New Castle’s ThruPore raises $540,000 from local investors

ThruPore Technologies, a catalysis technology company headquartered in New Castle, has raised $540,000 in a seed round led by Philadelphia-based angel investor group Robin Hood Ventures alongside Delaware Crossing Investor Group (DCIG). The investment marks ThruPore’s first institutional funding round.

ThruPore Technologies was cofounded in 2012 at the University of Alabama by CEO Dr. Franchessa Sayler and professor Martin Bakker. As a graduate student, Sayler was approached by a staff scientist who was dissatisfied with the performance of current catalysts. She saw an opportunity to apply the technology developed in Bakker’s lab to make a better catalyst. Sayler figured out how to control the pore size of a catalyst’s support structures, creating 50 percent more accessible surface area and producing a catalyst that is six times more active than its competitors.

This is one of several women-owned and female-founded businesses in Robin Hood Ventures’ portfolio, including LIA Diagnostics and Tassl.

“I am excited to see that Robin Hood Ventures has taken the initiative to help close the gender gap in funding for women-led tech ventures,” said Sayler.

With the capital raised in this round, ThruPore will also be eligible for a potential two-to-one matching grant through the NSF SBIR Phase IIB Program.

To get an idea of ThruPore’s products, check out this video demonstration: