Milvus Advanced

High-Level Overview

Milvus Advanced is a deep-tech startup founded in Oxford, UK, in 2022, specializing in next-generation nanomaterials that replace scarce, expensive rare metals like platinum and iridium with sustainable, earth-abundant nanoalloys.[1][2][3] Operating on a B2B model, it delivers high-performance catalysts for clean energy, chemical manufacturing, and electronics, solving supply chain vulnerabilities, cost volatility, and environmental damage from rare metal mining.[1][2] The company targets electrochemical and optoelectronic applications, such as hydrogen electrolysers, solar systems, and industrial reactions, with its first commercial nanocatalysts slated for 2026; it recently raised a seed round to scale production and has demonstrated the world's cheapest hydrogen electrolyser without rare metals.[2][4][5]

Origin Story

Milvus Advanced was founded in 2022 in Oxford by Assia Kasdi, CEO with a PhD in Materials Science from Oxford, where her research focused on synthesizing copper-based nanowires for optoelectronics and electrochemical applications; she previously founded Oxmetics, an eco-friendly cosmetics company.[3] The idea emerged from the growing demand for clean energy technologies hampered by precious metal shortages—hydrogen growth alone could deplete global platinum and iridium supplies in decades—prompting Kasdi's team to develop "modern-day alchemy" that reprograms common metals to mimic rare ones at the nanoscale.[3] Early traction includes building the world's cheapest hydrogen electrolyser without rare metals, securing backing from investors like Hoxton Ventures and Lowercarbon Capital, and a seed funding round to industrialize production.[2][3][4]

Core Differentiators

• Nanomaterial Innovation: Proprietary engineering creates "designer" nanoalloys from abundant elements that match or exceed rare metals' performance in catalysis, enabling orders-of-magnitude cost reductions in multi-hundred-billion-dollar markets.[1][2][3]
• Scalable Substitution: Focuses on high-demand applications like clean energy (hydrogen, solar), chemical manufacturing, and electronics, with superior efficiency, energy savings, and longevity while slashing CO2 emissions and mining impacts.[1][2][5]
• Sustainability Edge: Eliminates geopolitical risks, supply shortages, and environmental harm from rare metal extraction, positioning Milvus as "CRISPR for metals" for a low-carbon economy.[3][4]
• B2B Delivery and Momentum: Commercial nanocatalysts launching in 2026, backed by deep-tech investors, with proven prototypes like rare-metal-free electrolysers.[2][4][5]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Milvus rides the clean energy transition wave, where surging demand for hydrogen, EVs, and solar is clashing with finite precious metal supplies—iridium shortages alone threaten green hydrogen scaling.[3] Timing is critical amid 2025's geopolitical tensions and net-zero mandates, as industries seek alternatives to volatile, unethical mining; Milvus' nanoalloys enable affordable, reliable decarbonization without extractive dependencies.[1][2][3] It influences the ecosystem by catalyzing a "materials revolution," undercutting catalyst markets, boosting energy efficiency, and inspiring deep-tech shifts toward abundant-element innovation.[1][5]

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Milvus Advanced is poised to disrupt catalysis with 2026 commercial launches, expanding from hydrogen electrolysers to broader clean tech and electronics amid accelerating decarbonization pressures.[2][5] Trends like AI-optimized materials design and policy-driven green manufacturing will amplify its edge, potentially capturing share in $100B+ markets while drawing more VC for scale-up.[1][3] As rare metal constraints intensify, Milvus could redefine elemental limits, fueling a sustainable energy boom that echoes its founding vision: rewriting the periodic table for a limitless clean future.[2][4]