Xampla – developing the next-generation of high-performance natural polymer materials

Dr Marc Rodriguez, Xampla

We are delighted to welcome Dr Marc Rodriguez from Xampla to our March 2024 Innovation Seminar Talk. This month's talk is co-organised by the Maxwell Centre and the impulse programme.

Abstract

Xampla originally spun-out of the University of Cambridge to commercialise Professor Tuomas Knowles’ protein materials research. Dr Marc Rodríguez (Xampla’s CTO), alongside Dr Ayaka Kamada and Dr Aviad Levin initially developed the processes and materials that are the basis of Xampla’s defensible technology, working with Professor Knowles before co-founding Xampla.

After 4 years, Xampla is now scaling-up the production of their protein-based materials up to multi-tonne scale, as well as validating their commercial application across several product areas.

Marc Rodríguez will share some of the learnings and challenges encountered within Xampla’s initial growth, from developing a robust IP portfolio, to identifying product application areas to find the best product-market fit.

Bio

Dr Marc Rodriguez is an experienced biochemist with expertise in the application of natural biopolymers in structured materials including films, coatings, and microcapsules. Prior to co-founding Xampla, he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Knowles Lab (Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry), where he developed the core basis of Xampla's IP portfolio.

About the Seminar Series

The Innovation Seminar Series is organised by a number of initiatives across the University and has a lineup of brilliant speakers who are at different stages in their Innovation and Entrepreneurship journey. If you are a member of the University of Cambridge community interested in all things entrepreneurial, this is a series for you!

This series of seminars happens monthly and speakers will present their ideas and experiences on how innovation impacts their endeavours.

• We have a varied list of speakers, from academics turned in to entrepreneurs all the way to established companies.
• The format is a 45 minute talk, followed by Q&A.
• Attendance is free

Come and join the talk with Dr Marc Rodriguez.

Registration: https://forms.office.com/e/bpwnRX1sDy

Data Protection

We collect information about you when you register to attend the Innovation Seminar Series. You can find details on how we handle personal information at https://www.maxwell.cam.ac.uk/faqs.

The data we hold for this purpose is very limited (contact details: name, email address, name of the organisation you are affiliated with).

The information you provide will be used to process your booking, and contact you regarding your participation. We may also contact you to undertake post-event evaluation and provide marketing information about events and services offered through the Maxwell Centre, University of Cambridge and the Impulse Programme. All marketing communications will incorporate an option to opt-out of receiving further communications.

Please note that we are managing registration for this event via Eventbrite. Eventbrite is a third-party service that is not owned or managed by the University of Cambridge. You may wish to review Eventbrite’s terms and conditions and privacy policy as we do not accept any responsibility or liability for their policies.