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By Cecilia Smith, Administrative Assistant, ACS Green Chemistry Institute
Entrepreneurs from seven sustainable chemistry startups presented their innovative technology at the first-ever Startup Showcase at the Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference this June. Read about how the session helped draw a new group of innovators to the green chemistry community and learn more about the startups’ technology, which ranged from biochemicals to PFAS-free protective gear to non-petroleum-based textiles.
On the second day of technical sessions at the 29th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, a room of over 100 attendees awaits the final presentation of the morning. Matthew Borowiak, CEO and founder of Workers First, takes the stage to present his company and its green chemistry technology—personal protective products that incorporate a unique PFAS-free, chemical-resistant polymer technology—to a panel of five venture capitalist judges. Borowiak jumps into his presentation with energy, enthusiasm, and a distinct passion for his company’s mission and the human and environmental health benefits behind his work. As he wraps up his pitch, the audience turns its attention towards the judging panel, eager to hear their tough questions and constructive feedback.
Workers First was one of seven sustainable chemistry startup companies to present at the first-ever Startup Showcase at the Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference. Taking the place of one of the 42 technical sessions at the conference, the showcase differed from traditional sessions by providing entrepreneurs with a platform to present their company’s competitive advantage, market opportunities, and growth potential, in addition to the science behind their innovative technology. Continue reading below to learn more about the seven companies featured in the showcase.
The showcase’s judging panel—which consisted of John Warner, Technology Greenhouse LLC; Dovina Qu; Columbia Technology Ventures; Edward Greer, Dow Venture Capital; Sophie Burkholder, Innovation Works; and Reed McManigle, Resilient Energy Technology and Infrastructure (RETI) Consortium—also added an engaging change to the typical technical session Q&A format. As venture capitalist representatives and potential investors, the panel added an additional level of excitement and interest to the presentations by introducing the possibility of new, catalytic funding for the startups. This excitement was reflected by the audience’s engagement and size—with over 100 attendees, the startup showcase was distinctly popular.
As the green chemistry community expands to welcome entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, encouraging a wider audience to recognize the economic value of sustainable chemistry technology, it’s important to understand the investment trends and opportunities in this sector. A new Sustainable Chemistry Investment Report evaluating Q1 of 2025 was introduced by Julie Manley, green chemistry consultant at Guiding Green LLC, during the opening remarks of the Startup Showcase. The report—sponsored by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute—offers real-time insights into the innovation ecosystem supporting the commercialization of products and services that deliver high performance without harm to people or the planet.
For the startup representatives, judging panel, and audience members, the showcase proved to be a valuable opportunity to create new connections in the green chemistry community and explore the intersection of business and sustainable technology. “Welcoming entrepreneurs to GC&E ensures that groundbreaking chemistry moves beyond the lab to drive real-world impact,” says Sederra Ross, ACS GCI Program Manager and GCI lead for the Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference. “With the Startup Showcase, we aim to cultivate a community that champions bold ideas, accelerates sustainable innovation, and inspires future changemakers,” says Ross.
Learn more about the Startups and their innovative technology:
EcoaTEX: Raha Saremi, Founder & CEO, presented EcoaTEX’s sustainable alternatives to synthetic textiles, including a biodegradable eco-fiber made from wood pulp and a biobased leather made from agricultural waste. EcoaTEX’s textiles provide water, energy, and cost savings during production and are biodegradable with no petroleum coatings. Other advantages include faster processing times and enhanced performance when it comes to strength and water resistance.
Cellsense: Aradhita Parasrampuria, Founder & CEO, showcased Cellsense’s BioEmbellishments—compostable beads, beaded fabrics, and exfoliating pads made from non-petroleum-based biopolymers. Parasrampuria emphasized the need for a more sustainable alternative to plastic beads in the fashion industry, a $1.7 trillion sector where she reports that 1 out of 5 garments globally use plastic beads and contribute to the microplastic crisis. Cellsense’s BioEmbellishments provide faster production times, a cost advantage, and high durability.
Airbuild: Ejike Ken-Opurum, CTO, presented Airbuild’s unique carbon sequestration technology that uses carbon dioxide to treat polluted water using Airbuild’s Pod systems, which rely on microalgae and photovoltaics to filter the water and grow algae biomass, with oxygen and biochar as output products. Airbuild has demoed this system on the Green River in Utah on a plot of 37 acres and has started development on a larger plot on the Green River, where they aim to remove 585 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere a year and treat over 100,000 gallons of water a day.
Linium Biochemicals: Ludovic Sinet, CEO & co-founder of Linium Biochemicals, gave an overview of the company’s circular and low-carbon aromatic chemical offerings made out of lignin or lignocellulose—two typically underutilized biomass feedstocks. Linium uses these feedstocks to make monomers that are then made into antioxidants, coatings, and foams. Linium’s products offer added value compared to petroleum derivatives, including added strength and simpler processing due to a one-step synthesis replacing a process that typically involves multiple steps.
Lucciola Technologies, Inc.: Boris Napadensky, CEO & co-founder of Lucciola Technologies, presented the company’s innovative photoreactors, which will help enable photochemistry at scale. Napadensky described how current photoreactor technology is not cost-effective for large-scale applications due to limitations including low light uniformity and size limits. Lucciola Technologies’ reactors operate using miniature omnidirectional light sources inside the reactor, enabling uniformity in larger reactors and making photochemistry competitive at scale.
Woodland Biomass Innovations: Luca Pandolfi, founder of Woodland Biomass Innovations, presented the company’s biomass valorization process, which turns woody biomass feedstocks into non-ethanol gasoline. Greener advantages of this technology include a naturally regenerative feedstock and carbon reduction of about 70% compared to regular gasoline.
Workers First: Matthew Borowiak, CEO & founder of Workers First, showcased the company’s PFAS-free, chemical-resistant polymer technology that can be used in personal protective products and military applications. Workers First’s polymers are manufactured in the United States, provide acid neutralization properties, have the potential to neutralize nerve gas and mustard gas, and can withstand more washes than most other competitors.