News & Media Relations
NEWS RELEASE
Universal Matter has successfully concluded an equity financing round of up to USD $20M led by NewTech Investment Holdings, LLC and joined by Westlake Innovations, Inc., a subsidiary of Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK), and others, opening up new global collaboration opportunities.
Universal Matter utilizes its proprietary Flash Joule Heating process technology to upcycle carbon into fully formulated graphene-based products to enhance the performance and sustainability of major industrial materials. The company has developed complementary product technologies with its family of Genable® graphene-based dispersions that are tailor-made for ease-of-use by fabricators in major global markets, such as cement/concrete, bitumen asphalt, industrial coatings, automotive tires, and others.
The Investment will be instrumental for enabling Universal Matter to expand its graphene-based dispersions capacity which will be deployed for servicing both existing and new customers in its target markets.
Universal Matter CEO, John van Leeuwen, said:
Our vision and mission center around the transformation of carbon waste into unique graphene materials that can be used as efficient performance and service life enhancers for a wide range of materials. This investment comes at a pivotal time for supporting the next critical phase of our journey, which is to broadly proliferate our proven graphene-based dispersions to help further decarbonization of numerous hard-to-abate market sectors.
NewTech Investment Holdings Managing Director, Guy Hoffman, said:
Our continuing interest at NewTech is to seek out and invest in advanced materials companies having high potential to deliver disruptive technologies and environmental benefits within the cleantech sector. Universal Matter stands out with its game-changing graphene manufacturing process for producing high quality products that help reduce the carbon footprint in hard-to-abate sectors, such as cement concrete and bitumen asphalt-based applications.
Guy Hoffman will join the Universal Matter board to provide ongoing support and facilitate collaboration opportunities.
Westlake Innovations Senior Vice President and Managing Director, John Chao, said:
Graphene is a material with a number of potential performance and sustainability benefits that could apply across a number of Westlake’s Performance & Essential Materials and Housing & Infrastructure Products business lines. We look forward to working with Universal Matter and its management team as it moves forward on development and commercialization of its flexible technology.
About NewTech Investment Holdings
NewTech, a Houston, Texas based investment fund, considers early-stage (initial formation through Series A) investment opportunities in companies with disruptive technologies in the advanced materials and bio/medtech industries. NewTech often partners with those companies in which it has invested to provide financial, corporate governance, capital formation and strategic planning services. Visit us at www.newtechinv.com
About Westlake
Westlake Innovations, Inc. was formed in 2021 to facilitate Westlake Corporation’s potential investments in new technologies and pursue innovative digital, mechanical or chemical applications such as carbon sequestration or recycling. Westlake is a global manufacturer and supplier of materials and innovative products that enhance life every day. Headquartered in Houston, with operations in Asia, Europe and North America, we provide the building blocks for vital solutions — from housing and construction, to packaging and healthcare, to automotive and consumer. For more information, visit the company’s web site at www.westlake.com.
