Cambridge startup draws global investors to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, semiconductors, and climate tech

Cambridge-based CuspAI has secured a $100M Series A funding round (≈€85.4M), signaling growing investor confidence in the potential of AI-driven materials discovery. The round was co-led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and Temasek, with backing from a roster of major names including NVentures, Samsung Ventures, Hyundai Motor Group, Prosus Ventures, Basis Set Ventures, and Northzone.

CuspAI describes its platform as an AI “search engine” for materials — enabling customers to define desired properties and generate new, synthesizable candidates up to 10 times faster than traditional methods. The company’s technology is materials-agnostic, positioning it to impact industries from automotive and semiconductors to clean energy and water purification.

“AI’s most profound promise emerges when it becomes a catalyst for discovery,” said Lila Tretikov, Partner at NEA and former Deputy CTO at Microsoft, who joins CuspAI’s board. “CuspAI is harnessing that power to accelerate breakthroughs that elevate the quality of life for generations to come.”

High-profile investors and advisors

The startup’s Series A attracted not just institutional investors but also tech leaders including Durk Kingma (OpenAI co-founder), Arash Ferdowsi (Dropbox founder), Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face founder), and Victor Riparbelli (Synthesia CEO).

Its advisory network features some of AI’s most respected names — Geoffrey Hinton and Yann LeCun, both Turing Award laureates — alongside experts in materials and innovation such as Prof. Kristin Persson and Verity Harding.

To strengthen commercialization, Martin van den Brink (former ASML President & CTO) and Lord Browne (former BP CEO) have also joined the board.

Scaling for global impact

CuspAI plans to deploy its fresh capital to scale its platform, accelerate time-to-market for new materials, and expand operations in the US and Asia. The company has already secured notable collaborations, including:

  • Hyundai on sustainable energy initiatives
  • Kemira on PFAS removal
  • Meta on carbon capture with the ODAC25 direct air capture database
  • Upcoming semiconductor partnerships

“Closing our Series A just one year after emerging from stealth is a milestone,” said co-founders Dr. Chad Edwards and Prof. Max Welling. “But this is just the beginning. The next breakthroughs in climate technology, batteries, semiconductors, and water purification will come through relentless iteration, partnerships, and a belief that the future can be better.”