• LiquiGlide

  Participated · Equity · Jan 2017

  LiquiGlide invented a patented frictionless technology that eliminates the friction between liquids and solids so liquids flow with ease. Its core applications include no‑waste consumer packaging, more efficient and sustainable manufacturing, and medical devices that will not clog or cause infection. The technology was developed at MIT by co‑founder Dave Smith and Professor Kripa Varanasi; Dave Smith is cited as LiquiGlide's CEO. The company has gained traction in the multi‑billion dollar consumer packaged goods sector and recently announced partnerships with Colgate and the Mibelle Group. LiquiGlide's first commercial launch was a clear, recyclable toothpaste package introduced by Colgate in the European market and the product has been featured in major publications. LiquiGlide will use the loan proceeds for growth and general working capital. LiquiGlide commercializes a patented technology, invented at MIT by co‑founders Dave Smith and Professor Kripa Varanasi, that removes friction between viscous liquids and container or device surfaces so thick fluids flow with ease. The company positions the technology for consumer packaging, manufacturing waste reduction, and biomedical use cases such as reducing device clogging and improving delivery of viscous drugs and biologics. Recent commercial work includes a clear, recyclable PET toothpaste package with Colgate and CleanTanX™ deployment with the Mibelle Group that reportedly reduced yield loss in toothpaste manufacturing tanks by up to 99%. LiquiGlide is also launching an EveryDrop™ health and beauty line in collaboration with designer Yves Béhar and fuseproject to create no‑waste sustainable packaging. The company nearly doubled its team in 2020 and has added senior executives from packaging and biotech, including a new CMO from Clorox, as it prepares to expand into additional applications. Financially, the company has raised a total of $50M to date, including the most recent strategic financing announced in April 2021. LiquiGlide develops patented, liquid-impregnated slippery coatings that allow viscous materials to slide out of packaging or industrial tanks. The coatings use flavorless, odorless and FDA-approved ingredients and rely on a textured solid layer that traps a liquid lubricant through capillary forces. The company says the coating does not interfere with recycling and can improve packaging sustainability by reducing the need to wash containers. Co-founded by CEO J. David Smith and chairman Kripa Varanasi, LiquiGlide debuted at MIT's 100k competition in 2012 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The startup has received broad inbound interest from students, inventors, consumer goods companies and automakers testing the technology. Management expects to use the new funding for hiring and to focus commercialization on packaging and tanks. LiquiGlide provides a patented technology platform for permanently wet, slippery surface coatings. Developed at MIT by co-inventors Kripa Varanasi and CEO Dave Smith, the coatings are custom-made for each application by combining a porous solid with a liquid that gets trapped via capillary forces. The technology is commercially viable across multiple industries, including consumer packaged goods, oil & gas, medical, life sciences, agrochemical and aerospace. The company intends to use recent funds to build its customer base across industries and to hire innovative scientists. LiquiGlide now has more than 30 paying clients across multiple industries and employs more than 20 people. It raised $7M in funding in a round led by Roadmap Capital.

No current team members are available.