Tough Tech

is ... > Launching a satellite network to connect existing satellites to Earth 24/7.

> A new process to produce steel more efficiently, at a lower cost, and with zero greenhouse gas emissions.

> Developing gas sensing technologies that transform the gases around us into useful, quantifiable knowledge.

> A natural, sustainable, and edible protective food coating that significantly increases shelf life and reduces food waste.

> Transforming power electronics with a new generation of GaN-powered chips.

> Pioneering the next pillar of the regenerative medicine industry through precision cell production.

> Creating safe, unlimited, carbon-free fusion power for the grid in 10-15 years.

> Enabling rapid, accurate diagnosis of infectious disease at the point of care.

> Engineering a bidirectional power plant to make renewable energy available 24/7.

> Producing ultra-efficient chip-scale optical circuits to de-bottleneck data centers, telecommunication networks, and secure quantum communications. CONTENTS

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| 04 | | 06 | Industry Tough Tech Summit 2019 c. d. e. A home for Tough Tech founders. | 26 | | 42 | | 54 | The Engine, built by MIT, is a venture firm that invests in early-stage The Dream Nature Cleaning companies solving the world’s biggest problems through the convergence of of Anything Amplified Up Steel Anywhere breakthrough science, engineering, and leadership. Our mission is to accelerate the path to market for Tough Tech companies through access to a unique combination of investment, infrastructure, and a vibrant ecosystem.

Tough Tech Publication 04 f.

November 2019 Editor: Nathaniel Brewster The Engine, Built by MIT Design: www.draft.cl | 68 | Print by Puritan Capital, NH & MA The Engine Portfolio Companies TOUGH TECH 04 | 7 | the things that help us make other things. help us make other things. the things that upon which theThey are the foundation and hold enormousnecessities of life are built and societal value. environmental, commercial, highlights Tech Tough This edition of industrial Tech Tough three facets of the greenhouse the race to eliminate revolution: and cement, gas emissions from steel, the blossoming and chemical production; manufacturing industry; dynamic additive biology is harnessed to produce and how industrial scale. products at These new technologies and processes are quo, not simply different from the status more efficient, in almost all cases, they are, than and far less polluting less expensive, This new their traditional counterparts. in many is developed, Tech Tough industrial with the express purpose of tackling cases, biggest challenges like climate the planet’s change and human health. isMuch of this new industrial revolution — these are hidden from the public eye technologies make and processes that

Essential things like steel, cement, and Essential things things like shoes and tools. chemicals. Everyday biological Complex things like rockets and to a unique organisms. This change is thanks and convergence of materials, technologies, processes maturing in unison.

things is changing. make we The way Industry

TOUGH TECH 04 | 6 | Tough Tech SummitSM Forging a Path for Tough Tech. TOUGH TECH 04 | 8 TOUGH TECH 04 | 9

Our second invite-only conference of “Solving the global-scale problems Tough Tech companies founders, investors, academics, policy are tackling requires commitment and collaboration. makers, and business leaders explored The only way we solve fundamental challenges in climate, the challenges of bringing Tough Tech to human health, infrastructure, and computing is together.” market, and investigated the business, technical, and financial strategies needed The Tough Tech Summit has one goal — unite a community to support founders as they build companies tackling some of the world’s hardest to accelerate the commercial success of problems. I saw 500 individual members of such a community — world-changing companies. entrepreneurs, academics, policy makers, business leaders, investors, and the founders themselves — work together over two days to push these companies, and their ideas, forward.

All were there because they believe in the convergent power of people, technology, and science to change the world. It was as humbling as it | was inspiring. Build 10.21. Invest 10.22. As you browse this publication, I hope it inspires you to ask yourself how you can help founders’ ambition scale to the level where their companies thrive Day one, Build, featured a fireside chat other Tough Tech founders and investors. commercially. I challenge you to ask yourself how you can make the path with Vinod Khosla, founder keynotes, case Josh DeFonzo, Peter Hebert, and Bijan faster and easier for these entrepreneurs — if we all do that, imagine what we study workshops, and interactive panels. Salehizadeh, some of the lead investors, Attendees worked together to help solve advisors, and executives behind Auris can create! If we get it right — when we get it right — we can create a Tough some of the core challenges faced by Tough Health, had a frank and illuminating Tech ecosystem that needs no introduction. Tech companies. discussion about the company’s journey from startup to multi-billion-dollar During day two, Invest, founders pitched acquisition. The day also featured panel Katie Rae their businesses and connected with sessions and open networking time. CEO & Managing Partner TOUGH TECH 04 | 11 | DAY 2

81 TOUGH TECH FOUNDERS FOUNDERS TECH TOUGH AND ENTREPRENEURS 122 INVESTORS DAY 1 & 2: DAY 207 UNIQUE ATTENDEES UNIQUE Tough Tech Summit Tech Tough

UNIQUE ATTENDEES UNIQUE DAY 2: 101 INVESTORS 40% ATTENDEES 306 MEMBERS OF THE TOUGH TOUGH THE OF MEMBERS TECH ECOSYSTEM 18

10.22. 10.22. 28% ENTREPRENEURS DAY 1: 192 ATTENDEES UNIQUE STRATEGIC CORPORATES 32 Gold Partners Invest MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT 17 DAY 1 MEMBERS OF GOVERNMENT 16

INVESTORS 107 MEMBERS OF THE TOUGH TOUGH THE OF MEMBERS TECH ECOSYSTEM 39

UNIQUE ATTENDEES LEADERS LEADERS IN ACADEMIA 36 INVESTORS 27% ATTENDEES 399

123 TOUGH TECH FOUNDERS FOUNDERS TECH TOUGH AND ENTREPRENEURS

ENTREPRENEURS

33% 500 STRATEGIC CORPORATES

45 Build 10.21. Platinum Partners Platinum

TOUGH TECH 04 | 10 | TOUGH TECH 04 | 13 | Katie Rae Katie The Engine CEO & Managing Partner, “To us at The Engine, the future will be filled The Engine, us at “To building founders with more empowered And those and companies. teams, technology, support.” look for to where companies will know a to further develop today: one goal have “We as they supports these founders community that the world’s some of companies tackling build hardest problems.” SM

Founder & Partner, Khosla Ventures Khosla & Partner, Founder Vinod Khosla “If you ask three experts and all three say, yeah, yeah, ask three experts and all three say, “If you If to worry. have then you this is not doable, to worry have then you doable, it’s they all say to have So you people will do it. too many that people doubt it exist in this other space where can be done.” “Skeptics have never done the impossible. Keep done the impossible. never “Skeptics have try rather I’d religion me. for It’s in mind. that to try than fail it.” and fail “The team you build is the company you build.” build.” you is the company build “The team you Tough Tech Summit Tech Tough

TOUGH TECH 04 | 12 | TOUGH TECH 04 | 15 | Tough Tech Summit Tech Tough in fact, 60 percent of production cost is related 60 percent of production cost is related — in fact, D-WAVE & LOCKHEED MARTIN D-WAVE & LOCKHEED Moderator | Moderator Sturtevant Reed The Engine Partner, General Brownell Vern D-Wave CEO, Ned Allen Martin Lockheed Chief Scientist, working quantum computer, the first built When D-Wave a did it sell this computer, How it had no customers. And why bought before? no one had ever technology that take the first customer, D-Wave’s did Lockheed Martin, no precedent was leap and make the purchase when there for doing so? cyber- who produces complex Martin, Lockheed For the possibility of reducing the cost and systems, physical was too (V&V) validation and verification time of software spends tens of millions every Lockheed year great to ignore. on V&V the Allen, of Ned in the words It is, V&V of the system. to “a humongous problem.” chief scientist, company’s the money his Lockheed had to ensure that Allen at quantum computer would in D-Wave’s invested company of the program if the initial goal was even not be lost, Vern he and Through the case study session, not realized. described they used how CEO of D-Wave, Brownell, (D-Wave financial offsets by the Canadian government to reduce the financial risk of the Vancouver) is based in to near zero. investment learned: we What “Uncertainty than technical risk. is much more profound This was are doing. you risk what know assumes you Technical real research into the unknown.” $10M, quantum computer for bought a D-Wave “Lockheed by the Canadian governmentbut offset this investment had reduced the uncertainty of and D-Wave Lockheed $110M. — they had reduced the financial risk (not technical) investment to almost zero.” trillions“There are literally in offset financing. of dollars per year to take you it allows critically, And, ignore it. can no longer You That’s take. VC would much higher technical risk than a logical forward.” tech will move how FORMLABS | Moderator Milo Werner Ajax Strategies Partner, Max Lobovsky Formlabs & CEO, Co-Founder Lakatos Dávid Formlabs Chief Product Officer, working its early days, in Formlabs was In 2011, prosumer-oriented on a prototype for a low-cost, With the long-term vision 3D printer. stereolithography of internalizing they were key parts of their supply chain, partnershiplooking for an immediate help them would that hit the ground running. Formlabs has grown to be the largest In just a few years, of with the expectation part business, of their partner’s With near future. their production in the overwhelming its supply chain at more control over the desire to have Formlabs is faced a number with current and future scale, bigger acquire their current find a new, partner, of options: facility. their own or build partner, learned: we What In the “Maintaining control of supply is super important us. for People material special sauce. your is your 3D printing world, is as Formulation printers your are buying their performance. for to wanted Coca Cola — we as it is for important Formlabs for control of the supply.” have the other side are a the people on an acquisition, “In executing the company Some at super-important part of the negotiation. to grow want others may be in a position to sell and retire, may Understanding audiences and their these and do new things. are critical.” motivations can be very customer of an acquisition target “Being the biggest helpful in the negotiation.” per year. per year. 2 The logistics of starting cement and concrete our own cement really well, know are complex — we company the other minerals and materials as well do not know but the existing cement and to alienate did not want We concrete industry up-front CapEx the massive to avoid wanted We upsides when considering profit and There are fewer sustainability SOLIDIA TECHNOLOGIES | Moderator Ann DeWitt The Engine Partner, General | Moderator Jim Matheson Administration, Senior Lecturer in Business Harvard Business School Nick DeCristofaro Solidia Technologies CTO, a sustainable cement and Technologies, As Solidia toward began its path concrete technology company, faced model it was with a core business commercialization, and company decision — become a cement and concrete or become seek to disrupt major players, the industry’s and disrupt carbon a technology provider the industry’s footprint without being disruptive to established business and manufacturing processes. technology to Solidia decided to think big — to sell its taking major manufacturers cement and concrete, of global supply chain to scale of the established advantage the business model, With this quickly and efficiently. least at technology has the potential to eliminate company’s 1.5 gigatons of CO Nick DeCristofaro, CTO of Solidia, shared four reasons of Solidia, CTO Nick DeCristofaro, decided to pursue its current his company technology- why model: business provider learned: we What to think be afraid don’t model, a business creating “When you’re vision comes the need to educate But with ambition and big. on the policy and regulatory and everyone involved, yourself, plan.” can impact your nuance that assess always decision, a major strategic execute you “Before Will moving impact and speed. between the potential tradeoffs decision?” reduce the impact of that quickly

Case Studies Case 10.21.Build

TOUGH TECH 04 | 14 | TOUGH TECH 04 | 17 | Tough Tech Summit Tech Tough Albert | Moderator Lee New EnterpriseAssociates Design Partner, Burke Katie HubSpot Officer, Chief People Sobalvarro Patrick Robotics Veo & CEO, Co-Founder Glucksmann Sandra Therapeutics Cedilla President & CEO, CooperhouseLou BlueNalu President & CEO, Swaminathan Ramya Malta CEO, learned: we What Balancing about balance. is organization Tech Tough Building a innate those with deep domain experience have and those who “authors and as one participant noted, Balancing, ability. editors are those to create, love — authors are those who editors” Tech Tough During a periods of growth, to modify. love who and coaching, mentoring, teaching, CEO must shift roles between harnessing of each role to help the team facets most effective the — reach its goals. — and the organization constitutes to be conscious of what really have you “As a leader, goals. different have People people. personal growth different for particularly competitive in a incumbent on the company, It’s not a one-size-fits-all.” It’s to understand this. environment, early and inclusion policy, in a diversity invest don’t “If you catch-up.” be playing always you’ll Good coaching. there’s And mentoring. There’s teaching. “There’s to the get these modes to help their employees leaders shift between right answers.” barriers remove we people want, than assuming what “Rather than Rather people to be able to do more interesting work. for ask we and equity, in compensation they want assuming what accordingly.” and tailor our benefits packages they want them what job your in a leadership position, about remembering that, “It’s balance of a constant It’s to read the scientific paper. is no longer motivate.” do you include and how do you who Whiteboard with a person before you hire them. See how they See how hire them. you Whiteboard with a person before think. to hire — want Keep a big list about the kinds of people you rounds. the next few for but opening, the immediate not just for first step, It can be difficult to make that contracting. Embrace project. so make a contract end of careers, Be opportunistic jobs, — find people between beginning of careers. Do great phone screens. try they are to understandHiring where is a mutual decision, coming from. of those scores in Excel. a scorecard and keep an archive Create an interviewee who to be. Know wants Put people in the shoes of the actual worker. everybody to start searching network, your investors, Get your potential candidates. for Moderator Ilan Gur | Moderator Activate CEO, Ellis Tyler Partners Hills Black Principal, & Founder Shannon Miller EtaGen CEO & Founder, Verminski Matt Desktop Metal VP of Engineering, Former William Woodford Energy Form & Co-Founder, CTO learned: we What teams strike between a balance Tech Tough The most successful those guided by experience and those compelled to explore. While experience guide the team through periods can help often sidestepping new, biased, it is inherently of uncertainty, there On the other hand, quo. the status of favor ideas in creative convention. question productively should be team members who important these roles should not be defined to note that It’s they should be thought of as elements of an Instead, by age. character. employee’s it is essential to have a technical team, are building “When you to where Measures of success should be in relation clear targets. started you from.” not where to, need to get you 10 hiring tips sourced from the audience: Moderator Moderator Katie Rae | Katie CEO & Managing Partner, The Engine CEO & Managing Partner, Andy Wheeler GV Partner, General Geraghty James Chairman, Orchard Therapeutics John Santini Bioscience Vergent President & CEO, Jill Smith Director & Chair Non Executive CEO, Tech Experienced Global Knowles Jak Leaps by Bayer Investments, Venture Vice President of learned: we What must understand the nuances of founders Tech Tough First-time and managingbuilding they receive a board of directors before A successful board of directors will help a significant investment. and work hire staff and advisors, bringfounder in new capital, All members of the board through complex deals / contracts. each meeting as should share a deep sense of mission and treat an opportunity and grow the company. to collaborate one degree should have of freedom from any you “As a CEO, board of directors.” member of your — use it for update “A BOD meeting should not be a company ahead of updates Be sure to prep company the tough questions. the BOD reads them.” time and expect that help “CEOs should expect a BOD member to bring new capital, of deals and through specific types work hire staff and advisors, and use their diversity on people management, advise contracts, of experience to fill experiencegaps.” of top companies usually reserves“The management time with relationships.” BOD members outside of BOD meetings to build “Leadership should inform they are facing the BOD when without including them in the technical risk, technical massive program.” must you BOD member, to become a more effective want “If you and know you what — know of self-awareness a sense develop know.” don’t you

Panel Sessions Panel 10.21.Build

TOUGH TECH 04 | 16 | TOUGH TECH 04 | 19 | Managing Director, Lapidx Research Managing Director, Stan Lapidus “You have to both be immodest have “You and very the same time. modest at not it’s money, raise can’t If you not handsome because you’re enough or beautiful enough ... because the story a good isn’t it’s story proposition isn’t or the value proposition.” value a good you problem, a great have “If you people — you great can attract investors.” great can attract Tough Tech Summit Tech Tough Co-Founder & CIO, Indigo Ag Indigo & CIO, Co-Founder Geoffrey von Maltzahn von Geoffrey “We embrace what we hear from we what embrace “We instead of trying to our customers, been one of It’s around it. invent do the most important things we as a company.” it appears there might “Anytime a belief be a disconnect between the circumstances system and what why should trace you are today, are in the you to where got you first place.” Head of Manufacturing, CFS Head of Manufacturing, Joy Dunn Joy “Why did I choose to work at at did I choose to work “Why Fusion Systems? Commonwealth fix up me to important for It was this current focusing planet before off of it.” on getting and of physics do the laws “What not historical precedent tell you are possible?” Keenan Wyrobek Keenan & Engineering, Head of Product Founder, Zipline “Nothing motivates your team your “Nothing motivates a personal connection like having use are gonna to the people who this come to believe I’ve their tech. is fundamental human nature.” “Bring users into the design your one.” — from day process early Rodney Brooks Rodney Robust.AI & CTO, Founder “Competing against no one is “Competing against much better than competing someone.” against “Disruption markets.” can create worry“I think tech people don’t all get about user interfaces...we frustrated with bad user interfaces and they abound in tech.”

Keynotes Founder 10.21.Build

TOUGH TECH 04 | 18 | TOUGH TECH 04 | 21 | “If you’re an entrepreneur, an entrepreneur, “If you’re should think you you about who strategically bring next round, into your not just the valuation, not just a single person. but Not just those things, — the the investors actually firms of and the network with they have relationships — I future capital providers think those considerations vital and are absolutely sometimes overlooked.” Bijan Salehizadeh Capital NaviMed Managing Director, ultimately Johnson & Johnson ... believed that this was an only- this was that believed ... & Johnson Johnson ultimately did not get If they asset in a technology stack. in-class trophy just nothing else behind it.” there was Auris, length about also spoke at and Salehizadeh Hebert, DeFonzo, it was The team realized that strategy. product development the legendaryessential to recruit Fred Moll, entrepreneur and technologist adjacent company behind a monopolistic going to do were “We Auris. to co-found Surgical), (Intuitive the guy who going to get were We story. “NeXT” Jobs the Steve and started the monopolistic player, is now which the thing, his original going to fund him to come and kind of beat we’re as simple as that. really And it was product with a new thing. Salehizadeh recounts. to fund,” all I wanted was That Auris behind the team of entrepreneurs investors and For multi-billion dollar acquisition eventual the company’s Health, The decade-long journey from idea to guaranteed. never was capital than acquisition required 10 times more investment Auris’ As and multiple significant pivots. initially estimated about it was ... just dark days “There were tells it, DeFonzo just had to absolutely grind through those We perseverance. the especially the entrepreneurs in the audience, For things.” observation this is one that founders, Tech Tough first-time especially sage. should prove “With the benefit of successes so many hindsight, just look like a clear linear I’m here to tell you but path, ugly, on the ground it will get and it will messy, it will get need a lot And you scary. get of luck.” Hebert Peter & Managing Partner, Co-Founder Lux Capital “In capital-intensive “In capital-intensive your getting businesses, approach right is everything. like your Sometimes it feels being fibers aren’t fast-twitch not doing you’re if satisfied with something immediately But the product or the tech. To learnedI’ve to be patient. listen and be aware. really you’re make sure that To requirements right, getting pivots Tech, because in Tough are costly.” Josh DeFonzo Auris Health COO, Auris Health | Auris Case Study The and Bijan Salehizadeh joined Hebert, Peter DeFonzo, Josh on Ann DeWitt, Engine Reed Sturtevant General Partners, and on shepherding perspectives unvarnished stage and provided Aurisits earliest stages through its multi-billion Health from 2019. in late & Johnson dollar acquisition by Johnson The trio the about the challenges of building spoke openly avoid including the significant strategic decision to company, “At no point in time did traditional medical device investors. A and the Series between medical device investor go to any we Auris the team, To Hebert told the audience. the Series D,” a technology rather but device company, not a medical was and from sophisticated, benefit would and one that company, like large global hedge funds and investors perhaps unexpected, mutual funds. Hebert of this strategic shift: on the advantages elaborated Auris willing to take a leap of faith were that “These investors would that is actually fundamentally a technology company And so the terms more like a technology company. be valued much larger than got was ultimately we that and the valuation technology firms of the other traditional medical any what on the order of hundreds of millions These were could provide. felt that of dollars millions or tens of millions ...we versus the and people, ... into this narrative actually translate it would “Tough Tech is everywhere. It’s the It’s is everywhere. Tech “Tough — underpinnings of the global economy It is the stuff of — and in the future. today serves as the Tech Tough enduring value. is built.” our world platform upon which Tech Tough on need to capitalize “We and the box think outside To opportunities. — paradigm investment a different build the full capital stack.” on focuses one that Katie Rae Katie The Engine CEO & Managing Partner, SM

“Urgent problems can be solved across all solved problems can be “Urgent things happen: two when parts of the economy the right policies and the right financial to new way it is a radically Whether support. providing disease, new cures for food, grow or computing on clean baseload energy, With success, law. Moore’s qubits to leapfrog these technologies will serve the betterment new will launch entire We of humanity. industries enormous and will create wealth.” “Our experience over the last few years years “Our experience the last few over Tech Tough of the next wave makes it clear — And it is working.” is here. 10.22. 10.22. Invest Tough Tech Summit Tech Tough

TOUGH TECH 04 | 20 | TOUGH TECH 04 | 23 | Tough Tech Summit Tech Tough Moderator | Moderator Orin Hoffman The Engine Partner, Venture McCready Travis Sciences Center Massachusetts Life President & CEO, Stapleton David Assistant Secretary Industrial for of Defense Acting Deputy Department of Defense U.S. Policy, Zahler James ARPA-E Technology-to-Market, Director for Associate Schenkkan Tex Capital DIU Security National Innovation Director, Eric Toone Breakthrough Managing Director and Science Lead, Executive Energy Ventures Ringeisen Brad DARPA Office, Technologies Office Director of the Biological learned: we What and popular sources of While grants known are the most well they are not the only startups, Tech Tough government funding for pilot provides example, for Unit, Innovation The Defense option. solve technologies that for commercial innovation for contracts DOD problems. technology is not required to be solely startup’s Tech Tough A beneficial to the DOD to receive from the organization. grants should consider grants to one step on the path Founders — not a means in and of themselves. commercialization or “grant shops,” government avoid managers program Many entrepreneurs with a history their companies solely of funding through grants. startups should not overly Tech Tough “Commercially minded are excellent means to an end, Grants rely on government grants. should not be a means in and of themselves.” but technology Any of the Departmentafraid be of Defense. “Don’t DOD.” for can be spun into an application manager. program with your “Build a personal relationship apply — these you before looking for they’re what Know enormous will save relationships amounts of time and energy on processes.” the application NEW GOVERNMENT MODELS MODELS NEW GOVERNMENT FOR FOSTERING TOUGH TECH COMMERCIALIZATION Moderator | Moderator Boyd Andrew Fidelity Investments Head of Global Equity Capital Markets, Barker Karey Cross Creek Managing Director, Founding Hausman Jonathan Managing Relationships, Director and Head of Global Strategic Plan Pension Teachers’ Ontario Brian Korb Trout Solebury Managing Director, Chris Pike International CorporationAdvent Managing Partner, Wayman Libby Ventures Breakthrough Energy Investor, learned: we What too early it is never that should realize founders Tech Tough must These investors with institutional investors. to engage the have understand and companies that the technologies potential to disrupt their existing portfolio. companies Tech Tough be led to may Institutional investors through the peripheral technologies required to complete is funding If an investor significant infrastructure projects. be introduced they may example, for of a highway, development Tech Tough and imaging. AI, in materials, to those innovating opportunities. of these tangential should be aware founders has something that something completely new, “If I am valuing the novelty I assess potential impact, done before, been never and general the markets, the team, of the technical approach, details.” investment milestones.” towards invest investors “Remember, NAVIGATING CAPITAL MARKETS: CAPITAL MARKETS: NAVIGATING FROM SEED TO INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS FINANCING BY FINANCING BY STRATEGIC CORPORATES Gammell | Moderator David Gunderson Dettmer Partner, Brennan Christine Partner, MRL Ventures Dipal Doshi Therapeutics Entrada President & CEO, Jaramillo Mateo Energy Form CEO & Co-Founder, Max Pieri Eni Next Director, Clean-Tech learned: we What interested in pursuing strategic corporate founders Tech Tough and more incentives With diverse should start early. investment a said, That VC. than game longer a much it’s bureaucracy, expertise to a corporate’s and experience invaluable can prove startup technical challenges. facing Tech Tough amounts of follow- large can provide Corporate investors more are generally They also appropriate. when on capital, with the VC, from economic downturnsinsulated than a typical others cannot. capital when ability to continue to provide to view on how a corporate’s useful to get “It is always Their and milestones. approach key technical challenges Tech Tough expertise and experience can help an early-stage more efficiently.” innovate important to avoid it’s “As a startup deal terms, negotiating VC.” into a cornerbeing backed by a corporate amounts of is the large a corporate“A benefit of having investor to tap into.” available capital they have follow-on — it is crucial“The world of corporate capital is diverse venture and their processes.” to understand the individual investors so start VC, than “Pursuing corporates strategic game is a longer more than one option.” early and have be considered a steadier source “Corporate capital may venture especially during periods of potential downturns.” of capital,

10.22. 10.22.

Panel Sessions Panel Invest

TOUGH TECH 04 | 22 | TOUGH TECH 04 | 25 | Pitch SessionsPitch pitches. Tech Tough 16 2 hours.

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Companies Tech Tech Tough Tough

TOUGH TECH 04 | 26 | The dream of THE DREAM OF ANYTHING ANYWHERE | 29 TOUGH TECH 04 | 28

For decades, 3D printing has seemed to hold a magical potential to build objects out of almost thin air. Is it finally starting to live up to the hype?

By Michael Blanding for The Engine Illustrations by Rodrigo Larraín & Julie Carles THE DREAM OF ANYTHING ANYWHERE | 31 | Ric Fulop Desktop Metal Founder & CEO, On the other hand, the building the building On the other hand, has however, years, The last five that were developed 30 years ago are developed were that leading to absolutely huge changes in additive manu- as additive known Also home. facturing shapes by builds — since it rather by layer, adding material layer machining it through than removing molding — it by injection or creating 3D printing theoretically has multiple traditional manufac- over advantages of for the creation It can allow turing. complex geometries and an endless leading to proto- of designs, iteration types in mere hours than the rather weeks. or days process can be excoriatingly slow, and limit- and therefore expensive, resolution can ed materials and low In the result in substandard quality. more-than-three decades since it first manufacturing additive has appeared, to regulated remained a niche process, making cheap prototypes or jigs and fixtures to aid manufacturing rather As recently than products themselves. Inc. magazine said the tech- as 2016, nology “dying.” was seen an unlikely surge in new additive manufacturing technologies — many — and a crop MIT at developed like many companies, of innovative Desktop Metal based in the Boston in the platforms“Small advances area. imagined a Diamond Age, Diamond Age, The “I have a small part show I could “I have writAt the time Stephenson was - separating the shaping of the part the shaping separating from us to allows that the thermodynamics, make printers are cost-effective that and fast production,” enough for mass suitable Its Studio System, Fulop says. and machine for small businesses goes for around $750,000, shops, System machines while its Production de- of $1.5 million, go for upward industrialsigned for high-throughput manufacturing. “One says. Fulop the back,” in to you machine does a quarter-of-a-million a hundred times parts — it’s per day faster than the previous generation the process In addition, technology.” than uses much less metal powder so instead of previous techniques, costing $1,000 per kilogram of parts, a 20th the cost for “So it’s it costs $50. efficiencies like With a finished part.” 3D printing could com- he says, that, pete with mainstream manufacturing are going where we “That’s processes. can with our Production System — we enter the market where a lot of the capital gets spent.” the Cusp Industry on An science-fiction 1995 Neal Stephenson’s book, in which familiesworld of the future on they wanted anything could create a specialized machine called a matter You fit? Clothes no longer complier. them into a recyclingcould throw bin, be torn apart molecule by where they’d molecule and reconstructed through nanotechnology into a new custom-de- On an industrial level, signed outfit. could print machines massive buildings artifi whole and even - out of diamond, cial islands offshore. 3D printing in its ing, technology was seemed to hold unlimited but infancy, in the anything potential to create He can be forgiven for seeming so At the heart of Desktop Metal’s “Thirty years ago, it was a zero billion dollar industry. When we got we got When dollar industry. billion a zero “Thirty it was ago, years Now industry. a half and into this three a $5 billion it was ago, years over times bigger to be 10 going it’s think We industry. a $9 billion it’s the next decade.” t’s a busy Friday afternoon a busy Desktop at t’s office and warehouse-sized Metal’s factory Mass. in Burlington, space suits and in business Men and women around the entryway, khakis bustle with sand- catering plates picking at while dozens of wiches and cookies, coders sit crammed into workstations “I’m super in every inch of floorspace. got custom- I’ve double-booked here, CEO Ric says resellers …” VARs, ers, as he plops into a apologetically, Fulop, chair in a conference room. In the three years since its stressed. raised Desktop Metal has founding, capital nearly $450 million in venture In for its metal 3D printing technology. of $1.5 it reached a valuation January, and status, “unicorn” achieving billion, giving hope to an industry has at that than reali- times seemed more hype Fulop insists. “There is no hype,” ty. a zero billion it was “Thirty years ago, got into this When we dollar industry. a $5 it was three and a half years ago, a $9 billion it’s Now billion industry. 10 going to be think it’s We industry. the next decade.” times bigger over breakthrough technology is a new up metal printing builds process that and then fires by layer, objects layer “By to harden them. them in an oven Metal Composite Composite (CFF) JOSEF PRUSA by PRUSA Paper Gypsum Plastic Wax Sand Metal Metal Metal Metal Metal Metal Paper Plastic Plastic Plastic Plastic Plastic Plastic Plastic Gypsum ata provided by 3D HUBS | www.3dhubs.com | by 3D HUBS | www.3dhubs.com | Data provided Composite Composite

NPJ NanoParticle Jetting DMLS / SLM Direct Metal Laser Sintering Selective Laser Melting SLS Selective Laser Sintering EBM Electron Beam Melting SLA Stereolithography FDM Fused Deposition Modeling DLP Digital Light Processing Binder Jetting DOD Drop On Demand MJ Material Jetting MJF Multi Jet Fusion BJ EBAM Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing LENS Laser Engineering Net Shape LOM Laminated Object Manufacturing CDLP Continuous Digital Light Processing laser laser heat form laser energy UV light Milled to projector Cured with Cured with Cured Fused with Fused Fused with Fused Cured with Cured Cured with Cured with Cured agent and Fused with Fused with Fused with Fused Joined with LED & oxygen electron beam bonding agent electron beam Additive Manufacturing technologies Manufacturing Additive Material jetting Binder jetting Vat photopolymerization Material extrusion Powder bed fusion Direct energy deposition Sheet lamination

TOUGH TECH 04 | 30 | THE DREAM OF ANYTHING ANYWHERE | 33 | Parts printedStudio with the Desktop Metal A renderingA part of a prior to printing. component printed using the Desktop Metal system. Desktop Metal production system. system. Metal production Desktop Desktop Metal courtesy of: Images The machine he created consisted The machine he created items in China and other countriesitems in China and will be companies like GE overseas, in small, its products able to create factoriesmostly automated all over significantly cutting down the U.S., Getting and shipping costs. on waste will take however, the chasm,” “over “The overall effort and innovation. but industry an inflection point, is at “Moving he says. stalled a bit,” it’s into the next phase of mass manufac- turing problem becomes a significant for almost every technology.” Prototyping for Polymers when 3D printing born was 1983, in engineer of a Chuck Hull dreamed to make prototyped parts. quicker way designed the parts you “At the time, design a tool designer would on paper, and then an injection molder a tool, “It he says. inject the plastic,” would and if and months, take weeks would had to do every you - work, it didn’t he worked At the time, thing all over.” used UV for Dupont on a process that plastic photopolymers “cure” light to - won He on tabletops. to put veneers dered if he could use the same process “I to make a three-dimensional object. these are really just thought to myself, thin sheets of paper — is there a way to make to combine all of these layers he says. a prototype?” platformof a build submerged in a through which he shone tank of resin, the a single-point UV laser to draw the Once cured, shape for each layer. a new platform to allow lifted slowly - Eventu of liquid to be cured. layer a small ally succeeding in creating he called his invention cup, eyewash (SLA), apparatus a stereolithography “solid meaning after the Greek words Hull formed In 1986, stone writing.” one of still 3D Systems, the company manufacturingthe leaders in additive That has finally put additive has finally put additive That is whether however, The question, a professor at Richard D’Aveni, their viability as a manufacturing- plat Hansjörg Lewis, Jennifer says form,” Professor of Biologically Inspired Wyss Engineering Harvard at University, man- the additive and a co-founder of “They are Voxel8. ufacturing company higher leading to higher surface finish, and faster speeds.” build throughput, manufacturing of being on the cusp able to compete with more traditional technologies- as a method for produc it’s Already, not just prototyping. tion, made inroads in industriesas such and medi- jewelry, defense, aerospace, all of which re- cal and dental devices, quire specialized tools and equipment. last From $9.8 billion in revenues it is predicted by industry analyst year, to grow still more Associates Wohlers to $15.8 billion by 2020 and $35.6 (While the company billion by 2024. polymer for revenue separate doesn’t and metal manufacturing, metal 3D printers a third of all represents over $948 million out printer sales last year, of $2.6 billion.) manufacturingadditive can grow out of specialized industries to gain wider adoption across manufacturing as a “It is still less than 1 percent of whole. so get- most manufacturing markets, ting to a tipping point is still far away,” an engineer and Grayson, Dayna says Associ- with New Enterprise investor “The markets are so large, (NEA). ates get to by the time you that however, some very can build you 5 percent, significantly sized companies.” School of Business Tuck Dartmouth’s and author of the 2019 book The predicts that Revolution, Pan-Industrial manu- additive years, 10 to in five facturing fundamentally well may creates the world change the way than producing Rather products. “Small advances in the platforms that were that were in the platforms advances “Small to leading are ago 30 years developed as a in their viability changes huge absolutely platform.” manufacturing Aveni Chuck Hull Jennifer Lewis Jennifer Partner, NEA Dayna Grayson Dayna Richard D’ Richard Dartmouth College Officer, 3D Systems & Co-founder, Voxel8 & Co-founder, Voxel8 at Harvard University at Harvard University Tuck School of Business at Hansjörg Wyss Professor of Hansjörg Wyss Professor Bakala Professor of Strategy, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Biologically Inspired Engineering Biologically Inspired

TOUGH TECH 04 | 32 | THE DREAM OF ANYTHING ANYWHERE | 35 | Stocks that had risenStocks that 10-or 20- fold had personally Lobovsky so, Even er, with constant hardware problems problems hardware with constant er, More extruderand clogged nozzles. it turnedpeople out most crucially, a interested in paying simply weren’t premium price of $1,000 or more for a machine to print cheap plastic items home. at 2009 and 2014 suddenly between (3D to earth. crashed back down before from $5 to $96 Systems went surged Stratasys to $9; dropping down to back down from $12 to $125 and that and analysts $16.) Publications had been touting 3D printingthe as declaring now were next revolution a simplistic view “There was it dead. going to make things were people that who Max Lobovsky, says home,” at rise fall and as a MakerBot’s watched “But of all the grad MIT. student at only a fraction home, at have things we one 3D printer.” can be made with any benefitted from using 3D printers in digital the fabrication at workspaces to ready and wasn’t MIT Media Lab, As he “over.” declare the technology By then, the company had already the company By then, companies such as PrintrBot and Solidoodle raced to join in the frenzy; consumer its own 3D Systems created and in 2014, The Cube; system called acquired MakerBot itself for Stratasys The printers more than $400 million. - howev soon disappointed consumers, Rise and Fall and Rise and and Fall Rise popularityLed by the of FDM future looked bright the for systems, manufacturingadditive by the mid- with the technology seemingly 2000s, Enter Mak- poised to go mainstream. a compact 3D printer designed erBot, by a former art teacher–turned-entre - a envisioned who preneur Bre Pettis, like a sci-fi 3D printer in every home, Pettis life. compiler come to matter WIRED of appeared on the cover 2012 confi- magazine in October Replica- dently holding MakerBot’s with the bright orange tor 2 printer, “This machine will change coverline, the world.” of sold more than 5,000 early versions his machine to an enthusiastic crowd Other of hackers and DIY artists. Its printers extrusion use heated technology, which he called Fused he called Fused which technology, he and Modeling (FDM), Deposition formedhis wife Lisa the company has since grown which to Stratasys, largest 3D printing become the world’s with more than $650 million company, in annual revenues. softened plastic nozzles to squeeze out laid of toothpaste, filaments like a tube up an object. to build layers in down to use and fasterThe process is easy for a and allows than SLA or SLS, - how materials; much wider range of as high resolution, does not have ever, for and is still not often cost-effective - Strata Nevertheless, mass production. sys has used it successfully to produce tools and prototypes for some 18,000 Boeing, Airbus, including customers, and Ford, NASA, Lockheed Martin, used it for special- Some have Volvo. particularlyized production parts, in it says for example, Boeing, aerospace. - $3 million for each 787 Dream saves liner by 3D printing some 50,000 parts per plane. The most common type of 3D The most common the 1990s, and eventually sold to 3D and eventually the 1990s, SLA. which uses it alongside Systems, a developed Arcam, Another company, beam; using an electron similar process SLS has 2016. acquired by GE in it was of being able to produce the advantage nylon, of plastic, stronger products out and more slower is even but and metal, and similarly than SLA, expensive limited in materials. de- printing first appeared in 1989, engineersigned by mechanical Scott Looking to Crump of Minnesota. he frog for his daughter, a toy create took a hot glue gun and filled it with a mixture of polyurethane and candle extruding a thin stream of heated wax, stiffened as it cooled. material that Continuing to experiment with the - SLA isn’t the only type of 3D print- SLA isn’t Boeing, for example, says it saves $3 million million it saves $3 says example, Boeing, for some by 3D printing Dreamliner 787 each for plane. parts per 50,000 dered resin and using a laser to heat Known and fuse the granules together. Laser Sinteringas Selective (SLS), commercialized inthe technology was lead to some “shale-like” weaknesses weaknesses “shale-like” lead to some of the final product. in the strength address those aimed to The company released printer, latest in its limitations after a figure Called Figure 4, last year. it is designed original patent, in Hull’s with a newly designed range for speed, of polymersand release membranes so as well peel off more quickly, the layers UV curing to fin- as a separate station strength. ish the process and increase Shortly after however. ing technology, Texas-Austin of University its invention, grad a dif- student Carl Deckard used taking a bed of pow ferent approach, The advantage of SLA is its high of SLA is its high The advantage In 1998, for example, the compa- for example, In 1998, (Left) Chuck Hull (Middle) A component printed by 3D Systems printedA component by (Left) Chuck Hull (Middle) The 3D Systems production system (Right) 3D Systems Images courtesy of: degree of resolution. Its downsides Its downsides degree of resolution. process, speed of the include the slow and the narrow of materials range usable through photopolymeriza- because the layers In addition, tion. it can up one after another, are built ny Align began using 3D Systems’ began using 3D Systems’ Align ny printers their progressive to create set of dental aligners for adults as Made from to braces. an alternative the resin, polyurethane biocompatible of the rapid products take advantage device to design the customization mouth. for an individual patient’s used the surgeons have More recently, printers to make surgerycompany’s guides to help them make incisions “When I step back in the right place. all of the progress has and look at that become a pretty amazing it’s gone on, his legacy. Hull about says invention,” today. Over the years, the company company the the years, Over today. which its originalhas refined process, but focuses on prototyping, still mostly manufacturing into some has ventured as well.

TOUGH TECH 04 | 34 | THE DREAM OF ANYTHING ANYWHERE | 37 |

Carbon Fortify Formlabs Josh Martin Josh Joe DeSimone Joe Max Lobovsky Max Co-Founder & CEO, Co-Founder & CEO, Co-Founder & CEO, Co-Founder & CEO, Another company, Fortify, also Fortify, Another company, “We wondered if wondered we could grow parts out of “We in the Terminator like the T-1000 a puddle, DeSimone. Joe Carbon founder says movie,” could the mass of words, other be an object “In derived of a source from below it?” liquid resin polymerize plastics, but rather than rather but polymerize plastics, it the structurebuild continuously, a technique by layer, it layer creates called Digital (DLP). Light Processing Martin by Josh Created and Randall Forti- NortheasternErb at University, fy also integrates electromagnets into the printing process it calls FluxPrint, which can control the orientation of fibers embedded in photopolymeric the structureresins to give added or thermal con- stiffness, strength, very programmable “It’s ductivity. Martin, says and wireless in nature,” Fortify, who co-founded the company “We in 2016. based in South Boston, can pretty precisely control these ad- needing to use a large without ditives energy potential.” & Johnson, and Adidas. It crossed It crossed Adidas. and & Johnson, threshold valuation the $1 billion it the third additive (making last year along with “unicorn” manufacturing and as Formlabs), Desktop Metal and Starting reached $2.4 billion. of June, using Carbon’s Adidas began in 2017, cushioned plastic technology to create runningmidsoles for its Futurecraft More market. shoes for the consumer a larger Carbon has revealed recently, with a build printer the L1, called of its previous 10 times that volume Sports equipment company printer. Riddell has used the technology to make custom-designed football helmet using some liners for NFL players, printed140,000 individual struts, in “Certain areas once. materials at two of the liner function differently than other areas in order to optimize energy of an im- management in the event on Ridell plans says. DeSimone pact,” releasing the helmets to the consumer or early next year. this year market late than a laser to uses a projector rather - molds and mass cus Aside from called The technique he developed, the company in 2013, Founded tools should be as unique as he is.” is.” be as unique as he tools should has also SLA however, tomization, - look as a mass-manu gotten a second One of the most facturing technology. manufacturingpromising new additive City–based the Redwood companies, started with a similar concept Carbon, than rather but to stereolithography, layer an object painstakingly building con- a rapid, it envisioned by layer, if we wondered “We tinuous process. like could grow parts out of a puddle, movie,” in the Terminator T-1000 the DeSim- Carbon founder Joe says of North a University Carolina one, chemistry winner of the professor and refer- Lemelson-MIT prize in 2008, charac- ring to actor Robert Patrick’s ter famously emergingout of a pool of mercury-like in 1991 film liquid “In other Day. Judgment 2: Terminator could the mass of an object be words, derived from a source of liquid resin it?” below continuous liquid interface production that (CLIP) uses a special window and of both light controls the flow resin photopolymer to allow oxygen plate build to solidify on an inverted from a pool upward slowly moves that “This enables the genera- of liquid. tion of a continual liquid interface,” “and thus the ability DeSimone, says The parts.” to rapidly grow layerless the UV light to flashprocess allows a - than draw rather pattern once, all at parts allowing to ing it with a laser, 25 times fasterbe built than previous and a SLA processes with less waste It also makes parts smoother finish. the have since they don’t stronger, effects of traditional same shale-layer are able we “With our materials, SLA. partsto achieve with properties that compare to injection molded parts,” has The company DeSimone says. polyure- designed resins for silicones, and elastomeric polyurethanes, thanes, rigid materials such high-temperature as epoxies. last raised nearly $700 million by late VCs such as Baille both from year, and ARCHina Capital; Gifford and Johnson companies including GE, NEA, earning Formlabs a $1 billion NEA, The company August. by last valuation worldwide, has 600 employees now and is already looking to hire more. size of about 5 ½ x 5 ½ With a build spot is in sweet Formlab’s x 7 inches, - Its technolo prototyping and molds. can print patterns infor example, gy, plastic used by jewelers heat-resistant molds as as well as molds for metal, for custom-designed dental liners and Formlabs Last October, hearing aids. announced a partnership with Gillette custom-designed razor blade to create with 48 designs in 7 colors, handles, grooming “a man’s under the tagline, The Kickstarter campaign made ville, Mass., in 2017, they advertised in 2017, Mass., ville, their new machines on Kickstarter, $3,000. with a price tag of just over Instead of targeting home consumers, Formlabs aimed for small companies and independent craftspeople — so who might not be “prosumers,” called able to afford a $50,000 machine from 3D Systems or Stratasys. and has been $3 million in preorders, has Its success since. in the black ever - $100 million in invest over attracted ment from the likes of Foundry Group, and former GE CEO Jeff Autodesk, partner a venture now at Immelt, Lobovsky and his colleagues created and his colleagues created Lobovsky a new technique that inverted the usual inverted a new technique that so only a small tank of SLA process, They used a laser needed. resin was a spe- creating players, from Blu-Ray Launching it. to calibrate cial software as Formlabs in Somer- their company finished his master’s degree in 2011, degree in 2011, finished his master’s other MIT he got together with two students to explore a new idea for Instead of using a desktop printer. a technology use SLA, it would FDM, had been more or less passed over that started, “When we for personal use. it only existed in these very large ma- says. Lobovsky chines,” A sample of materials, shapes, and sizes possible with a Formlabs printer. printer. and sizes possible with a Formlabs shapes, A sample of materials, Printing components with a Formlabs printer. printer. Printing with a Formlabs components Formlabs courtesy of: Images

TOUGH TECH 04 | 36 | THE DREAM OF ANYTHING ANYWHERE | 39 | Recently, other companies such other Recently, which the company The process, structed in just 60 days rather than than structed rather days in just 60 years. several metal taken Metal have as Desktop success in aerospace and printing’s to bringintroduced new processes for other industries cost down as well. to fuse metal than use heat Rather uses Desktop Metal wire or powder, by MIT professor a process invented to fix powder and co-founder Ely Sachs Past binder instead. with an adhesive doorsa series in Desktop of protective mini of upon row row factory, Metal’s fridge–sized- machines whir productive of mechanical arms Each has a pair ly. and metal sticks of wax pushes that similar to through a nozzle, powder by layer layer up objects building FDM, When they are done, plate. on a build a technician will place the objects in a debinder where a liquid solution will open channels creating the wax, remove Then it is put into a inside the object. hot furnace where the metal shape will hardening as it shrinks by be sintered, At the same time, up to 20 percent. the sintering all bonds the metal from together to fusing the layers directions, strength. increase overall began shipping calls its Studio System, in June to companies including Ford, Goodyear, Stanley Black & Decker, Corning, use it to which and Owens and jigs, molds, prototypes, create fixtures to help their manufacturing VP of Product Larry says process, vehicle he says, In addition, Lyons. - companies including BMW and Cat erpillar are using it to print spare parts “Caterpillar has a 40-year on demand. “So he says. guarantee on spare parts,” - Los Angeles-based company Rel- Angeles-based company Los gy called Direct Metal Laser Sinteringgy called Direct on SLS a variation 1995, (DMLS) in laser into a shoots a high-wattage that The process metal. bed of powdered precision parts for allows with com- though it can be even plex geometries, with a single part expensive, and slow $2,000 from $500 to costing anywhere the process reason, that For to make. in the aero the most inroads has made used it to print GE has space industry; parts and SpaceX and for jet engines, create used it to Virgin Galactic have parts for their rockets. the to create Space is working ativity first raising entirely 3D printed rocket, $145 million this October from Bond bringing its total Capital, Tribe and The up to $185 million. investment FDM printer uses a massive company with 18-foot robotic arms to depos- it melted metal wire on a spinning turntable to make round parts such as which was The company, fuel tanks. plans on launching founded in 2015, With a payload its first rocket in 2021. the rocket of up to 1,250 kilograms, is designed to use 100 times fewer parts than traditional rockets (1,000 and be con- compared to 100,000), By changing fields the magnetic Los Angeles-based company Relativity Space is is Space Relativity company Los Angeles-based printed the to create 3D working entirely first FDM uses a massive rocket. The company arms to deposit robotic with 18-foot printer turntable to a spinning on metal wire melted as make round parts such tanks.fuel during can printing,company the polymerize different areas, selectively up materials with unique building exam- For by voxel. voxel properties, Fortify its magnetic 3D has used ple, printers to produce electrical con- nectors — com- electric for vehicles structuresplicated need to be that (radio frequency)embedded with RF the same time with- at properties, beneath standing high temperatures those with tooling make “To the hood. he says. processes is super-expensive,” has been the company In addition, able to make high-performance plastic “The 3D tools for injection molding. printing space has been trying to crack not and they have this for decades, been able to perform under high levels can “We Martin says. of pressure,” usually re- would take a process that and turn it around quire three months, or less.” in a week Expanding to Metal manufacturingWhile additive orig - one of inally used plastic polymers, has been the the major innovations German firm to metals. adaptation EOS first commercialized a technolo- Products, components, and tools showcasing the diverse materials the diverse and tools showcasing components, Products, and properties possible with the Carbon printing system. Carbon courtesy of: Images The Carbon production environment. Carbon courtesy of: Image

TOUGH TECH 04 | 38 | THE DREAM OF ANYTHING ANYWHERE | 41 | Inkbit has since formed a partner- - The possibilities for multiple mate or less ink in spots to make the surface the need for a scrap- obviating flat, resolution of 20 can scan at “We er. change to speed,” microns without any who spun the company Marini, says out of MIT in 2017 with Matusik and funding from Italian packaging IMA. company to create & Johnson ship with Johnson products such as medical devices high combining multiple materials at for example, One device, resolution. channels of less than a tiny features With the speeds ½ millimeter in size. an intricate plastic device possible, cost $350 using SLA would that the cost of only could be produced at the Next, Marini says. a few dollars, plans on installing several company partnerbeta machines at companies to continue to test the technology before releasing it more widely. rials combining polymers. go beyond lab uses a Lewis’ Jennifer At Harvard, technique similar to material jetting, system to using a pneumatic but extrude a paste-like ink through larger allowing room temperature, nozzles at for a much wider range of materials. Lewis has been Institute, Wyss At the a pioneer in printing 3D artificial man- On the organs with living cells. she helped ufacturing however, side, Marini studied mechanical engineer - a lens As ink is laid on the object, uses material jetting. There are two There are two uses material jetting. material too Any however: problems, nozzles (5 to viscous will clog the tiny limiting materials. 15 microns wide), in the ways random variations Second, to im- the ink lead the nozzles spray compen- To build. perfections as layers J750 machine sweeps Stratasys’ sate, a scraper across the surface between the process slows that however, layers; and further since limits the materials, such as epoxies, too sticky, anything will cling to it. - as an invest ing in Milan and worked ment banker in London before coming There, to MIT to study biomaterials. he learned of new technology being Wojciech by MIT scientist developed the Computer Science at Matusik Artificial Laboratory Intelligence and in(CSAIL) to address the limitations would chemicals that He developed MJ. be liquid enough to shoot easily from then change when but the nozzles, more to create exposed to UV light, In complex materials such as epoxies. an ingenious he developed addition, on errorssystem to cut down using ma- chine vision and artificial intelligence. high resolution to find any scans it at The print head then random errors. - when lay compensates automatically placing more the next layer, ing down Another technology that uses a sim- Another technology that an alien coming down were “If you es it to the powder underneath. Some underneath. es it to the powder 10 times faster than SLS and half the process also allows as expensive, printing different colors at in several with the ability to control down once, 3D equivalent (the to individual voxels can be usedThe technology of pixels). as well to print multi-color prototypes, as objects such as custom-designed cell phone cases. ilar technique is called Material Jetting and in 1999, by PolyJet Created (MJ). it forgoes since acquired by Stratasys, bed to printthe messy powder drop- lets of ink directly onto the print bed. setting as The drops are either heated, or subjected to a UV light they cool, The pro- similar to SLA. to cure them, and allows clean, relatively cess is fast, also but for control not only of colors, able to of the materials themselves, mix different types of polymers on the J750 Stratasys’ voxels. fly for different can printin six for example, machine, different materials with hundreds of and has thousands of color options, been used to print models. anatomical seen 3D from space and had never that say would you printing before, the technology this is objectively Davide says everyone should bet on,” a company of Inkbit, CEO Marini, also that Mass., based in Medford, The Digital Alloys system in progress. Alloys The Digital Digital Alloys courtesy of: Image When a high-power infrared energy When a high-power it fus- the same area, source passes over of.” (The process doesn’t current- (The process doesn’t of.” high enough resolution for ly have scale to could but smaller objects, A larger objects with a larger printer.) titanium fuselage bracket for aero- uses 90 percent for example, space, less material and can be made in 70 cutting costs by percent of the time, So 60 percent — from $980 to $385. has been producing the company far, parts in-house for clients including It plans to sell its Boeing and Ford. printers to companies starting in 2021. the cookbook,” building “First we’re plan to give “then we McCallum says, the cookbook to others.” the Scope Widening One of the most difficult challenges in manufacturingadditive to print is how colors with several or materials once. at entrants into the One of the newest has taken some HP, 3D printing space, problem with a tech- that steps to solve Fusion (MJF), nology called Multi-Jet A sort of cousin of in 2015. developed MJF starts of polymer with a bed SLS, instead of shooting However, powder. the printer the heats it with a laser, entire bed almost to its melting point, the and then passes a print head over area with thousands of small nozzles ink. deposit an infrared-sensitive that Down the street from Desktop Down the company’s It terms of cost, While binder jetting can increase While binder jetting for small objects, issues obviously for small objects, increase with size. startup DigitalMetal in Burlington, meth- has been using a different Alloys forod for metal printing allows that it starts Similar to FDM, larger sizes. by extruding a metal filament through than using rather However, a nozzle. sends an elec- it to melt the metal, heat tric liquefy- current wire, through the “It’s the point of contact. ing it just at a coil in a heats that the same physics CEO Duncan company says toaster,” a mechanical engineeringMcCallum, graduate from MIT and longtime who co-founded capitalist, venture “joule Called in 2017. the company less waste creates the process printing,” layers and can build than machining, without the need for sintering. quickly, “full material it sees says The company a creating layers, between fusion” density of 99.5 percent and a tensile strength stronger than cast metal, “We’re comparable to wrought metal. and the quality is exceptional, low-cost, get a verywe dense metal right off the McCallum says. printer,” are objects McCallum, says spot, sweet smaller but “larger than a tennis ball, he those parts, For than a beach ball.” can do it faster and cheaper “we says, aware solution we’re other than any metal powder encased in plastic binder encased metal powder are then hardened that into 3D shapes has company The through sintering. from the million to date, raised $137 Summit Partlikes of Matrix- Partners, and Porsche. Microsoft, ners, it does speed for metal production, As sintering its drawbacks. have very it can create shrinks products, While them. between slight variation for that can compensate software to an extraordinaryvariation degree, still be a 3 percent range of there may a problem isn’t While that variability. Duncan McCallum CEO, Digital Alloys Desktop Metal isn’t the only compa- Desktop Metal isn’t Through another set of doorsThrough another set is everyone should bet on,” says Davide Marini, CEO of Marini, Davide says Inkbit should bet on,” everyone printing before, you would say that this is objectively the technology technology the that this is objectively say you would before, printing “If you were an alien coming down from space and had never seen 3D “If down space and had never coming 3D alien an seen you were from ny in the Boston area to pioneer metal in the Boston ny - Wa In nearby manufacturing, however. founded by was Markforged tertown, engineer Greg Mark as a one-stop shop a range offor 3D printing, employing Among technologies and materials. which them is its new Metal X printer, uses a system similar to Desktop down Studio System to lay Metal’s resolution of detail at 100 times the resolution of detail at When printing is done, speed of SLS. suits” “rabbit workers in white hazmat which can be excess powder, remove The system can be used to recycled. all fired dozens of partscreate once, at together in an industrial-sized furnace, 20-times resulting in the company’s plans to The company cost savings. start shipping its first systems by the end of the year. Desktop Metal’s much larger Pro- Desktop Metal’s which uses a dif- duction System, Binder Jetting. ferent process called of a thin layer Large machines drop then a print plate, on a build powder dropping binder it, head runs over for exquisite allowing by layer, layer - warehous these massive they just have filled with parts the world es all over ship out once a month.” they might By printing they can parts on demand, for consum- costs lower dramatically a part right made who could have ers, the dealership. at

TOUGH TECH 04 | 40 | THE DREAM OF ANYTHING ANYWHERE | 43 | Since then, the compa- Since then, the ny has created a largerny has created Olli,shuttle bus called large partsprinted in two — that— top and bottom Whileare fitted together. parts ofthe other 2,000 tiresthe car, including are con- and electronics, bus isventional, the by90 percent 3D printed volume. After exhaustive crash testing in which the frame was tooled for max- imum safety, the company has sold the car commer- cially in 10 cities, where it operates on college, government, and assisted living campuses at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour. The company is still work- ing its way through a thicket of laws to certi- fy its cars for highway use, but Rogers eventually predicts that 3D print- ing will create cars that are both safer and cheap- er than traditional vehi- cles. “It has nothing to do with the capability, and everything to do with regulation,” Rogers says. “We believe the best way to show we can do it is to do it.” At the time, 3D print- At the time, 3D ible buggy called Strati — the first 3D printed car — revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in 2014. “Our first car took 44 hours to print,” he says. “That’s not industrial speed. But the next year, we made a car double the size in half the time.” tary vehicles. When he When he tary vehicles. overseas returned from in in 2006, he enrolled School Harvard Business of creat- with the intent to get new ing a company military technology into quickly. vehicles more a nascent ing was still manufac- technology for turing, and Rogers’ com- pany was looking at rapid methods for laser cutting metal; but after he saw a demonstration of an SLS machine, he realized that cars could be printed more quickly and more durably using a polymer frame. Switching his focus to ci- vilian use, Rogers founded Local Motors and used a giant FDM printer to lay multiple layers of car- bon-fiber reinforced plas- tic to create a convert- Meanwhile, one compa- Going Places Going After specialty industriesAfter specialty medi- and aerospace as such thedevices, dental and cal may beautomobile industry additivethe best hope for manufacturing breaking mainstream.through to the includ- Already, companies and Volk- ing Ford, BMW, usingfrom have gone swagen tools and3D printing for prototypes to 3D printing their first parts for use in commercial vehicles. “Automobiles are the big bellwether that everyone is watching,” says Tuck professor Richard D’Aveni. “So far, it’s only making slight inroads, but it’s marching towards wider use.” ny isn’t waiting for the rest of the industry to catch up. Arizona-based Local Motors has already started using additive manufacturing on a hero- ic scale to produce the world’s first 3D-printed cars. The company is the brainchild of Jay Rogers, an Iraq war veteran who saw two friends killed during their deployments, due to outdated mili- A 3D-printed vehicle. Olli Local Motors courtesy of: Image Jay Rogers Jay Local Motors Co-Founder & CEO, That polymer, which heThat polymer, which the wrong catalyst for a the wrong catalyst “Ireaction. like tosay it,” he I half-invented completely says, “it was unexpected.” (shortcalled COR alpha Resin)for Cyclic Olefin 10 timesturned out to be asas rugged and durable andother photopolymers, able to withstand high temperatures without los- ing strength. “In Izod impact tests, most people can do 10 to 30 joules per meter, but we can do 100 to 300,” he says. In 2016, Weitekemp has since spun the technology into the Berkeley-based company, Polyspectra, whose sole purpose it to create new high-quality materials for additive manufacturing. Jay Rogers Jay polySpectra Founder & CEO, Raymond Weitekemp Raymond “Our first car took 44 hours to print...the “Our first car took print...the 44 hours to in we made a car double the size next year, − half the time.” Material World Material new tech- In addition to nology and machines, additive manufacturing class of will need a new high-quality materials to truly if it is going compete with traditional techniques. manufacturing student at As a doctoral Weite- Caltech, Raymond to kemp never intended go into 3D printing. “I came into additive man- ufacturing kicking and screaming,” he says. He’d seen the crash af- ter MakerBot failed to live up to expectations, and was skeptical about the industry. Working to develop high-perfor- mance materials in the lab, however, he stumbled upon a new photosensitive polymer, when he used “I’m not so much a believer in the “I’m not so much a believer Lewis and her colleagues have also Lewis and her colleagues have One of the company’s main projects main company’s One of the idea that every home will have a 3D everyidea that home will have the technology but printer in 10 years, evermore into compa- is penetrating Lewis production platforms,” nies’ an opportunity providing to “It’s says. by voxel, voxel design new materials, been able to do never we’ve in a way in see the day never may We before.” us complier allows which some matter can possibly everythingto create we — and see a day may But we desire. different types soon — in which many manufacturingof additive technolo- gies significant will combine to create and drive, parts use, of the objects we + everywear day.” used the system to embed electronic such as sensors- and bat components, into fabrics teries, wearable to create have we name it, “You electronics. printed almost every of function- class and we can imagine, al material you and print can switch heads that have of these many While mix on demand.” methods are still under development, of it is only a matter Lewis believes time before more manufacturedprod- ucts embrace the capabilities of 3D printing their — not only to replace current but manufacturing techniques, of new forms for creation to allow and other way. materials not possible any is 3D printing shoes. Unlike SLA is 3D printing shoes. processes used to print midsoles, is focusing on the fabric upper Voxel8 using its technology sole of the shoe, inks into the to embed polyurethane a piece of textile can take “We fabric. and screen print all of these zonal both for aes- and patterns, features purposes,” thetics and also functional way by the example, For Lewis. says the printermaterial could is printed, make parts of the shoe stiffer than the compa- she says, Currently, others. of the top five with two is working ny companies to develop footwear athletic mass-customized shoes. found the company Voxel8, which uses which uses Voxel8, company found the to build ActiveMix called a method complex products.

TOUGH TECH 04 | 42 | NATURE AMPLIFIED | 45 | Deborah Halber for The EngineDeborah The Synthetic Biology Biology The Synthetic Is Here Revolution By Illustrations by Andrés RodríguezIllustrations

TOUGH TECH 04 | 44 | NATURE AMPLIFIED | 47 | Chris Voigt Manus Bio Pamela Silver Pamela Founder & CEO, Medical School Ajikumar Parayil The MIT Synthetic The MIT Synthetic Biology Working Group Biology Working Group Systems Biology, Harvard Adventures in Synthetic Biology Adventures Advanced Biotechnology, MIT Elliot T. and Onie H. Adams Daniel I.C. Wang Professor of Professor of Biochemistry and ​ - ​

ved open to ved . In a mo- . ​ and and pro ​ or or F ​ as able to translate ​ Back to the Future Back ​a common gut bacte E. ​E. coli, roved open to to open roved ​The microbe w p ​ ​ . ​ Raiders of the Lost Ark Raiders of the Lost In the early 1970s, scientists cut In the early 1970s, Altering the sequence of DNA’s Putting organisms to work isn’t new. new. isn’t Putting organisms to work For thousands of years, civilizations civilizations of years, thousands For used microorganisms to make have and other bread, alcoholic beverages, products exploiting fermentation. structure was DNA’s until It wasn’t biology that elucidated the genetic level. at manipulation and inserted DNA genes out of a frog’s them into rium genetic information into pro- the frog’s And when the microbe divided, teins. it made new copies of the frog genes a Franken- It was along with its own. a bacteria-frog hybrid. stein creation, blocks turnedfour basic building out which altered an to alter proteins, By adding the behavior. organism’s gene for a desired product or ramp- ing up expression of an existing gene, researchers found they could use living and bacteriaorganisms such as yeast as factories to churn out useful products. moon — a mix of and ment of gee-whiz science reminiscent “Imag- exclaims, the boy of the 1950s, might become possible if they ine what for us!” working were that bacteria!” The boy is outfitted The boy bacteria!” that a scuba shirt cargo pants, in goggles, on the and boots suitable for walking ​

th including human cells — including ​ Adventures in Synthetic Bi- Adventures century the will be dubbed dventures in Synthetic Biolo- dventures ​in 2005.

st ​A Advances in sequencing and in sequencing and Advances members of In the early 2000s, In University of Texas researcher Ran- Texas University of ​ a kid reaching for a neon-green, a kid reaching for a neon-green, book called be published in the prestigious journal Nature gy, of sits at the juncture biology Synthetic biology genes, building blocks are Its and engineering. living cells — such as yeast, fungi,organisms and bacteria. Putting organisms to work isn’t new. new. isn’t to work organisms Putting ofthousands have used civilizations years, make alcoholic beverages, to microorganisms exploiting products and other bread, structure until DNA’s wasn’t It fermentation. that biology elucidated was level. at the genetic manipulation century the century was of the atom, the 21 googly-eyed blob yells, “Check out blob yells, googly-eyed century of DNA or, in Voigt’s view, the view, Voigt’s in century of DNA or, century of genetic engineering. led to synthesizing DNA have “groundbreaking technologies for the of and manipulation assembly, design, cir- materials, DNA-encoded genes, which and metabolic pathways, cuits, manip- for an ever-greater are allowing of biologicalulation systems and even wrote in a Hughes entire organisms,” 2017 overview biology. of synthetic Working the MIT Synthetic Biology Group — a pioneering consortium of researchers in and around Cambridge an overview of to provide — wanted audience. their nascent field for a lay They hired a cartoonist who had a popular Spider-Man vid- on worked eo game to produce a 12-page comic It was taken seriously It was enough to ology. ing blocks are genes, living cells — ing blocks are genes, including human cells — and organ- and bacteria. fungi, isms such as yeast, if the 20 that dall Hughes believes - Synthetic biology startups and synthetic versions of plant Many ultimate engineering substrate. We We engineeringultimate substrate. can be cells as systems that view living reprogrammed things they don’t to do do.” naturally on biofuels, research labs are working en- microbes biodegradable plastics, gineered cells that seek and destroy to friendly environmentally cause disease, a better artificial industrial solvents, pesticide, a new nontoxic sweetener, and other products. petrochemicals. products are based on genes and organismsBy manipulating occurringto produce naturally sub- in grapefruitstances like nootkatone oil, and others hope to transformParayil chemi fossil-fuel-intensive traditional, cal manufacturing — one of the world’s worst polluters —- an environmen into sustainable industry. tally friendly, Engineering Genetic Gee-Whiz the juncture Synthetic biology sits at - Its build of biology and engineering. Parayil’s MIT spin-off seeks to do MIT spin-off Parayil’s The global synthetic biology market mini-hothouse in Manus Bio’s labs. labs. in Manus Bio’s mini-hothouse His expertise lies in the molecular plants turn let that processes cheap, into rare expensive resources abundant oils. chemicals such as essential — pump out large plants can’t what By quantities of useful substances. genetically programming fast-growing - inner work microbes to mimic the Manus Bio aims to ings of plants, mass-manufacture ingredients for new, and food effective more safer, cheaper, pharmaceuticals, cosmetic ingredients, and agricultural chemicals. is expected to surpass by $55 billion A dizzying array of potential 2025. stem from the notion that applications amount of can make a tiny if nature engi- a pesticide or a healing agent, to make a lot neers nature can tweak see biology in you “Whatever more. like to go in and we’d doing, nature MIT biological says harness that,” “Cells are the Voigt. engineer Chris A chemical engineer and CEO, A chemical engineer and CEO, Parayil isn’t too concerned isn’t with Parayil exactly which species grow in a jikumar Parayil reaches inside what reaches inside what jikumar Parayil looks like a black plastic wardrobe, plant and tears a leaf from a bushy he guesses. A geranium, sniffs it.

TOUGH TECH 04 | 46 | NATURE AMPLIFIED | 49 | Ginkgo Bioworks Ginkgo courtesy of: Images ​ - In In i ​. ​ bioeng ould be fun to ve the honeybees ve ​ sa ​ w Adventures in Synthetic Biolo- Adventures ​ ​the kid thinks it w In With BioBricks and created

, and a way to and a way , engineer genome hyper-precise - time, ing tools such as CRISPR further ex- to possible panded the scope of what’s purposes. coax cells to do for our own change the genome of the green blob “First you up like a balloon. so it blows student teams developed a student teams developed circuits a purificationater system gy, neering device that “prints” genetic genetic “prints” neering device that Standard Biological Parts: a libraryStandard Biological Parts: of partswell-characterized and modules could be assembled in cells in that resulting in different combinations, predictable outcomes. submitted to the registry through an global competition, MIT-initiated ​centur y inNewHaven, th Fast forward to the early 2000s. to the early 2000s. forward Fast In the 18 Conn., inventor Eli Whitney figured Eli inventor Conn., to mass-produce muskets — out how previously assembled painstakingly by hand — by using interchangeable Early stages of synthetic biology parts. around a Registry MIT revolved at of ogy companies in 1971 promised that ogy companies in 1971 promised that virtually would all diseases by 2000, be cured with proteins made through genetic engineering. Companies synthesized long fragments but a reasonable price, of DNA at researchers struggled to systematically engineer large-scale genetic systems. simple organisms were relatively Even The too complex to predictably alter. painstaking and labor-in- process was and largely hit-or-miss. tensive, ​ became the organ- E. ​E. coli Within a decade of the landmark - “Bacteria really are the power With its relatively straightforward straightforward With its relatively 4,000 genes, 4,000 genes, gene-splicing experiment, insulin and gene-splicing experiment, human growth hormone being were by genetically modified generated of the first One biotechnol- bacteria. houses of molecular biology research, houses of molecular biology research, because their genes are much easier to modify in the lab and they can grow much more quickly than and evolve Silver, Pamela says other organisms,” Adams Pro- and Onie H. T. the Elliot fessor of Biochemistry and Systems HarvardBiology at Medical School, on reprogramming whose lab works bacteria and other cells to perform a variety of new functions. ism of choice to manipulate. ism of choice to manipulate.

TOUGH TECH 04 | 48 | NATURE AMPLIFIED | 51 | ​ PHAs ​ Nangle hopes to tailor ​ Unlike PLA, PHAs will degrade Unlike PLA, produced Nangle and Ziesack have waste “By using carbon dioxide Nangle shows a visitor around the a visitor around Nangle shows gradable, bio-based polymers. bio-based polymers. gradable, limited found have but are promising, in niche markets because applications of their high production costs. where they are in the ocean and land, By a food source for local microbes. diversifying and enhancing the existing range of PHAs, similar properties to PHAs to have of petrochemical plastics. types many new varieties of PHAs directly from by and hydrogen carbon dioxide engineering the metabolic pathways bacteria called of hydrogen-oxidizing Knallgas bacteria — an accomplish- could change the long-termment that sustainability of bioplastics. of tons of plastic waste polluting the of tons of plastic waste oceans is spurring to governments impose bans on single-use plastics. Consumer product companies are Nangle and looking for alternatives. a better one Ziesack think they have than PLA. Harvard Medical School lab where A as postdocs. she and Ziesack work machine jiggles glass jars of bacteria Ziesack, growing of gases. in mixtures engi- have Silver and Pam Nangle, neered bacteria to produce a variety - of compounds called polyhydroxy a class of biode- (PHAs), alkanoates A polyhydroxyalkanoate. Shannon Nangle and Marika of the millions Public awareness products to benefit people and rescue in waste which is drowning the planet, and struggling with an industrial base around fossil fuels. built Bioplastics Better bioplastics made from A few years ago, fermented corn seemed like great al- ternatives to petroleum-based plastics. break down To so sure. Ziesack aren’t commonly used bioplastics called to have you or PLA, polylactic acid, run an industrial composter con- at taining a specific set of microbes and durations. specific temperatures do that,” “Most composters even don’t composters fully de- “Few Nangle says. so the PLA remnants end grade PLA, like petrochemical up in landfills and, PLAs they will not degrade. plastics, - into the environ way find their that ment also will not degrade readily.” At Ginkgo, Canton says that to get that Canton says At Ginkgo, to come up with a new have “We tem behaves in ways that can be very that in ways tem behaves like It’s says. Prather unpredictable,” on one push down You whack-a-mole: part and another one pops up. a cell to produce a specific substance to have “We or act in a desired way, - 10,000 differ say let’s come up with, ent designs (of assembled strains of need to manufacture all of We DNA). test all of them. those, set of designs informed first by that process round and go through that need to do “And we he says. again,” multiple times for everythat proj- Canton compares the resulting ect.” proprietary to Google’s knowledge code “Ginkgo accumulates software. genes, base in the form of enzymes, developed we’ve entire strains that he to be productive,” shown we’ve that researchersThe hope is that will says. to piece together knowledge use that “Ginkgo accumulates code base in the form code base in the accumulates “Ginkgo form of that we’ve strains genes, entire enzymes, shown to be productive,” that we’ve developed will use that Researchers says. Canton to products together to piece knowledge rescue the planet. and people benefit The Magic School

​ ​v “So this is what we change to we “So this is what Kristala designs Prather At MIT, among and her team were Prather in compu- advances says Prather But living cells are incredibly cheaper ways to make existing products to make cheaper ways make products that biology can or how chemistry. via make or buy they can’t us.” come and talk to And then they A Game of Whack-a-Mole Ms. the genome,” — “There it is in the goggles as Scientist tells the boy a la they soar past, o Bus, program“The master violet DNA. running cell.” the that’s ersized corkscrewsofblueand says. the boy reprogram this critter?” “Looks easy!” to engineer bacterianew ways to syn- the Prather, thesize drugs and biofuels. Little Professor of Chemical Arthur D. a Engineering, is co-founder of Kalion, commercializing the first mi- company crobial fermentation produce process to biodegradable a powerful glucaric acid, corrosionand nontoxic inhibitor. the first cells make to control how they do their to how chemicals relative primary growing and reproduc- jobs: lab devised an internal Prather’s ing. compels the cell to stop that switch using all its ingested food for its own purposes and use it to make the prod- uct the researchers it to make. want molecular and cell biology, tation, and machine learning science, data been game-changing for syn- have And then there are the thetic biology. and robotic lab workers, time-saving models and simulates that software the function of new genetic circuits before they go near a petri dish. “As soon dynamic systems. complex, startas you of stuff, adding a bunch the rest of the sys- it changes how , ​, ​ Petri ​ and ​Y Combinator Yet Ginkgo is “application agnostic,” agnostic,” “application Ginkgo is Yet “There are a lot of heads of R&D at Knight, an electrical engineer andKnight, with partner companies, Working in the gut of patients with the meta- in the gut of patients (PKU). bolic disease phenylketonuria Barry CTO Its business says Canton. model is to make synthetic biology it- and accessible to any self cost-effective industry never — especially ones that imagined yeast, they could employ Chinese hamster ovary or bacteria, cells (used commercially to produce therapeutic proteins) to make products. big companies who are trying to figure to make their development out how dollars go further and who understand — or are beginning to understand — the potential of synthetic biology,” looking for “They’re Canton says. accelerators Ginkgo and independent researchers, has reprogrammed cells to produce the fragrance generates that yeast bacteria can that of extinct flowers, decrease farmers’ reliance on chemical fertilizers, and through its partnership biotech firm Mass., with Cambridge, medicine.” “living so-called Synlogic, a Synlogic and Ginkgo are developing toxic will break down therapeutic that of the amino acid phenylalanine levels - Ja in 2008 by CEO co-founded It was and three other formerson Kelly MIT biological engineering grad students, formeralong with - MIT research sci considered 68, at Knight — Tom entist the godfather synthetic biology. of made the leapcomputer scientist who biology wanted to biology in the 1990s, to be more like engineering, where you could grab chips and other compo- put them together, nents off the bench, In as expected. them work and have fabrication, a nod to semiconductor “foundries.” Ginkgo calls its labs Bioworks3 Bioworks3 Barry Canton Kristala Prather Kristala Ginkgo Bioworks Co-founder, Kalion Co-Founder and CTO, Co-Founder and CTO, Chemical Engineering, MIT & Ginkgo Bioworks designs genetic Ginkgo Bioworks Arthur D. Little Professor of codes to build custom microorganisms. custom microorganisms. codes to build Foundries for Cells for Foundries In Ginkgo Bioworks’ a robotic arm systematically foundry, wells dips a thin black probe into tiny doing It’s on a grid-patterned tray. bench scientists do — insertingwhat custom-designed DNA into cells — of a higher level it does it 24/7 at but output than humans could manage. whack-a-mole: You push down on one part and another one pops up. pops one and another part one push down on whack-a-mole: You need to assemble the DNA parts that a young says program,” encode your - and over a white lab coat in woman her hair pulled back in a sized glasses, She hands him a thick blue messy bun. “Get them from the catalog.” book. behaves in ways that can be very unpredictable,” Prather says. It’s like like It’s says. Prather that can be very unpredictable,” in ways behaves you start adding a bunch ofyou start adding a bunch of how the rest it changes stuff, the system But living cells are incredibly complex, dynamic systems. “As soon as as soon “As systems. dynamic complex, incredibly But living cells are

TOUGH TECH 04 | 50 | NATURE AMPLIFIED | 53 | Sean Hunt Marika Ziesack Marika Gaurab Chakrabarti Gaurab Harvard University Postdoctoral Researcher, Postdoctoral Researcher, Co-Founder & CTO, Solugen Co-Founder & CEO, Solugen Manus’ fermentation technology Manus’ pathway “to alleviate a lot of their “to alleviate pathway particularly for natural sourcing needs, Chris- Manus CTO says ingredients,” a graduate student in the tine Santos, lab who completed her PhD in 2010. ​to chur n outone E.coli - investigat The researchers were At the time, Hunt was all about Hunt was At the time, con- high Capable of generating which is treatment, do water “We MIT chemical engineer In 2010, chemical reaction catalysts within a cell — catalysts reaction chemical gram per liter — 15,000 times more than previously possible. generated that ing plant pathways an ancient and diverse isoprenoids, help plants do set of metabolites that to everything from make chlorophyll Industrial companies germinate seeds. the potential of this saw immediately traditional chemical manufacturing. chemical manufacturing. traditional He chemical considered enzymes — too — within a cell reaction catalysts “No, and not very stable. expensive “Things Chakrabarti told him. man,” changed.” have without losing of peroxide centrations the cancer cell enzyme effectiveness, far- metal cata worked better than which tended to degrade the lysts, Now, concentrations. high at peroxide bio-inspired Houston-based Solugen’s from reactions use enzymes derived break down microorganisms that cheap plant material biodegradable, and turn peroxide. them into hydrogen Their process is cheaper and produces no harmful byproducts. can be in up- So we industry-agnostic. we stream oil and gas-produced water, soil re- agriculture, can be in mining, “The problems Hunt says. mediation,” different. solving are all slightly we’re core the same it’s But fundamentally, chemical solutions.” Gregory and Parayil Stephanopoulos hop- the time — were — a postdoc at to induce bacteria way ing to find a to yield an intriguing called substance from the bark of taxadiene isolated A precursor of yew tree. the Pacific Taxol, the potent anticancer drug tricky taxadiene was in to generate Stephanopoulos and Parayil quantity. rejiggered Years earlier, a friend of Chakrabar- earlier, Years Chakrabarti a looking at was Chakrabarti told Hunt he had to exploring Hunt was ways At MIT, At the time, Hunt was all about traditional chemical manufacturing. manufacturing. chemical all about traditional was Hunt the time, At — enzymes considered He told him. Chakrabarti man,” “No, very not stable. and too expensive “Things have changed.” streams instead of cornstreams instead as input for up hope to scale we our fermentation, com- production without bioplastics The says. Ziesack cropland,” peting for these new to fine-tune team is working manufac a reasonable bioplastics at - turing cost. to Chemicals Cancer From Gaurab Chakrabarti in was In 2016, studying the role of medical school, progression. chemicals in cancer medical school had intro- from ti’s who was duced him to Sean Hunt, pursuing MIT in chemical a PhD at come down “Sean would engineering. “One Chakrabarti recalled. to Dallas,” poker and playing were we night, started we talking about our somehow would conversation That research.” propel Hunt and Chakrabarti to in “30 Under 30” 2017 list of Forbes’ manufacturing and industry. in the helps cells detoxify protein that free toxic — presence of quinones radical byproducts of cell metabolism. clearing cancer cells, In pancreatic of up quinones produces high levels which cancer cells peroxide, hydrogen to withstand. evolved have stumbled on a kind of super enzyme efficiently turnedhy- that sugar into drogen peroxide. use nanoparticles traditional to improve methods of manufacturing hydrogen germicidal an all-natural peroxide, The global market for hydrogen agent. — used in electronics fabriperoxide - agriculture, purification, water cation, plas- textile and paper pulp bleaching, and rocket propulsion tics production, — is projected to reach $6.3 billion and expensive it’s Right now, by 2026. unfriendly environmentally to produce. Inside the Ginkgo Bioworks foundries. the Ginkgo Bioworks Inside Bioworks Ginkgo courtesy of: Images

TOUGH TECH 04 | 52 | NATURE AMPLIFIED | 55 | ​ Adventures in Synthetic Adventures the scientist and the boy gaze, gaze, boy ​ the scientist and the At the end of wide-eyed, as a perfect, smiley bacteria as a perfect, wide-eyed, the cos- gently off into balloon floats the kid exclaims. us,” at “Look mos. + stuff!” building “We’re Biology, will increasingly look like a specialized look like a specialized will increasingly product X or treating cell for making modest relatively Today’s Y. disease reprogramming exist in that of cells cells that create time, over will, nature and more more are more pared down, hand.” at focused on the objective no would presumably, Such a cell, cell or a bacterium, longer be a yeast different. something altogether but - in de medicine” “living the Take probably go through an “We’ll velopment at Ginkgo Bioworks. CTO CTO Ginkgo Bioworks. at velopment Barry the current Canton says goal is to engineer bacteria help de- that grade harmful amino acids for those suffering metabolic disorders. from target product might be the One day, engineered a much more extensively respond to can sense — and cell that — changing disease conditions inside the body. go from putting where you’ll evolution a cell to totally a handful of genes into redesigning almost everyof aspect “It Canton says. the cell does,” what ​

​ S. cerevisiae S. in August 2018. August 2018. ​ in ​ TechCrunch Silver, Church, and others founded Church, Silver, Ginkgo Bioworks Ginkgo Bioworks courtesy of: Images known as the synthetic yeast project— yeast as the synthetic known a formsynthesizing of in which engineered chromosomes intact originalwithin a mostly genome along a evolve steer the organism to desired path. x), called 64-x (64 minus a company which engineers organisms with en- to function in tirely new genetic codes environments. otherwise inaccessible These new life forms— are immune “every virusto — says the company These like them: we “Why on Earth.” a new life form,” geniuses invented wrote April 2019, the the April 2019, In ​ Harvard geneticist George Church “It will be a challenge to scale up “It will be a challenge the the DOD wants he says, Plus, Biosecurity and biosafety issues syn- In the not-too-distant future, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Technology Institute of Swiss Federal researchersannounced that there had first- fully comput the world’s created genome of a living organ- er-generated While the organism itself does not ism. of time. only a matter it’s exist, yet and an international team of scientists 2.0,” “yeast on been working have existing organisms. existing organisms. cal resources — emerged in the early — emerged in the cal resources has its economic promise and 2000s, “In the upward. steadily ratcheted impact- see biotechnology we future, ing nearly every or aspect of business is The U.S. Titus says. technology,” with leader in the field, already a world founded in 2017300-plus companies alone. critical biomanufacturing to processes of manufacturingrealize the new class “There are Titus says. technologies,” - to be over need technical hurdles that come to quickly and cost-effectively quantities robust produce and isolate and molecules, of bio-based materials, as platforms as well other products, in order to need to be created will that Titus said products.” test and evaluate partnerships believes among industry, will be key and government academia, to leveraging existing resources. “so biotech leader to be a global U.S. biotech- to ensure that can help we that he says. nology is used responsibly,” could hinder industry Silver growth, relies on releasing If technology says. — organisms into the environment microbes such as through soil-dwelling do you how — boost crop yields that get out of hand? doesn’t ensure that pairing go beyond thetic biology may an enzyme from a human cell with a structural cell protein from a yeast living systems unlike any to create the ​ As synthesis technology becomes Titus is assistant director Alexander — economic bio-economy The U.S. To his delight, the blob starts to fill his delight, To “Are scientist. muses the “Hmm,” ​ Adventures in Synthetic Biology, in Synthetic Adventures In cheaper and more widely available cheaper and more widely available can start out a biotech company (“You Hunt says) Solugen’s dorm,” of your questions become increasingly worri- rewired organisms? Who owns some: happens if they escape — or are What insertedinto the wild? Could freely — DNA sequences of viruses or available the genes encoding lethal substances to such as anthrax become a threat public safety? for biotechnology in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for respon- He’s Research & Engineering. and overseeing sible for developing Department of Defense’s the U.S. biotechnology roadmap. biologiactivities based on renewable - little dude sets to work making the little dude sets to work green and googly-eyed generate blob gas so it inflates like a trap hydrogen party balloon. It Then it keeps going. with hydrogen. the entire expands until it takes over flinging sickly pops and splats, lab, green splotches everywhere. understand sure you enough you don’t You to do? want you about what to make things worse.” want on Reb M. Among Manus’ other other Among Manus’ on Reb M. - variousproducts in stages of devel a component of grapefruitopment is kills mosquitoes, repels and oil that Unlike head lice and bedbugs. ticks, It’s is nontoxic. nootkatone DEET, for citrus-flavored soft FDA-approved may the EPA drinks perfumes; and soon green-light it as a pesticide and protect could insect repellent that Zika, malaria, against Lyme disease, and more. Ahead the Road on Safety Alexander Titus Alexander Christine Santos CTO, Manus Bio States Department of Defense Manus has engineered bacteria that Lately, the food industry has been Lately, Head of Biotechnology, United mimic Reb M’s metabolic pathway, metabolic pathway, mimic Reb M’s manufacturing facilityand Manus’ in is ramping up produc- Ga., Augusta, based tion of a zero-calorie sweetener abuzz about a substance found in the abuzz Rebaudio- of the stevia plant. leaves than Reb side M or Reb M is sweeter and other products. Truvia A used in trickier to extract. But it’s to create living systems unlike any existing organisms. unlike any living systems to create plants manufacture how replicates “What chemical compounds. natural doing is taking biosynthetic we’re typically exist in plants that pathways them into a microbial and translating quite “There’s Santos says. system,” do to optimize we that a bit of work the performance of those enzymes, in a very different evolved which have cellular context.” an enzyme from a human cell with a structural protein from a yeast cell cell protein a yeast an enzyme a human cell with a structural from from In the not-too-distant future, synthetic biology may go beyond pairing pairing beyond go may the not-too-distant biology synthetic In future,

TOUGH TECH 04 | 54 | CLEANING UP STEEL | 57 | Julie Carles by Julie Illustrations for The Engine Thomson Elizabeth By

TOUGH TECH 04 | 56 | CLEANING UP STEEL | 59 | Image courtesy of: Boston Metal courtesy of: Image Mark Thimons Mark Michael Sortwell Donald Sadoway Donald An ingot produced by Boston Metal. An ingot produced by Vice President for and Steel Institute Co-Founder, Boston Metal Co-Founder, Boston Materials Chemistry, MIT & Materials Chemistry, John F. Elliott Professor of John F. Elliott Professor Sustainability, American Iron Senior Director of Technology, American Iron and Steel Institute . 2 “Our process uses electricity to go process is not new. The overall problems: carbon derived from coal. carbon derived from coal. problems: The principal new byproduct of the instead of CO system? Oxygen, from a raw ore to a liquid metal,” says says ore to a liquid metal,” from a raw vice the company’s Adam Rauwerdink, development. president of business “The incumbent process starts with uses coal but the same ore feedstock, to form frees the the reaction that get a lot of So you iron from the ore. carbon dioxide.” But Aluminum is produced this way. as challenging. making aluminum isn’t tem- significantly lower It takes place at than those required for theperatures reactors allowing electrolysis of iron ore, materials low-cost made of relatively melt or otherwise disrupt the won’t that process through undesired reactions. - - Because flash ironmaking 6 The project was a collaboration a collaboration The project was technology Unlike the conventional One example is research toward One example is research toward AISI has directed work Since 2005, “makes better use of our raw materi- “makes better use of our raw expected to minimize carbon it’s als, energy re emissions and reduce dioxide a pret- “It’s says Sortwell. quirements,” with the potential to offset ty big deal, replace the blast furnaceand eventually and other iron-making processes.” Depart the United States between - BerryAISI, Metal ment of Energy, of Utah. and the University Company, the team finished tests of a Last year a have now “we and lab-scale reactor, with a forward project plan to move Sortwell says. pilot plant,” Metal Molten another com- A little north of Boston, a new approach to is developing pany Based on work the production of steel. begun some 25 years ago by MIT’s is zapping a Boston Metal Sadoway, molten mixture of iron ore and other materials with electricity steel to create and other metals. the Boston Metal for making steel, elec- process — called molten oxide trolysis — does not use the element carbon dioxide the root of steel’s at completely new ways of producing steel. of producing steel. completely new ways process called flash a novel toward ironmaking. (6)https://www.energy.gov/eere/ amo/downloads/novel-flash-iron making-process Those cuts are due in partThose cuts are due in to a “importantRecycling part is also an The steel industry working is also (2)https://www.ft.com/con- tent/3bcbcb60-037f-11e9-99df-6 183d3002ee1 (3)https://www.climate.gov/ news-features/understand- ing-climate/climate-change-at- mospheric-carbon-dioxide (4)https://www.worldsteel.org/ about-steel/steel-facts.html (5)https://www.gatesnotes.com/ Energy/A-question-to-ask-about- every-climate-plan (1)https://www.worldsteel.org/ really made some significant gains some significant really made Mark said last 30 years the or so,” over - Vice President for Sustain Thimons, American and Steel Iron the ability at he says, Since 1990, Institute (AISI). been a reduction in carbon “there’s emissions per ton of steel by dioxide about 37 percent.” and toward automation trend toward of steps involved reducing the number says example, For in making steel. “used to include those steps Thimons, and that’s of steel, a lot of re-heating been abandoned in large part in favor of continuous processing.” of the sustainability story for steel,” More than 70 percent Thimons says. of the metal is recycled in the United And “any recycling States. improves the energy and emissions profile of Further, produced.” the steel that’s unlike most other Thimons noted, be continually steel can materials, recycled into other products without A steel beam could real loss of quality. can become a car door or a vegetable and vice versa. or a refrigerator, future technologies could that toward make the steel making process more AISI’s Michael Sortwell is sustainable. Part of Technology. Senior Director for bringing togeth- job involves Sortwell’s AISI members to discuss common er which can then become challenges, research projects.

5 Big,” “That’s big. big. “That’s 4 Bill Gates also recognizes the Bill Gates Fortunately, many companies many Fortunately, In 2017, almost two tons of carbon almost two In 2017, says Sadoway, who notes that “close who notes that Sadoway, says behind are cement and chemicals.” “When- enormity of those numbers. can we I hear an idea for what ever do to keep global warming in check ‘What’s ask this question: … I always he wrote in his plan for steel?’,” your 2019. August 27, blog on GateNnotes carbon dioxide emissions with oxygen, emissions with oxygen, carbon dioxide to MIT research on an electrically conducting cement with eco-friendly could offset the ma- that applications impacts. negative terial’s Steel Cleaner Toward of its The steel industry aware is well impact on the environment product’s and has been addressing the issue the North As a result, for some time. American industry“has in particular That question “opens the door to an “opens the question That important deserves subject that a lot conversation in any more attention steel Making change. about climate and other materials — such as cement, and paper aluminum, glass, plastic, — is the third biggest contributor of behind agriculturegreenhouse gases, and making electricity.” and researchers are reimagining the industrial processes behind our most They range from a polluting materials. - develop near Boston that’s company replaces to make steel that ing a way two is the United States. And if I took And if I took is the United States. two emissions dioxide the total carbon and industry, steel from the world them to all other countries, compared have So you rank third. steel would The I call what and the U.S., China, Republic of Steel.” for every emitted ton of were dioxide making the industry steel produced, to nine percent “seven responsible for from the use of global direct emissions World according to the of fossil fuels,” Steel Association.

2 3 Plus, that that Plus, 1 And we make a lot of it. In 2018, In 2018, make a lot of it. And we How huge? How been who has Donald Sadoway, Steel is also responsible, however, however, Steel is also responsible, third. So you have China, the U.S., and what I call The Republic of and what I call The Republic Steel.” third. So you have China, the U.S., industry, and compared them to all other countries, steel would rank countries, steel would rank to all other them and compared industry, “If I took the total carbon dioxide emissions from the world steel steel “If the world dioxide emissions from carbon the total I took the world produced some 1.8 billion the world enough to produce That’s metric tons. stadi- Nest 43,100 copies of the Bird’s the primary of the um in China, venue 2008 Summer Olympics. he cars we drive, the buildings we live live we the buildings drive, he cars we the processing and storage of the in, consume — these and much food we The more are dependent on steel. material is essential to humanity. a professor at MIT for 42 years, has MIT for 42 years, a professor at “country” to drive a new created take the total “If you home the impact. emissions of the world carbon dioxide by break it down and you in 2018, the number one contributor country, the professor of materi- says is China,” “Number als science and engineering. demand is expected to grow as the Earth becomes more populated. gases that are slowly warming are slowly our gases that planet and changing its climate. for huge amounts of carbon dioxide, for huge amounts of carbon dioxide, the most important of the greenhouse

TOUGH TECH 04 | 58 | CLEANING UP STEEL | 61 | Modumetal Boston Metal Adam Rauwerdink Adam Christina Lomasney Professor Franz-Josef Ulm Professor VP of Business Development, Co-Founder, CEO & President, That black slurryThat is the first cement Professor & Faculty Director of Concrete Sustainability Hub, MIT slurry represents the he believes that future of the industry. It can function: with a completely new Coupled to photo- conduct electricity. cells on the roofs of buildings voltaic concrete made or along highways, 7 8 Concrete, also like steel, is essential also like steel, Concrete, - can be done to cut the mate What The company’s principal is product The company’s The production of cement, the “glue” that that ofThe production the “glue” cement, of particles stone together binds different with water, mixed when concrete to sizes form of eight percent roughly is responsible for emissions. carbon-dioxide worldwide to society, and demand is growing. Be- and demand is growing. to society, the most widely used it’s hind water, are we material By 2050, on Earth. expected to use four times the amount produced in 1990. emissions? Professor Franz-Josef rial’s faculty director of the MIT Ulm, holds Concrete Sustainability Hub, up a small glass jar containing a black (80-90°C) results in nanometer-thin(80-90°C) results in can be engi that - of metal alloys layers variety a of importantneered to have properties and like better strength company The resistance to corrosion. imparts those properties- by modulat ing the electricthe name field — hence Modumetal — as it passes through a proprietary mixture of materials where our secret “That’s the reactions occur. says. Lomasney sauce,” “In a cor- called NanoGalv. a coating it lasts 30 times environment, rosive galvanized longer than conventional Currently the says. Lomasney steel,” licensed manufac- has two company of Singapore, Fasteners Tri-Star turers, and Rollstud of the United Kingdom “Other Arab Emirates. and the United licensees representing other parts of are coming online soon,” the world Lomasney says. Elephant The Other emissions the carbon-dioxide Tackling from the production of steel is key in warming,but the fight against global another elephant in the room there’s cement. must also be addressed: that “glue” the The production of cement, binds together stone particlesthat of different sizes to form concrete when is responsible for with water, mixed roughly eight percent of worldwide emissions. carbon-dioxide Until about six years ago, there was there was six yearsUntil about ago, founded which was The company, got we’ve confident “Once we’re - to reduce the envi Another way the Modumet- Like Boston Metal, (7)https://edgar.jrc.ec.europa. eu/news_docs/jrc-2016-trends- in-global-co2-emissions-2016- report-103425.pdf (8)https://www.chemistryworld. com/features/the-concrete- conundrum/3004823.article no analogous set of materialsno analogous for the In of steel via electrolysis. production researchersparticular, not find could a suitable material for the anode of the and colleagues Then Sadoway reactor. an the problem by identifying solved of chromium and alloy inexpensive the could indeed withstand iron that with associated extreme environment than lava hotter molten temperatures “That or ~ 3,000°F). (around 1,550°C, pro- really the breakthrough that was says. Sadoway pelled Boston Metal,” Last fall is growing quickly. in 2012, there now nine employees; there were A series of larger and larger are 30. re- have or reactors, electrolysis cells, by placed the lab-scale cell developed a cof- the size of which was Sadoway, currents at cell operated That fee mug. By next spring, of only a few amperes. a cell that Boston Metal aims to have will be roughly the size of a school bus and run 25,000 amperes. at go to 50,000 we’ll the design correct, an industrial cell,” and that’s amperes, who expects to reach Sadoway, says Early by the end of 2021. goal that aluminum industrial about cells ran at aluminum today’s 50,000 amperes; factory runs about 500,000. at ronmental impact of steel and other that, better versions metals is to create and so don’t last longer, for example, Mod- to be replaced as often. have based in Seattle, a company umetal, with a new class of is doing just that laminated as nano materials known says “metallic plywood,” Think alloys. CEO Christina Lomasney. al manufacturing process also uses electricity — to than heat — rather case, In this produce its products. process a lower-temperature however, Pouring ingots at the Boston Metal production facility. ingots at Pouring Boston Metal courtesy of: Images

TOUGH TECH 04 | 60 | CLEANING UP STEEL | 63 |

9 That That break- 10 What about recycling? It’s import- about recycling?What It’s “Right now, concrete is just there,” is just there,” concrete “Right now, footprint carbon Cutting concrete’s A second approach for cutting stronger also possible to create It’s (9)https://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2019/08/190815113733.htm (10)https://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2009/09/090909141639.htm with the material could one day lead lead with the material day could one (no salt necessary roads to self-heating warm and floors that for ice removal) car- cutting the significant on demand, with emissions associated bon-dioxide from fossil fuels. home heating through is also behind Ulm’s creation creation through is also behind Ulm’s of the first cement with electrical things in “Like many conductivity. - come to [such discov you science, understood eries] have because you something fundamentally new about a Ulm says. material,” as for not as straightforward but ant, Old concrete for a few reasons. steel, Ulm says. But new, valuable functions functions valuable But new, Ulm says. — like the in addition to strength - electrical being devel conductivity its overall MIT — could offset oped at puts “That impact. environmental because league, concrete in another part it becomes now of the solution,” Ulm says. by giving the material completely new But Ulm functions is still in the lab. notes three other approaches in use The for tackling the problem. today optimizing the existing first involves industrial process for the production of cement. replace some emissions is to cement’s such Several of it with other materials. supplementary materials cementitious including fly ash (a by- already exist, product of the coal industry) and silica fume (a byproduct from the production of silicon metal or ferrosiliconalloys). cements by engineering the materi - structure the molecular scale. at al’s can do more with less “Then we This relatively Ulm says. material,” new approach began around 2010 after Ulm and colleagues decoded the basic molecular structure of cement — its DNA. essentially,

TOUGH TECH 04 | 62 | CLEANING UP STEEL | 65 | green, green, 2 - emitted by conven 2 Key to the work is an Key to the work 14 Carbon Upcycling Technologies CUT combines carbon dioxide CUT combines carbon dioxide electrochemical process that uses elec- electrochemical process that tricity energy sources from renewable than fossil fuels to produce the rather The new process also produces cement. concen- in a pure, but carbon dioxide, could be captured stream that trated like oil and used for other applications The recovery. CO tional cement plants is contaminated tional cement plants is contaminated with a variety make of materials that recycling the gas impractical. startup in a five-year-old (CUT), aims to make CO Calgary, according to its website. “We’re using using “We’re according to its website. the to create the pollution of today CEO and says materials of tomorrow,” ApoorvFounder Sinha. ful products in the process,” according ful products in the process,” to MIT News. in each stan- 2 The company is currently building The company a team led by In September 2019, steel slag,” Stern says. The end result: The end result: Stern says. steel slag,” permanently sequestering “We’re about a kilogram of CO dard 18 kilogram concrete block we dard 18 kilogram concrete block we which means the company’s produce,” entire manufacturing process is carbon Stern a private notes that negative. has confirmedconsulting company conclusion. that the tech- a pilot plant to demonstrate that to show have “We scale. nology at this in the proper manner can do we expect,” we the cost model that and at Stern.says MIT Chiang of Yet-Ming Professor of manufactur- “a new way reported [its could eliminate ing [cement] that greenhouse gas] emissions altogether, make some other use- and could even - “Carbon dioxide is generally not “Carbon dioxide with steel slag, a waste material from a waste with steel slag, The final coup? the steel industry. which is based on research Carbicrete, its creates out of McGill University, cement by reacting the steel slag with carbon dioxide. with reactive it’s but very reactive, (11) https://www.solidiatech. com/impact.html (12)h https://assets. ctfassets.net/jv4d7wct8mc0/1jzi FYVVtEMqtIBCmVcySA/ 49e6d337d11687e2f8c82aa- 6f9e7794a/EP_Henry_Solidia_ Joint_Release_FINAL_9-12-19_.pdf (13)https://asia.nikkei.com/ Spotlight/Environment/Trapping- CO2-into-concrete-to-be-cheaper (14)http://news.mit.edu/2019/ carbon-dioxide- emissions-free-cement-0916 Producing Soldia cinder blocks. [Bottom Right] Solidia concrete pavers. concrete pavers. Solidia [Bottom Right] blocks. Soldia cinder Producing Technologies Solidia courtesy of: Images - ,” 2 12 . According . to 2 The winner, to be The winner, 13 Other companies are also looking “The magic of Carbicrete is that not only replaces The company In 2013, Solidia launched a pilot In 2013, The new cement is composed of The new cement is composed the Among additional benefits, company in the world to sell pavers to sell pavers in the world company using Solidia cement. at solving the carbon dioxide problem solving the carbon dioxide at by using the material in new products. a firm out of Montreal, Carbicrete, to cre- has found a way it believes are carbon concrete blocks that ate of or result in a net removal negative, In 2018, the gas from the atmosphere. named one of ten was the company finalists in the NRG COSIA Carbon a competition focused on XPRIZE, in to use carbon dioxide ways finding products. valuable announced in fall 2020, will take home take will fallin announced 2020, $20 million. solving three different prob- we’re CEO Chris says Stern. lems,” cement — and its consequent emis- does so — but sions of carbon dioxide the company, the absence of a reaction the company, up to three can also save with water trillionyear. each literswater of fresh program with LafargeHolcim to pro- that a company supply EP Henry, The with Solidia cement. duces pavers, as product performance is excellent, In September verified by third parties. EP Henry became the firstof 2019, Riman says. used in the the same minerals already industry and — calcium carbonate combined in a silica — they are just the means that And that different ratio. adopted by ex- process can be quickly with no additional isting cement plants — a huge plus for capital expenditures cement manufacturers. cement can be stockpiled “green” “a huge resulting in for future use, model,” to the business improvement cement is Conventional Riman says. not practical to store because it reacts chang — even water and solidifies with es in humidity — resulting in unusable react Solidia cement doesn’t clumps. only CO with water, shape. Add carbon dioxide, and the carbon dioxide, Add shape. a controlled “Under cement solidifies. can literally you set of conditions, CO in the hear the material breathe

2 , Riman , 2 . Taken together, along together, Taken . curing process, that’s why why that’s curing process, 2 2 in concrete and other 2 “I was looking into my back- looking into my “I was 11 in very large quantities?’” in very quantities?’” large : Part of the Solution : Part 2 2 The Distinguished Professor at at The Distinguished Professor to consume carbon Finding a way To create concrete, Solidia mixes Solidia mixes concrete, create To That’s because, for one, Solidia’s Solidia’s for one, because, That’s Richard Riman remembersRichard Riman when he first has idea that came up with the a Technologies, Solidia since led to aims to in New Jersey that company carbon footprint by 70 concrete’s lower percent. yard in the early 2000s thinking about in the early 2000s thinking yard problem when I the carbon-dioxide ways just find we don’t ‘Why thought, to use CO CO Rutgers University went on to found Rutgers went University applying that Technologies, Solidia — and his expertiserationale in technolo- hydrothermal solidification closely with Working gy — to cement. who now Atakan, Vahit co-inventor the chief scientist, serves as Solidia’s Rutgers for a patents result is several uses technique licensed by Solidia that the or harden, to cure, carbon dioxide instead of water. concrete, gas’s in and of itself cuts the dioxide there is but footprint, environmental The technology also includes a more. cement manufacturing sig- method that nificantly reduces the amounts of CO with its CO materials, for we would then consume would for we materials, CO the company thinks it could have an thinks it could have the company outsized impact on carbon pollution. its cement with aggregate and a little then forms it into the desired water, says. Further, the new cement requires the new cement Further, says. key ingredient — less of cement’s — whose decompo- calcium carbonate sition during cement production also releases CO released during cement production. released during cement production. significantly cement can be made at than conventional temperatures lower This reduces the amount of cement. to whose combustion fuel needed, releases less CO heat generate Chris Stern Carbicrete Richard Riman Richard Co-Founder & CEO, Rutgers University Science and Engineering, Finally, says Ulm, concrete is concrete is Ulm, says Finally, Further, recycled Further, aggregate can’t “Right now, concrete is just there,” Ulm says. Ulm says. is just there,” concrete now, “Right to strength valuable in addition functions New, being — like the electrical conductivity its overall at MIT — could offset developed impact. environmental heavy. So even if you’re recycling if you’re So even heavy. must consider the you for aggregate, life-cycle costs of transportation. says Because of these challenges, “the recycling of concrete is Ulm, with high potential still in its infancy, for transformational impact through science-enabled engineering.” be used in applications with strict with be used in applications it could quality standards because introduce impurities affect the that Bridges meant — which are product. are an example to last for decades — of such an application. that’s crushedsome of the can replace that’s up make that or aggregate, particles, percent of the material, about 70-85 ingredi replace the key - it can’t but been studies There have cement. ent: we “but recycling the cement, toward Ulm says. succeeded,” not yet have Distinguished Professor, Materials

TOUGH TECH 04 | 64 | CLEANING UP STEEL | 67 | Other benefits: because the system Other benefits: The breakthrough behind Syzygy is Although Syzygy is only about two “will be about the size of a milk jug.” jug.” the size of a milk “will be about to be linked together would Several the but in quantity, produce chemicals still be pretty small. plant would overall says Best, and other reasons, that For small-scale point-of-use envision “we manufacturing centers can be put that location.” a customer’s on site at it oper- lights, by LED is powered “very similar a temperature at ates In contrast, Best says. oven,” to your for pro- today a common reaction — one of Syzygy’s ducing hydrogen The target markets — runs 1,500ºF. at under much system also does its work that together, Taken pressures. lower means the structure containing the reactor can be constructed using ma- or plastic, glass, terials like aluminum, alloys. as compared to expensive decades of re- based on more than two Rice University by Professorssearch at Nordlander. Naomi Hollis and Peter in the field of nanopho- Both work or the interaction of light with tonics, created The two nanoscale structures. a they call an antenna reactor, what hybrid structure brings that together The first is a materials. disparate two har- “extremely good at material that’s light and turningvesting it into a us- That’s Best says. able form of energy,” The second is a traditional the antenna. or material is very that good at catalyst, performing chemical reactions. has already the company years old, for the technology works that shown more than a dozen different chem- More the lab scale. ical reactions at has successfully the company recently, scaled up a smaller number of these single-cell reactions into a bench-scale, “represents a world’s photoreactor that Thanks Best said. first in this arena,” to a successful funding round co-led aims to the company The Engine, by a full-scale multi-cell photoreac- build tor system in the early 2020s. - Those sheets are then stacked to- Those sheets are then scaled up three we’ve “So far, Syzygy Plasmonics aims to dra- chem- Today’s startsThat with size. pany’s first commercial photoreactor pany’s ever, water filters don’t work well for a work filters don’t water ever, food like variety other applications of chemicals, or making paper, processing filter Via Separations The and drugs. by developed is based on a membrane was when Dave and colleagues Dave take “We MIT. a graduate at student pencil lead — and graphite that’s — chemicalexplode it in a controlled thin results in atomically reaction that back togetherwe put them Then flakes. in the form of a thin flat sheet.” minuscule spaces — pores but gether, allowing throughout, — are stratified through the material. passageways Each pore is only about one nanometer to a human contrast that in diameter; which is about 75,000 nanome- hair, the sheets are In a final step, ters wide. rolled up like carpet to be inserted into machine. an existing filtration ordersamount of magnitude from the The made in the lab.” of material we is to create Dave, says goal, ultimate are cheaper sheets of material that for flooringat a pay you’d than what “The target for us is store. hardware And we a few dollars a square foot. that.” achieve can think we cases and in many reduce, matically the carbon-dioxide virtually eliminate, emissions from chemical plants with a - completely new type of reactor pow that than the heat ered by light rather “Our comes from burning fossil fuels. from approach is a wild leap away Syzygy says is being done today,” what Best. Trevor (siz-uh-jee) CEO ical plants are enormous structures - In compar with lots of smokestacks. the heart the photoreactor at of ison, the Syzygy plan is magnitudes smaller. the com Best expects that As a result, Dave, who is CEO of Via Separa- of who is CEO Dave, of those separations most Today The water is not new. Filtration CUT has won or is a finalist in or is won CUT has — from the production of thousands from yogurt to of everyday products, plastic and fertilizers, not to mention chemicals. many a startup Mass., in Somerville, tions, some 12 percent of all notes that is used energy consumed in the U.S. different compounds from to separate one another in purification processes. to the gas- roughly equivalent “That’s oline in all the cars and trucks in the she says. per year,” United States likens to happen in a process Dave than boiling But rather cooking pasta. then pouring the the pasta in water industries mixture through a strainer, the pasta to get at boil off all the water are “We the bottom of the pot. at the a strainer at creating on working noting that she says, molecular scale,” could cut to filtration the conversion 90 percent of the energy consumed by processes. separation those heat-based - How industry uses it for desalination. ash products, says Savilow. Savilow. says ash products, like example, For competitions. several it is among the 10 finalists Carbicrete, Carbon XPRIZE. in the NRG COSIA the As part competition, of that is scaling up its production company can pro- we “Right now capacity. powdersduce one ton of our a day,” for the “Our next reactor says. Savilow tons of seven XPRIZE will be capable a day.” the Nanoscale At points to thin sheets of Dave Shreya range from a shimmerymaterial that tan re- and gold to a mottled brown Those sheets represent sembling bark. could system that a new filtration significantly cut the energy use — and resulting greenhouse gas emissions An- 15 Shreya Dave Shreya Madison Savilow Madison Via Separations Co-Founder & CEO, - CUT became the young In 2017, Carbon Upcycling Technologies Business Development Coordinator, the pasta at the bottom ofthe pasta at the bottom the pot. the mixture through a strainer, industries boil off at to get all the water through a strainer, the mixture cooking pasta. But rather than boiling the pasta in water then pouring pouring then cooking pasta. the pasta in water than boiling rather But Today most of those separations happen in a process Dave likens to to of Dave likens most in a process happen those separations Today est carbon utilization company to company est carbon utilization with the sale of its revenue generate for concrete a coating first product, protects against corrosion.that with cheaply available feedstocks to feedstocks available with cheaply a portfoliocreate nanoparticle of addi- can make a variety of prod- that tives “We’ve or more efficient. ucts stronger 10 different for over been vetted plastic from concrete and industries, to solar panels and pharmaceuticals,” - devel business Savilow, Madison says company. for the opment coordinator other one of its products reacts carbon a byproduct of with fly ash, dioxide to replace 20 percent of burning coal, increas- That the cement in concrete. strength of the es the compressive concrete by some 30 percent over fly concrete made with conventional

TOUGH TECH 04 | 66 | CLEANING UP STEEL | 69 | Best, of Syzygy, notes that “the “the notes that of Syzygy, Best, these pieces come together, we will will we come together, these pieces climate-friendly a plan for steel, have and the plastic, as cement, as well make modernother materials that life possible.” change] to climate problems [related the next over to overcome have we that and veryfew decades are enormous, But I’m getting more intimidating. the more I work hopeful for the future Not just because of our in this area. because so many but technology, own companies are other people in other + joining in the fight with us.” (16)https://www.cnbc. com/2019/07/30/steel- sector-to-suffer-losses- rising-carbon-prices- climate-regulation.html (17)https://www.ssab.com/ company/sustainability/ sustainable-operations/hybrit Bill Gates is also hopeful. In the is also hopeful. Bill Gates “I’m optimistic about all these - the source of pollu simply shifting says. Sadoway tion,” the Future for Hope news almost change is in the Climate the worldwide witness every day; prefaced that a United demonstrations 2019. summit in September Nations much not seeing as “But you’re CUT’s says solutions,” about climate technol- “there are many Yet Savilow. ogies are and materials out there that Stern agree. would Carbicrete’s ready.” they just “There are a lot of solutions; to have We to be implemented. have stop thinking about a magic and bullet just start doing something today.” conclusion to his blog about plans for he wrote: change, dealing with climate — especially if areas of innovation couple progresswe in these areas Com- with smart public policies. panies need the right to incentives phase out old polluting factories and If all of adopt these new approaches. Another challenge to getting in- Another challenge to of Carbon Upcycling Savilow Says of these technologies many Finally, taxes carbon-dioxide emissions, which emissions, carbon-dioxide taxes industrywill give the an additional cut those emis- to incentive economic - with transfor push forward sions and innovations.” mational technologies into the mar- novative included in ketplace is getting them the accepted or industry spec sheets, perfor- set safety and guidelines that - “The spec rep mance standards. resents a barrier to entry- tech for any Lomasney. Modumetal’s says nology,” selling into industries have that “We’re very procurement and supply mature chains and are not used to change or of innovation.” this level materials “talk to any Technologies, if they and I guarantee that company, had their break into the yet haven’t - work they’re what that’s spec sheets, ing towards.” will only make sense with an abundant energy to runsupply of renewable the you’re “Otherwise reactions involved. emissions and lower emissions and lower 2 17 That said, while acknowledging acknowledging while said, That MIT’s about concrete? Says What the latter statistic, SSAB, the largest the largest SSAB, statistic, the latter manufacturersteel sheet in Scandi- and collaborators- are proceed navia, approach toward ing with their own pre-feasibility study A fossil-free steel. dubbed HYBRIT, for the project, factorsexpects that such as increas- ing costs for CO under “they’re industry, Ulm of that enormous pressure to reduce their And in the footprint.” environmental of just a matter “it’s United States, time until legislation is passed that - will even energy costs for renewable competitive tually make clean steel tradition- produced through with that al processes.

16 And according to a CNBC storyAnd according to a CNBC Nobody pays a premium for [something that’s] that’s] [something a premium for pays Nobody as that’s to make a product got green. So you’ve being made by the incumbent as what’s good in price. and is competitive today Challenges Remain Challenges in the production Radical innovations and other materials concrete, of steel, Some are development. are under into the marketplace. moving slowly cruel“But the market is a arbiter,” a “Nobody pays Sadoway. MIT’s says green. that’s] premium for [something make a product that’s got to So you’ve being made by the as good as what’s and is competitive incumbent today in price.” corporateabout an analysis of earn- clean ings profiles focused on steel, technologies industry for that won’t and the come online until the 2030s, be 20-30 percent resulting steel would more expensive. Trevor Best Trevor Co-Founder & CEO, Co-Founder & CEO, Syzygy Plasmonics

TOUGH TECH 04 | 68 | THE ENGINE PORTFOLIO COMPANIES | 71 | INTERNET OF THINGS BIOTECH & BIOTECH & LIFE SCIENCES Cellino Suono Bio C2Sense DEEP SOFTWARE & AI SPACE Analytical Space Analytical Cambridge Crops E25Bio Radix Labs FOOD & AGRICULTURE QUANTUM COMPUTING Syzygy Plasmonics ROBOTICS SEMICONDUCTORS Form Energy Commonwealth Fusion Systems Vaxess Technologies isee ADVANCED MATERIALS ENERGY Boston Metal ADVANCED Kytopen MANUFACTURING Via Separations Lucy Therapeutics Zapata Computing HyperLight These 19

Cambridge Electronics

THE FOUNDERS THE

the audacious, and the new. the audacious, We invest in the transformative, invest We Companies redefine the future. technologies that hold the potential to technologies that Portfolio Portfolio breakthroughs and converging represent — are working on scientific represent — are working The The they companies — and the founders

TOUGH TECH 04 | 70 | THE ENGINE PORTFOLIO COMPANIES | 73 | |4| |3| production of chemicals. production |2| by light instead of heat enabling enabling of heat instead light by cheaper, modular, scalable on-site on-site scalable modular, cheaper, Developing a chemical reactor driven driven reactor a chemical Developing |1| core photocatalysis technology core photocatalysis Syzygy’s Suman Khatiwada, Best and Dr. Trevor whose name refers to the The company, the early success of Best is quick to note that the reactor is capable of much more. the reactor is capable of much more. decades of two of over represents the culmination research by professors co-founders and scientific at Nordlander Peter Naomi Halas and Dr. Dr. out of working The professors, Rice University. Laboratory for Nanophotonics, the University’s the the technology while investigating invented the nanoscale. at interactions of light and matter potential the business saw co-founders, Syzygy’s laboratoryfor the professors’ breakthrough Best to commercialization. and set it on a path met in the Houston-based and Khatiwada research laboratories of the industrial oil field Best as a services Baker Hughes, company and Khatiwada manager in process improvement shared an The two as a research scientist. entrepreneurial their spirit and connected over impact. positive drive to create was alignment of three planetary bodies, launched in 2018 with the intention of aligning and sustainability in a single technology, energy, The team has since business. world-changing scaled the productivity of its reactor technology energy more than 10,000x and improved efficiency more than 100x. He attributes fortuitous. but Syzygy is anything in its core reactor such rapid improvements is simultaneously technology to a team that they do at what world the most qualified in the and committed to a future in which chemicals with a and pollutants remediated, are created, by light. technology powered Peter Nordlander, |4| Suman Khatiwada Nordlander, Best, |2| Naomi Halas, |3| Peter |1| Trevor Hughes Baker Rice University, Manufacturing Advanced

This decentralization will drive down will drive down This decentralization THE FOUNDERS THE

Plasmonics Plasmonics Syzygy hydrogen costs to levels competitive with gasoline competitive costs to levels hydrogen the adoption of hydrogen accelerating and diesel, fuel cells in industrial vehicle and heavy-duty It and trucks. buses, like forklifts, applications will also help decrease the costs and emissions with producing the 61 million associated consumed by chemical metric tons of hydrogen reactor were If Syzygy’s production and refining. it would solely designed to produce hydrogen, But the fundamentally redefine an industry. plasmonic nanoparticle platform the heart at of Syzygy Plasmonics is pioneering a new type than of chemical reactor driven by light rather for dramatically enabling the potential heat, At the more efficient chemical manufacturing. heart with built of the reactor is a photocatalyst The Rice University. at nanotechnology invented has focused its first effortscompany hydrogen on platform its reactor but has shown production, the ability to produce other industrial gases and andchemicals without the high carbon emissions with typical production processes. costs associated element in the be the lightest Hydrogen may and transporting isolating but it exacts universe, reactor Syzygy’s toll. environmental a massive and efficient enough to reduce small, is simple, net global carbon production emissions of the It also has the potential to eliminate scale. gas at cumbersome transportation chain. hydrogen’s a central location, Instead of producing the gas at and re-gasifying trucking the liquid, liquefying it, a Syzygy reactor the size of an the liquid, could be installed on site to produce outbuilding exactly is required, only the amount of gas that when it is needed. Background Industry Founders

TOUGH TECH 04 | 72 | THE ENGINE PORTFOLIO COMPANIES | 75 | Ripka has deep experience in the This variety of professional roles taught they of neurons that Similar to the web integrated fashion. Finding such a cross- integrated fashion. finding one functional scientist is not common; is treatments who is pioneering potential curative downright rare. complementary biotech, of big pharma, realms After and contract research organizations. receiving a PhD in chemistry from the University in on to work she went Wisconsin-Madison, of Barry K. the lab of Nobel Laureate Sharpless by followed The Scripps Research Institute, at Bristol-Myers included time at a career that WuXi and Pharmaceuticals, EnVivo Squibb, among others. AppTec, Ripka to approach the traditional drug discovery the She saw process in an untraditional way. first discovery pathways inefficiencies in today’s spent pursuing a solution hand — the work a scientist in a that without the realization field had seemingly unrelated, but similar, ground already trod that and gained valuable lack these pathways Ripka notes that data. or the interdisciplinary flow “cross-fertilization,” in pursuitof knowledge of a singular goal. neurological diseases like Parkinson’s, impair, and Rett Syndrome are complex Alzheimer’s, insights into the Ripka’s and mysterious things. root of these illnesses will guide the team at Lucy bare such mysteries Therapeutics to lay will fundamentally that treatments and reveal with some of our most change our relationships and unpredictable diseases. devastating

Amy Ripka Amy Wisconsin-Madison, Institute of Scripps Research The University Sciences & Life Biotech

For Amy Ripka, the company’s founder, any any founder, the company’s Ripka, Amy For led Ripka to a therapeutic target This strategy The insights underlying Lucy Therapeutics’ approach requires her to read Ripka’s

THE FOUNDERS THE Imagine in which doctorscan diagnose a world the before the tremors, patients and treat or the seizures from neurological dementia, and Alzheimer’s, diseases like Rett Syndrome, that This is a world take control. Parkinson’s to realize. Lucy Therapeutics is working treatments significant progress in developing for neurological non diseases will require The siloed manner through traditional methods. which disease targets are normally identified remain such treatments is potentially why And after decades of research. even elusive, Ripka is taking another approach — why it’s she is selecting drug targets based on a deep chemical and understanding of the crossover in these diseases. biological work interplay at mirrorsthat the complexities of the diseases She has linked the mitochondria. themselves: disease to dysfunctional neurodegenerative mitochondria in neurons and is pioneering a designed to address new class of treatments such dysfunction. drug discovery platform give it a substantial especially when one considers advantage, limited success the neuroscience industry’s These insights also unlock the identifying targets. pre- enable early, would door to a biomarker that diagnosis. symptomatic her field and to understand beyond exhaustively insights in an to apply her disparate how Lucy Therapeutics Founder Background Industry

mitochondrial-based therapies. mitochondrial-based neurological diseases using using diseases neurological A new approach to curing curing to approach new A

TOUGH TECH 04 | 74 | THE ENGINE PORTFOLIO COMPANIES | 77 | C2Sense & Leadership Founders Jan Schnorr Eric Keller, Swager, Timothy Linscott, George Background Chemistry of MIT Department Industry Things of Internet Materials, Advanced A digital olfactory C2Sense’s sensor platform for industry, technology transforms can that smell into real-time data With high-fidelity electrochemical be accessed remotely. a C2Sense will empower pricesensors a low point, at in food broad array of industries including those involved and chemical production product authentication, supply, to take control of their environments. By making gases detectable and trackable on an industrial safety and improves C2Sense reduces food waste, scale, a more efficient and and builds health of employees, world. productive

2 A new process to produce steel more efficiently, at a lower cost, and with zero greenhouse gas emissions. that transform the gases around us around us the gases transform that Developing gas sensing technologies sensing technologies gas Developing into useful, quantifiable knowledge. useful, quantifiable into emissions because of a reliance on coal. Boston emissions because of a reliance on coal. 2 Boston Metal Boston Leadership & Founders Donald Rauwerdink, Adam Rich Bradshaw, Carneiro, Tadeu Jim Yurko Bob Hyers, Allanore, Antoine Sadoway, Background Engineering Science and Materials of MIT Department Industry Energy Manufacturing, Advanced emissions free, a coal-free, Boston Metal has invented modular method of industrial and ferroalloy steel called molten oxide It’s production using electricity. electrolysis (MOE) and combines transformative materials engineering systems engineering and novel with elements from industrial production, aluminum and arc furnacestraditional blast furnaces, to produce costs than traditional at lower steel more efficiently, and with zero greenhouse gas emissions. methods, the steel industry industrial is the largest source Today, of CO Metal removes coal from the process, driving CO coal from the process, Metal removes emissions to zero, while also providing substantial OpEx while also providing emissions to zero, and CapEx savings. Founder Dan Nevius Dan Background Industry Analytical Space NASA, Planetary Resources, White House, HBS House, White Resources, NASA, Planetary of in-orbit a network Analytical Space is building offer expanded that satellites relay communication change to without any transfer, connectivity for data This results in faster downloading, data existing hardware. and latency, lower windows, more access to download with while being compatible cost structures, improved alike. heritage and new satellites satellites terabytes of and deliver Analytical Space will liberate giving by hundreds of satellites, gathered untapped data humanity a more informed and dynamic picture of everything from industrial agriculture to weather. Space, Internet of Things of Internet Space, Launching a satellite network Launching a satellite satellites to connect existing to Earth 24/7. THE FOUNDERS THE

TOUGH TECH 04 | 76 | THE ENGINE PORTFOLIO COMPANIES | 79 |

Founders & Leadership Founders Brunner, Sorbom, Dan Brandon Bob Mumgaard, Hartwig Zach Martin Greenwald, Dennis Whyte, Background Center MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Industry Materials Advanced Energy, Commonwealth Systems Fusion Fusion Systems (CFS) aims to provide Commonwealth fusion proven by combining to fusion power a new path revolutionary with physics magnet technology to deploy world. economic fusion reactorsthe firstworking, to the high-field magnets based on a new The team will develop superconductor materials thatclass of high-temperature economically fusion reactorsallow to be 10 times smaller, in the next 10 years. and operational feasible, limitless, Fusion energy is the holy grail of clean energy: no concentrated, baseload, no greenhouse gases, the world’s If successful, and no proliferation. meltdown, energy systems will be transformed. to generate baseload baseload to generate carbon-free fusion power fusion carbon-free Developing safe, unlimited, unlimited, safe, Developing 10-15 years. in electricity Cellino Founders Marinna Madrid Wagner, Matthias Nabiha Saklayen, Background Engineering School of Department, Harvard Physics Harvard Medical School Harvard and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Industry Manufacturing Sciences, Advanced & Life Biotech the firstCellino has built platform enables precise that environment. iPS cell fate in their natural control over EngineeringTissue Platform manufactures The Cellino impurity-free for new regenerative tissues high-quality, Cellino will use its platform to manufacture medicines. the highest quality human delivering scale, tissues at tissues are poised to lead to Such tissues made to date. patient. to the significant gains in therapeutic benefit digitization approach for high-throughput of Cellino’s engineering new tissues with will create human cells patient and to the significant gains in therapeutic benefit further transform the biotech industry. Pioneering the next pillar Pioneering the next of the regenerative medicine industry through precision cell production. - powered chips. with a new generation of GaN- with a new generation Transforming power electronics Transforming power electronics Founders Palacios Tomás Bin Lu, Background MIT Depart Laboratories, Technology MIT Microsystems Electrical Science Engineering and Computer of ment Industry Materials Advanced Semiconductors, Cambridge Electronics electronics rely on silicon processing — from Today’s to consumer electric vehicles centersdata to industry, electronics — the ubiquitous material is used to control As these technologies advance, power. and convert industries efficient (and increasingly are challenged to build cases we In many electronics. increasingly small) power Cambridge Electronics reached the limits of silicon. have a proprietaryhas invented gallium nitride (GaN) and exponentially more is less expensive technology that a smaller footprint. while also having efficient than silicon, technology will bring Cambridge significant Electronics’ industries to diverse and power-reliant energy savings manufacturing, energy, renewable centers, like data and consumer electronics. automotive,

One third of the food produced in the world is wasted. is wasted. One third of the food produced in the world technology helps to reduce food Cambridge Crops’ decreases logistics spoilage across the supply chain, more accessible. food and makes healthy costs, Cambridge the problem of food Crops is addressing ultra-thin by pioneeringspoilage and waste a natural, preserves that coating the freshness of water-based and can be tasteless and invisible It’s food longer. applied to everything and cut produce to from fresh dramatically The coating and fish. proteins like meat the exchange of gases that extends shelf life by slowing to more people for making food accessible cause decay, has the potential the coating In addition, longer times. to support enhanced nutrients and also help for food reduce packaging. Industry Materials Advanced & Agriculture, Food Background University Biopolymers, Tufts Advanced for MIT Laboratory SilkLab Founders Livio Valenti, Marelli, Yigit, Benedetto Sezin Behrens, Adam Omenetto Fiorenzo Crops Cambridge Cambridge THE FOUNDERS THE

reduces food waste. increases shelf life and coating that significantly edible protective food TOUGH TECH 04 | 78 | A natural, sustainable and THE ENGINE PORTFOLIO COMPANIES | 81 | Founder Chris Baker Debbie Yu, Zhao, Yibiao Background Group Science & Cognitive MIT Computational Industry & AI Deep Software isee is engineering next-generation, humanistic AI to humanistic isee is engineering next-generation, the logistics automate industry from dock to door. for complex environments Their technology is built with high uncertainty and congested (shipping yards and can integrate into an existing logistics highways), world of In the without infrastructure change. workflow the startupautonomous transportation, the first was to driving, the autonomous highway exit-to-exit achieve and the snow, in heavy first to merge onto a highway first to handle congested traffic better than a leading autonomous driving startup. reducing isee plans to firstyard, the shipping automate throughput costs by 50 percent and increasing yard yard trucks yard will power AI that The same by 30 percent. can be used to transport freight across our highways and increase safety throughout the — it will add value logistics supply chain. Engineering an AI-powered AI-powered an Engineering to system driving autonomous industry the logistics automate to highway shipping yards from transportation. freight isee HyperLight Founders Wang Cheng Loncar, Mian Zhang, Marko Background University NanoscaleHarvard at for Optics Laboratory Industry Manufacturing Advanced Materials, Advanced Semiconductors, HyperLight has invented unique processes and designs unique processes and designs HyperLight has invented Niobate chip-scale Lithium for fabricating integrated, signal loss. (LN) modulators with extremely low These integrated optical circuits hold the potential to and with optical data relationship reshape the world’s to functionalities from communication enable novel developed technology was The startup’s spectroscopy. Harvard at in multiple and is featured University in the journalpublications . Nature The information of devices age relies on billions electricity signals between and light waves. converting These integrated light circuits are the backbone of secure and even centers, data telecommunication, devices will force HyperLight’s quantum communications. industries to rethink and reimagine their current standards. Producing ultra-efficient chip-scale optical circuits to de-bottleneck data centers, telecommunication networks, and secure quantum communications. Form Energy Form Founders Wiley, Chiang, Ted Yet-Ming Jaramillo, Mateo Ferrara Marco William Woodford, Background Engineering, 24M Science and Material of MIT Department Energy A123, Tesla Technologies, Industry Materials Advanced Energy, Form Energy will solve large-scale renewable energy’s most energy’s large-scale renewable Form Energy will solve — reliability — through energyfundamental limitation than thinking of batteries in the traditional Rather storage. designing Form Energy is simply as storage vessels, sense, Built to displace fossil fuel plants. bidirectional power core technology Form Energy’s plants, baseload generation via the existing will store and supply hundreds of megawatts energy grid. Form Energy will help bring to the masses by renewables storing enough energy from sources like wind and solar to thousands of homes and businesses. power available 24/7. available Engineering a bi a bi Engineering directional power plant power directional to make renewable energy renewable to make

E25Bio is putting a specialized central medical testing E25Bio is putting a specialized central medical Initially, test. facility within a single over-the-counter patients, panel will empower rapid fever the company’s and public health officials in Latin healthcare workers, produce ability to quickly But the company’s America. antibody pairs it has the potential means that effective across the globe. to help patients E25Bio is pioneering an at-home rapid fever panel E25Bio is pioneering rapid fever an at-home With its first-in-class for mosquito-borne diseases. method, screening antibodies identified with a novel the first diagnostic test is of its kind to E25Bio’s as all four subtypes dengue (as well distinguish between which The test, and Zika. chikungunya, of the disease), is with whole blood from a simple finger prick, works making it virus, the first active of its kind to screen for than a traditional blood draw. more effective MIT Institute for Medical Engineering & Science, Medical Engineering & Science, for MIT Institute Center MIT Tata Industry Sciences & Life Biotech Background E25Bio Founders Takle Jeff Herrera, Brooke Bobby Gehrke, Bosch,Irene Lee THE FOUNDERS THE Enabling rapid, accurate diagnosis of infectious disease at the point of care.

TOUGH TECH 04 | 80 | THE ENGINE PORTFOLIO COMPANIES | 83 | Founders Ho, Patrick Livio Valenti, Kosuda, Kathryn Michael Schrader, Omenetto Fiorenzo Kaplan, David Background SilkLab University Business School, Tufts Harvard Industry Materials Sciences, Advanced & Life Biotech Vaxess Technologies pioneering is a technique it calls Technologies Vaxess Infection Mimicry of increase the effectiveness to help and cancer. immunotherapies for infectious diseases is named MIMIX, first product, The company’s immune response to natural inspired by the body’s MIMIX is a smart-release therapeutic patch infection. can release of wear-time, after only minutes that, for up to precise rates into the skin at treatments months after the initial application. the MIMIX to activate allows The same biology that influenza like diseases infectious against system immune the immune system can also be used to activate loaded When a MIMIX patch against cancer cells. with a chemo agent is applied to a certain tumors, it kickstarts immune response, a natural for example, metastases throughout the body. eliminating eventually make immunotherapy work better. Harnessing evolutionary biology to Suono Bio & Leadership Founders Schulman, Amy Langer, Robert Carl Schoellhammer, Lisa Ricciardi Gio Traverso, Background Chemical of Engineering MIT Department Industry Sciences & Life Biotech Suono Bio has reimagined as an effective ultrasound and elegant delivery for the most delicate mechanism push molecules like DNA, Its technology can therapeutics. and proteins directly into cells without disrupting RNA, the surrounding tissue or harming the molecule itself. The flexibility and efficacy of the Suono Bio therapeutic platform brings and cure with it the potential to treat diseases with targets once deemed undruggable. challenging treat chronic Suono Bio will more effectively gastrointestinal diseases and enable new therapies for and cancer, other pressing health challenges like diabetes, viral infections. Delivering medicine with Delivering medicine ultrasound to treat traditionally “undruggable” diseases. research. processes to reclaim the $28B lost in unreproducible Automating lab equipment and Radix LabsRadix Founder Shrivathsa Dhasharath Background MIT Media Lab Olin College, Industry & Things, Biotech of AI, Internet & Deep Software Robotics, Sciences Life a programming unites Radix Labs has built language that biologists and their lab machinery unit. in one automated This programming the heart language is that of software It is the first manages both human and machine tasks. lab machinerytime disparate with one can communicate platformanother under the control of one centralized — system for an operating for all intents and purposes, it is, biology labs. this interface, Designed around an approachable user solution intentionally distances the specification software the lab protocol — from of the program — in this case, biologists It does this with the hope that the execution. and more time focusing on spend less time in the lab, experimental design and analysis.

Cell and gene therapies have the potential to truly cure Cell and gene therapies have medicine diseases and fundamentally change the way they currently from suffer However, is practiced. and reproducibility, major challenges in efficiency, a huge bottleneck solution can solve Kytopen’s cost. and will reduce the processes, in the development time to market for discovery and cost and accelerate manufacturing of these therapies. Kytopen aims to transform the cell and gene therapy Kytopen industry the efficiency improving by dramatically The company’s of the genetic engineering of cells. microfluidics and electric field-based platform can the genetic engineering and automate accelerate of With cells 10,000 times faster than current methods. of cells duringcontinuous flow genetic manipulation, address both small and the products in development drug and enable discovery to large sample volumes, manufacture therapies. Industry Manufacturing Sciences, Advanced & Life Biotech Background Mechanical of Engineering MIT Department Kytopen Founders Cullen Buie Garcia, Paulo THE FOUNDERS THE

the clinic. engineering, from discovery to discovery from engineering, Pioneering superior cellular cellular superior Pioneering TOUGH TECH 04 | 82 | TOUGH TECH 04 | 85 | An exterior view of The Engine’s new home. Expanding Katie Rae, CEO & Managing Partner Rae, Katie The Engine is The Engine This new hub will provide a place for companies to put their ideas into action — helping a place for companies to put their ideas This new hub will provide as and effectively economically, transformative technologiesthem build as efficiently, flexible to talent, access institutions; to academic proximity a natural It will have possible. for will foster relationships that and affordable lab and fabrication and a network facilities, ecosystem — entrepreneurs, Tech Tough the diverse It aims to connect market readiness. and policymakers. investors, engineers, leaders in academia and business, scientists, of technology disciplines across the convergence The space is designed for companies at where access to diverse space and tools are essential engineering sciences, and physical office space, chemistry fabrication It will hold shared and biology labs, space, for success. 1,000 entrepreneurs. and other flexible space for 100 companies and approximately infrastructure the a foundational change can potentially that the chance to forge have “We A thriving hub can propel the Boston region into the future as a of innovation. geography companies.” Tech Tough world-changingmagnet for In fall 2019, construction started on The Engine’s 200,000 sq/ft The Engine’s construction started on 2019, In fall collaboration in The Engine, Mass. expansion project in Cambridge, 750 Main at building former a Polaroid is renovating with MIT, growth. Tough-Tech Street to serve as a hub for Founders Background Christopher Savoie, Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Jonathan Olson, Alán Aspuru-Guzik, Jonathan Savoie, Christopher Fontalvo Romero Jhonathan Cao, Johnson, Yudong Peter Industry Zapata Computing The team at Zapata Computing writes Zapata algorithmsThe team at computing to of quantum harnessthat the power most some of the universe’s help predict and simulate of molecules such as the behavior complex interactions, When used in tandem with quantum level. atomic an at practical industrial these algorithms have hardware, of supply chains and like the optimization applications, or the prediction of drug efficacy before routes, travel compounds are synthesized in the lab. algorithms bridgeBy creating in quantum that advances and commercial applications, computing hardware new life saving has the potential to discover Zapata and much more. energy-efficient materials, molecules, Harvard Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto Toronto of University Chemistry, of Department Harvard Chemistry of Department Quantum Computing Quantum Building ultra-efficient ultra-efficient Building for industrial filters molecular to the potential with processes of the energy 90 percent save separation. used in chemical Creating software for quantum computers to solve some of the most difficult computational problems known.

Founders Industry Shreya Dave, Brent Keller, Jeff Grossman Jeff Keller, Brent Dave, Shreya Background

Separations Via Via The company’s technology has the potential to replace The company’s the energy saving thermal processes, separation used by the entire gasoline industryequivalent every in the U.S. year Separation processes are the building blocks for processes are the building Separation and consumer goods — they chemicals, materials, most Currently, are core to the industrial ecosystem. are done with thermalseparations processes such as which are very energy and distillation, evaporation is commercializing novel Via Separations intensive. membrane materials and manufacturing processes to with filtration. and distillation replace evaporation MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering Science and Materials of MIT Department Energy, Advanced Materials, Advanced Manufacturing Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy, THE FOUNDERS THE

TOUGH TECH 04 | 84 | Tough Tech

is ... > Engineering an AI-powered autonomous driving system to automate the logistics industry from shipping yards to highway freight transportation.

> Pioneering superior cellular engineering, from discovery to the clinic.

> A new approach to curing neurological diseases using mitochondrial-based therapies.

> Automating lab equipment and processes to reclaim the $28B lost in unreproducible research.

> Delivering medicine with ultrasound to treat traditionally “undruggable” diseases.

> Developing a chemical reactor driven by light instead of heat enabling cheaper, modular, scalable on-site production of chemicals.

> Engineering a simple patch that enables sustained release of medicines and vaccines through the skin.

> Building ultra-efficient molecular filters for industrial processes with the potential to save 90 percent of the energy used in chemical separation.

> Creating software for quantum computers to solve some of the most difficult computational problems known.