Megan Harper
In December 2025, London-based deeptech startup Mater-AI raised £1.5 million (approx. $1.9 million) in a Seed funding round. The round was backed by One Planet Capital, XTX Ventures, and Undaunted.
Founded by CEO Dr. Nickel Blankevoort, CTO Chelsea Williams, and COO Gatleen Bhambra, Mater-AI is building a physics-informed AI discovery engine to find new materials that can convert waste heat into electricity.
The company’s platform combines quantum physics simulations with artificial intelligence to accelerate the discovery of efficient, non-toxic, and abundant thermoelectric materials. By recovering the massive amount of energy lost as heat in industries like manufacturing and data centers, Mater-AI aims to unlock a new source of clean energy.
The new capital will be used to expand its R&D team, accelerate its materials discovery pipeline, and further validate its novel compounds for commercial applications.
Key Details
- Company: Mater-AI
- Funding: £1.5M Seed
- Headquarters: London, UK
- Investors: One Planet Capital, XTX Ventures, Undaunted
- Use Case: AI-driven discovery of thermoelectric materials for waste heat recovery
