Thermulon

Summary

Thermulon’s nanoporous building insulation materials are engineered to fight the climate and fire-safety emergencies. Their award-winning innovation in process chemistry will meet developer needs by reducing the cost of non-flammable & superinsulating aerogels estimated up to 5x. Backed by Sustainable Ventures.

• Initial interest for a project to insulate 10k social houses over the next 5-10 years
• Proprietary technology; can use waste material as source material
• Awards from Royal Society of Chemistry & Royal Academy of Engineering
• Lead investor: Sky Ocean Ventures + £250k InnovateUK equity-free grant

Idea

Thermulon is developing super-insulating aerogel materials to tackle the climate & fire-safety emergencies in the building sector.

Local government states innovative insulation materials are indispensable to delivering Net Zero, while the Grenfell Tower fire reminds us that insulation must not compromise on fire-safety.

Today, insulation materials are either thick & fire-safe (mineral wool) or thin & flammable (PURs). Thermulon's target is to develop the first material that’s highly-insulating (thin), fire-safe & affordable.

Our research with Ryder Architecture estimates that using Thermulon on a new apartment block could save 100mm in insulation thickness compared to mineral wool; potentially adding floor space equivalent to 7 additional 1-bed flats & making safe insulation a profitable move for developers.

The global thermal building insulation market worth $30bn in 2020 & estimated to grow by 4.8% /yr. Aerogels are a high-growth opportunity, forecast at 22.6% /yr.

Milestones since 2019:

• Proof of chemistry established at lab-scale
• 6 Letters of Intent to purchase Thermulon’s materials
• Insulating plaster product defined & testing with first B2B customer
• Awarded £550k in InnovateUK equity-free grants
• Circular economy: first product from waste materials synthesised

We’re raising funds to grow our team, file our first patent, certify our product & get Thermulon’s insulation on walls.

Team

We were awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry Emerging Technology Prize in 2019, a Royal Academy of Engineering 1851 Enterprise Fellowship and we are a London Beacon to Build Back Better, Showcase SME 2021.

Dr Samuel Cryer - CEO

Having earned his PhD in chemistry at Imperial College London, Sam leads Thermulon’s strategic direction, as well as technical & patent development. Sam is an experienced business leader; has served on the board of EMC Design for 7 years, overseeing P&L, cashflow, staff-management etc.

Alexander Murdock - CTO

Alex trained in Chemical and Biological Engineering and gained R&D experience with Air Liquide & Daimler’s fuel cell lab. Prior to founding Thermulon he worked as a junior engineer in process optimisation for pilot & industrial scale chemical facilities with HATCH engineering consultancy.

Rozalie Ryclova - COO

Rozalie trained in Land Economy at University of Cambridge, gained B2B experience from construction & energy insurance (XL Catlin) and a deep-tech start-up. Rozalie executes on Thermulon’s commercial strategy & project delivery and holds a Level 2 Award in Understanding Domestic Retrofit.

Andrew Wordsworth - Advisor / Managing Partner at Sustainable Ventures

Andrew has 15+ years experience of new venture/product development and is behind UK’s first crowdfunding exit. Andrew advises Thermulon on funding, strategy & general business matters.