Fundraising Fox
TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation
Techstars '20Birmingham, US · Founded 2019 · Delaware corporation · 8 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
Find your way into TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation
TruSpin develops an AC electrospinning platform for producing nanofibers, including inorganic and organic compositions with controllable diameter, alignment, and porosity. It supplies custom nanofibers and materials to customers in fields such as alternative protein/cultivated meat scaffolding and water contaminant removal.
Also known as TruSpin · TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation Inc
Founders & leadership
TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation was founded in 2019 by Robert Thurman Agnew.
Investors · 1
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$535K disclosed across 1 round · 2022
▶$535KraisedSep 2022 · 1 investors · ManufacturingRule 506(b)
- Robert Thurman AgnewExecutive Officer
- Offering amount
- $535K
- Amount sold
- $535K
- Minimum investment
- $100K
- First sale
- Aug 2022
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2019
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Sep 2026TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation is an advanced materials company based in Birmingham, Alabama that mass-produces nanofibers using an alternating-current (A/C) electrospinning process. The company describes its process as a platform capable of affordably producing exotic compositions of nanofibers, with a product range spanning inorganic, organic and polymer nanofibers. Its stated achievements include developing a commercial-scale alternating current electrospinning system.
A principal application area is energy storage. TruSpin incorporates silicon nanofibers into the anode of lithium-ion cells with the aim of increasing energy capacity, an approach it contrasts with competing silicon-anode startups that engineer nano-scale silicon particles. In February 2021 the company published results of third-party testing by SpectraPower on prototype cells, which it said validated the ability of its silicon nanofibers to multiply Li-ion energy capacity. Beyond batteries, its nanomaterials have been described as targeting industrial applications including environmental remediation and biomedical devices.
Business model
TruSpin produces nanofibers with a platform manufacturing process and supplies them as materials to industrial customers, including battery makers that would incorporate silicon nanofibers into anodes. Its product range spans inorganic, organic and polymer nanofibers, sold into enterprise and government customer segments.
Traction
Third-party testing by SpectraPower on prototype batteries was reported in February 2021 as confirming increased Li-ion energy capacity from the company's silicon nanofibers. The company completed the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator and had seven employees as of February 2024.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
TruSpin is an early-stage nanomaterials company operating in the silicon-anode and nanofiber segment, where it has cited competitors with valuations exceeding $3 billion. Comparable or adjacent companies identified include Axium Nano, Nanom, Nanostatics and Coreshell Technologies.
TruSpin positions its differentiation in manufacturing: rather than engineering intricate silicon particles at the nano-scale, as it says other silicon-anode companies do, its production technique causes the desired features to be embodied directly by the nanofibers, which the company argues enables industrial-scale fabrication of anodes in which silicon nanofibers are the primary constituent and avoids the economic impracticality it attributes to rival production techniques.
Technology
The core technology is an alternating current (A/C) electrospinning process for producing nanofibers at scale, described as the basis of a commercial-scale AC electrospinning system. The process is used to make exotic compositions of nanofibers, including silicon nanofibers that are placed in the negative electrode (anode) of lithium-ion batteries to raise energy capacity while addressing silicon's expansion during charging.
Go-to-market
Industrial and enterprise buyers of high-performance materials, including battery and energy-storage developers, plus applications in environmental remediation and biomedical devices; customer classification also includes government.
Geography
Headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, United States, with affiliation to the Innovation Depot startup hub; testing partner SpectraPower is located near Silicon Valley, California.
History
The company was founded in 2019 in Birmingham, Alabama by CEO Robert Agnew and CTO Anthony Brayer. It took part in the Techstars Alabama EnergyTech Accelerator (2020 class) and announced in February 2021 that it had recently graduated from the program, concurrently releasing third-party battery test results from SpectraPower. It has been listed among the companies at Birmingham's Innovation Depot.
Compiled by commissioned research from 6 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.
Non-dilutive funding · 1 SBIR/STTR award
Federal grants — no equity taken| Agency | Phase | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | Phase ISTTR | 2022 | $256K |
Source: SBIR.gov award data (U.S. Small Business Administration). SBIR/STTR awards are competitive federal R&D grants and contracts — non-dilutive capital alongside any venture rounds above.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsTruSpin announced results of third-party tests conducted by SpectraPower on its prototype Li-ion batteries, which incorporate silicon nanofibers in the anode, reporting that the material multiplies the energy capacity of Li-ion cells. A summary report was published on the company's website.
TruSpin was reported to have recently graduated from the Techstars EnergyTech Accelerator (Techstars: Alabama EnergyTech, 2020 class).
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structure▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- TruSpin Announces Breakthrough in Battery Technologyprnewswire.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation do?
- Birmingham, Alabama advanced-materials company mass-producing nanofibers via AC electrospinning, including silicon nanofibers for Li-ion anodes.
- Who founded TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation?
- TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation was founded by Robert Thurman Agnew in 2019.
- Who are TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation's investors?
- TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation's investors include Techstars.
- How much funding has TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation raised?
- TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation has disclosed $535K raised across 1 round.
- Where is TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation headquartered?
- TruSpin Nanomaterial Innovation is headquartered in Birmingham, US.