Active Surfaces Raises Oversubscribed Pre-Seed Funding for Revolutionary Solar Technology
Active Surfaces, an innovative solar panel startup spun out from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has announced securing pre-seed funding in an oversubscribed round. The funding was led by Safar Partners, a prominent deep tech venture capital fund, with participation from QVT, Lendlease, Type One Ventures, Umami Capital, Sabanci Climate Ventures, New Climate Ventures, SeaX Ventures, and others.
Pioneering the Next Generation of Solar Technology
Active Surfaces is revolutionizing solar technology with its lightweight, flexible solar panels that can be effortlessly integrated into a multitude of surfaces. Unlike traditional bulky solar panels, the company’s technology seamlessly blends into everyday environments, ranging from small consumer products to large commercial buildings.
“Active Surfaces is driving a transformative change in the built environment,” remarked Tommaso Boralevi, Technology & Innovation Director Europe at Lendlease, a global construction and development company. “Our investment in Active Surfaces aligns with our commitment to advancing sustainable urbanization and integrating innovative capabilities into the fabric of future developments.”
Empowering a Clean and Sustainable Future
“We are overwhelmed by the unwavering support from our investors,” expressed Randall Swartwout, MIT PhD and co-founder and CTO of Active Surfaces. “This funding will propel our research and development efforts, scale up production, and expedite the delivery of our advanced solar solutions to the market.”
Swartwout emphasized that the company’s flexible, thin-film “solar 2.0” technologies promise significantly higher efficiency, lower costs, and greater versatility than today’s rigid solar panels.
Scaling Up for Mass Production
With the newly acquired funding, Active Surfaces plans to scale up its laboratory-fabricated 4-by-4-inch photovoltaic devices and leverage breakthroughs in industrial roll-to-roll semiconductor printing technologies to enable mass production of thin, flexible solar materials of any size.
The company has strengthened its team with key appointments, including a PhD in Materials/Chemistry with extensive experience in advanced roll-to-roll manufacturing, and skilled scientists and engineers hailing from renowned institutions like MIT, Stanford University, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Active Surfaces actively participates in the Go Build startup accelerator program with Saint Gobain through Greentown Labs and receives support from leading climate tech incubators such as Third Derivative, ACCEL, Swissnex Climate Collider, Cleantech Open, and Venture for ClimateTech.
Recognition and Accolades
Shiv Bhakta, co-founder of Active Surfaces, was recently featured in Forbes magazine, highlighting the company’s disruptive potential in the solar industry. Moreover, advisor Moungi Bawendi, Lester Wolfe Professor of Chemistry at MIT and a Nobel laureate in Chemistry (2023), lends his expertise to the company.
About Active Surfaces
Active Surfaces, founded by researchers at MIT, is revolutionizing flexible solar technology. The company aims to disrupt the traditional energy sector by making solar power ubiquitous and seamlessly integrated into everyday materials. For more information, please visit www.activesurfaces.io.
