Green chemistry startups: some lessons learned

Abstract

There has been an explosive growth in environmentally driven startups in recent years. Much of this has included university spin-outs aiming to translate academic research into commercial practice. This activity dovetails with the principle aim of green chemistry research – improving the sustainability of the chemical and materials industries. However, academics are not always fully aware of the activities, needs, timelines and considerations of startup companies and how these differ from academic research. This can lead to a misunderstanding of whether, when or how to start a cleantech company and what to do once one is formed. Through a careful consideration of the founders, their motivations, the industry, scale and market forces behind an innovation, a business roadmap can be drawn which will help determine whether the technology is appropriate for deployment in the commercial sector. Considerations such as scale-up, cost, capital fundraising needs and teambuilding must all come together as part of the translation journey. Based on lessons learned through my group forming 9 cleantech startups since 2016, I have tried to blend facts, perspective and anecdotes to demonstrate how the green chemistry translation can help us achieve the ultimate goals of the field: sustainable chemical production and a fully decarbonized chemical industry.