Fluid Efficiency Corporation has closed a seed capital equity investment led by Rhapsody Venture Partners with participation from strategic corporate partners.
Over more than a decade at Caltech, Fluid Efficiency's founding team focused on designing molecules to make fuels safer and easier to move. The result is MegaSupraMolecules (MSMs), a suite of molecules that makes fuels safer, improves the viscosity index of lubricants, and makes oils easier to move through pipelines.
MSMs are made up of smaller units ("long telechelic end-associative polymers") that self-assemble into very large supra-molecules that improve the material properties of organic liquids. The individual units are small enough to resist degradation even under high-temperature, high-shear conditions like engines and pumps.
In the coming months, FE will work closely with a select set of customers to refine and launch its technology into an initial set of applications, including lubricants, fuels and pipelines.
“Our MegaSupraMolecules are a perfect example of translating fundamental theoretical predictions into practical applications. MSMs are simple to manufacture and scale. In a nutshell, they make fluids better, safer and faster,” stated Professor Kornfield.
“We are so excited about FE, because MSMs can quickly create economic value, but at the same time they improve safety and reduce environmental impact,” said Jason Whaley, General Partner at Rhapsody.
Fluid Efficiency is a Caltech spin-out that makes lubricants, fuels and oils safer, longer-lasting and more efficient to move. Their core products are self-assembling polymer additives that modify viscosity, reduce explosiveness, and improve pumpability. For more information visit http://www.fluidefficiency.com
Rhapsody Venture Partners is a venture capital firm that funds and helps operate early stage industrial science start-ups. For more information visit http://www.rhapsodyvp.com