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Westwood Aerogel
Techstars '23La Habra Heights, US · Founded 2023 · 2 employees on LinkedIn · 2 known investors
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Westwood Aerogel develops ambient-dried aerogel insulation technology for commercial applications. The company aims to address sustainability challenges through commercialization of its ZeroTherm™ innovation.
Also known as Westwood Aerogel Co.
Founders & leadership
Investors · 2
How we know: collabfund.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · Not right? Tell us
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Westwood Aerogel develops and manufactures aerogel-based thermal insulation materials intended for industrial-scale use. Aerogels are described by the company as ultralight nanoporous silica structures whose pores, thinner than a human hair, scatter heat through a three-dimensional network, giving very low thermal conductivity in a thin, lightweight form. The company positions its materials around four application areas: electrification (battery thermal management aimed at improving EV safety, range and reliability), construction (ultra-thin insulation for energy-efficient buildings and prefabricated structures), aerospace (avionics, cabin insulation and other systems in extreme environments), and composites (aerogel integrated with polymers and ceramics for lighter, thermally resistant materials).
Its lead product, ZeroTherm™, is being developed for EV battery insulation and blends aerogel with flexible materials so the insulation can expand and contract as cells charge and discharge. The company also states it is developing aerogel formulations with partner companies for in-wall building insulation and exterior coatings to improve building envelope integrity, and separately is incorporating aerogel into energy-efficient window designs in which ambiently dried aerogel is applied via an optically clear adhesive onto a window pane and assembled into insulating glass units; that transparent product is described as manufacturable in a continuous line process.
Founding story
The company was founded in 2023 by Patricia McNeil and Daniel Farzannekou. McNeil, who serves as CEO, began working on aerogel for window insulation during graduate school, where the work was initially a secondary part of a larger grant project but continued to attract follow-on funding; by graduation she had developed expertise in aerogel manufacturing and chose to commercialize it rather than move into an unrelated industry role. Farzannekou, from a non-technical background, joined as cofounder and works on operations and specialized problem-solving.
Business model
The company develops and manufactures aerogel materials and aerogel-based products for industrial customers across multiple sectors, with an initial commercial focus on EV battery insulation and longer-term plans for mass-market construction materials as capacity increases and unit costs fall.
Traction
The company reports working with a number of companies to develop aerogel formulations for in-wall insulation and exterior coatings, and states it has commercial and scientific partners as well as staff beyond the two founders. It has been selected as a CalSEED awardee in the energy efficiency sector under the building materials technology type.
Latest developments
Westwood Aerogel is developing ZeroTherm™ for EV battery insulation and is working on an aerogel window product for insulating glass units under a CalSEED award, while planning to expand into mass-market construction materials as manufacturing capacity grows.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Westwood Aerogel is an early-stage materials company targeting the global thermal management and insulation market, entering first through EV battery insulation before expanding to mass-market construction materials.
The company contrasts its ambient-pressure drying route with competitors it says rely on legacy high-pressure, high-heat batch processes that require expensive specialized vessels, limit throughput and keep aerogel prices high. Its stated aim is to make aerogel affordable enough for sectors previously priced out of the material, and its window product is described as transparent with extremely low thermal conductivity and producible in a continuous line, unlike existing technologies.
Technology
Westwood Aerogel uses a proprietary, patented ambient-drying process: a starting solution is cast into molds, solvent exchanges are performed, and the gel is dried at ambient temperature and pressure in a controlled atmosphere through a dehumidification step the company compares to paper drying. This avoids the high-pressure, high-heat supercritical vessels used in conventional aerogel production, eliminating specialized equipment, lowering capital expenditure, reducing energy consumption and enabling continuous rather than small-batch production. The company states the approach yields up to 90% cost reduction and 98% emissions reduction relative to conventional drying while maintaining the balance of aerogel properties, including hydrophobicity and low density.
Go-to-market
Initial entry is through the EV battery market, where the company cites growth and demand for thermal management, followed by expansion into construction materials as production scales; it develops products jointly with commercial partners and participates in public clean-energy funding programs.
Industrial customers in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing, construction and building materials, aerospace, and composites; the company also cites AI/computing, space and climate-related industries as target markets.
Geography
The company participates in California's CalSEED program, which supports ratepayer benefits such as reduced electricity costs in the state.
History
Founded in 2023, the company developed its ambient drying process and the ZeroTherm™ product line for EV battery insulation, and has been named a CalSEED awardee for work applying aerogel to energy-efficient window and insulating glass unit designs.
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.
Related companies · 3
Companies working in the same space as Westwood Aerogel.
Timeline · 2
launches, deals, and filingsCalSEED lists Westwood Aerogel Co. as an awardee for incorporating ambiently dried aerogel into energy-efficient window designs, applied via an optically clear adhesive onto a window pane and assembled into insulating glass units. Sector: energy efficiency; technology type: building materials.
The company is developing ZeroTherm™, a blend of aerogel and flexible materials designed to expand and contract with EV battery cells during charge and discharge.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 6
primary sources listed
- Westwood Aerogelwestwoodaerogel.com · web
6 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Westwood Aerogel do?
- Westwood Aerogel makes ambient-dried aerogel insulation for EV batteries, construction, aerospace and composites.
- Who are Westwood Aerogel's investors?
- Westwood Aerogel's investors include Collaborative Fund, Techstars.
- Where is Westwood Aerogel headquartered?
- Westwood Aerogel is headquartered in La Habra Heights, US.