Munich-based ExoMatter gets €1.7 million pre-seed for AI-based materials R&D | EU-Startups

ExoMatter, a pioneer in AI-driven materials research, announced a €1.7 million pre-seed funding round led by Vanagon Ventures, a leading venture capital firm specializing in impact-driven early-stage Deep Tech investments. Also participated BayernKapital, 212 NexT, ZAKA VC, Bloomhaus Ventures, and four female super angels from encourageventures.

ExoMatter leverages AI and quantum chemical modeling to revolutionize materials R&D, enabling companies to discover completely new materials optimized for performance, cost, and sustainability. ExoMatter accelerates the material development process by up to 90%, massively reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions, also making the process not only faster and more efficient but also significantly more environmentally friendly.

“ExoMatter addresses one of the greatest challenges of our time: the search for new, more sustainable materials. With its AI-powered platform, the company offers a solution that allows materials to be found for specific applications in record time while minimizing the ecological footprint,” said Susanne Fromm, co-founder of Vanagon Ventures alongside Sandro Stark and Axel Roitzsch. “This technology not only enhances companies’ innovation capabilities but also prepares them for upcoming regulatory requirements, such as the EU Ecodesign Directive.”

Materials research faces many challenges: developing new materials can take six years or more and often relies on time-consuming trial-and-error processes. Future regulations are also expected to complicate material development, as these new combinations will have to meet stringent sustainability criteria. Materials today account for more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions, and the scarcity of critical resources such as rare earth elements and minerals poses major obstacles to the energy transition.

ExoMatter taps into the vast potential of unexplored materials—an array greater than the number of stars in the universe. By harnessing AI and quantum-level calculations (DFT), the platform navigates these possibilities and optimizes materials for performance, cost, and sustainability. This helps companies save time, reduce risk, and increase their return on investment.

The founding team of ExoMatter, composed of Dr. Josua Vieten (CEO) and Barbara Bachus (COO), combines scientific expertise with entrepreneurial know-how. Dr. Vieten, a chemist and materials scientist, and former R&D Coordinator at the Munich-based unicorn Celonis, conceived the idea for ExoMatter during his PhD research and time at Berkeley Lab. Together with Barbara Bachus, they co-founded ExoMatter and brought the concept to life. Barbara brings extensive experience in sales, entrepreneurship, and business management and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology & Management with a minor in Chemistry from Technical University of Munich (TUM) and a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship.

ExoMatter has demonstrated product-market fit with its early product version and is working with several DAX-listed companies, including Airbus and Infineon, as well as other market leaders. The company is already generating significant six-figure revenues and is on a clear growth trajectory. With its strong position as a first mover in Europe and a rapidly growing customer base, ExoMatter is well on its way to becoming the leading digital materials platform in Europe.

Barbara Bachus, ExoMatter’s co-founder, expressed her excitement about the successful funding round, which will allow the company to continue its growth trajectory:
“We are thrilled to have successfully closed this funding round in close collaboration with our lead investor Vanagon. With the support of our investors, we will further automate and scale the ExoMatter platform, and we are already in talks for a follow-on funding round next year.”