Matter Machine Closes £4M Pre-Series A to Scale AI-Powered Materials Discovery, Appoints Oxford Nanopore’s Gordon Sanghera

Matter Machine, a University of Liverpool spin-out using AI to discover new materials, has closed an oversubscribed £4 million pre-Series A round led by IP Group and supported by Northern Gritstone, the University of Liverpool Enterprise Fund, Norrsken Evolve, LYVA Labs and the Northern Universities Venture Fund. It is the largest investment secured by a newly formed Liverpool spin-out and Northern Gritstone’s first under its partnership with the university.

The company combines materials chemistry, automated experimentation and machine learning to accelerate the identification and optimisation of novel inorganic crystalline materials, cutting the time and cost of innovation in areas such as energy and sustainability. The funding will expand its technical and commercial team, advance its AI discovery platform and support engagement with industry partners.

Dr Gordon Sanghera CBE, co-founder and former CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, has joined to lead commercialisation, saying the company offers exceptional science and a highly scalable opportunity. Founder Professor Matt Rosseinsky OBE FRS said combining materials science with AI could transform how new materials are found. IP Group Chief Executive Greg Smith said the work could dramatically shorten development timelines across batteries, catalysts and advanced manufacturing, while Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Jones highlighted the role of spin-outs in turning research into economic growth.