials target next-generation mobility applications such as electric vehicles and air taxis.

1 investor

Valerion Energy develops battery components made from aramid nanofibers (ANFs), including a thin separator material and its ANVIL ion-conducting layer technology, aimed at improving energy density, cost, and safety of batteries. Its technology targets next-generation mobility applications such as electric vehicles and air taxis.

1 investor

Valor develops proprietary electrochemical separations technology (redox-mediated liquid–liquid extraction) that upgrades metallurgical intermediates from mining and recycling supply chains into higher-value metals and materials. It targets domestic critical minerals processing and refining in the United States, integrating with existing commercial mining and recycling equipment.

1 investor

Valorize Systems converts biomass into engineered biochar-based materials, led by its AeroChar acidified biochar, to replace fossil-derived inputs across industrial supply chains in sectors such as agrifood, energy, steel, and environmental remediation. It also provides end-to-end commercialization software and services for biochar producers, covering carbon compliance, certification, dMRV, product development, and buyer matching.

1 investor

Van de Velde Packaging designs and produces custom cardboard packaging for food, non-food, and premium product markets, handling the full process from design to printing and finishing and supplying packaging-line automation machines. It operates a network of production facilities across Europe.

1 investor

VanDeMark is a specialty chemicals manufacturer that produces phosgene-based chemical intermediates and performs custom complex chemical synthesis, including phosgenation, chlorination, hydrazine, acylation, and esterification. It supplies the materials, life sciences, and consumer markets with customized chemical intermediates for demanding applications.

1 investor

Vandeyk.racing designs and manufactures high-performance cycling apparel focused on minimalist design principles. The company also operates vandeyk.tech, a deep-tech B2B division developing advanced textile technologies for the global textile industry in partnership with the Fraunhofer Society.

1 investor

Vantage Group develops release agents and related formulations used in food production lines to prevent products from sticking to equipment during baking and processing. It serves plant managers and manufacturers of baked and processed foods.

1 investor

VAP Steel (Value Added Processing, Inc.) is a full-scale steel service and distribution center offering metal slitting, flat-rolled metal sourcing, custom coil processing, storage, and freight logistics. It serves steel mills, brokers, and steel end-users from its plant in East Pittsburgh.

1 investor

Varden develops paper-based packaging coatings that convert paper stock into recyclable, compostable flow wrap and lidding using proprietary bio-polymers. Its products provide moisture-barrier, printable, and peelable packaging as sustainable alternatives to plastic for consumer goods.

1 investor

Vaupell manufactures lightweight plastic and composite parts and assemblies for defense applications, converting metal components to engineered plastics and composites for top defense contractors and military aircraft OEMs. Its work covers military aircraft, rotorcraft composites, soldier systems (such as night vision goggle and combat helmet mounts), ordnance containers, and satellites.

1 investor

Veil Therapeutics develops "stealth biologics" using a PEG-based bottlebrush polymer platform (the Veil Platform) designed to extend drug half-life and stability while evading immune recognition. Its lead program, VTx-101, is a polymer-conjugated uricase for treating chronic gout, with the platform also applicable to proteins, peptides, lipid nanoparticles, and aptamers.

1 investor

Vela makes paper-based, fully recyclable packaging designed as an alternative to single-use plastic polybags for consumer brands. It offers customizable formats, printing, and materials, with global production and distribution.

1 investor

Velcro Companies designs and manufactures hook-and-loop fasteners and related closure products, including consumer items and solutions for the footwear and apparel industries. Its offerings range from string light clips to recycled-textile fasteners used by apparel brands.

1 investor

Velocity Composites manufactures composite material kits for aerospace, automotive OEMs, and renewable energy manufacturers, operating as part of the aerospace supply chain. It supplies pre-cut composite kits and shapes to help manufacturers reduce material costs and meet sustainability goals, with delivery operations in the UK and USA.

1 investor

Verde is a platform technology company that produces advanced biomaterials made from agricultural waste to replace fossil-based plastics, petrochemicals, and emissive materials. Its first commercial product is a biodegradable rheology modifier for the personal care industry, with additional applications in automotive composites, packaging coatings and films, and cement replacement.

1 investor

Verescence manufactures glass bottles and jars for perfume and cosmetics brands. It is a producer of luxury glass packaging serving the fragrance and beauty industry.

1 investor

Vericool makes fiber- and paper-based protective packaging as an alternative to EPS foam and plastic for shipping temperature-sensitive, high-value hardware. Its RecyCooler Server Shipper line targets AI infrastructure and data center supply chains—server OEMs, system integrators, and hyperscale/colocation deployments—shipping rack-mount, GPU, and liquid-cooled server hardware.

1 investor