Aether Biomachines has raised an additional $15 million to expand the development and commercial deployment of its artificial intelligence-designed proteins, advancing its effort to modernize American manufacturing through next-generation molecular engineering. Tribe Capital led the round with participation from Natural Capital, Henkel Corporation, Resilience Reserve, Shrug Capital, 4DX Ventures, Unless Partners, and Radicle Impact. With this new funding, Aether has now raised $64 million to date.
The company is focused on reindustrializing the United States by designing proteins that operate as nanoscale molecular assemblers capable of building materials with precision at the atomic level. According to the announcement, these AI-driven proteins have already delivered early commercial results across advanced materials, mineral extraction, carbon capture, pharmaceutical production, and the breakdown of persistent contaminants.
Aether’s technology includes its Protein Function Model, which uses purpose-built artificial intelligence and high-throughput robotics to generate proteins that can be tuned for new industrial functions. The company plans to apply the newly raised capital to scale this system, accelerate commercial materials programs, and support industrial partnerships for national security, aerospace, and sustainability initiatives.
The company has developed seven new classes of functional proteins across applications, including rare-earth metal extraction, plastic recycling, degradation of forever chemicals, carbon dioxide capture, and pharmaceutical manufacturing. It has also developed polymer additives that enable 3D printing up to 10 times faster and twice as strong as current industry benchmarks, supporting defense and aerospace applications such as drone components and complex structural parts.
Investors backing the round say Aether is one of the few AI companies moving from computational biology into the delivery of deployable, market-ready products rather than remaining focused solely on discovery. The company reported that its materials, products, and industrial solutions have the potential to reduce reliance on global supply chains while providing a faster, lower-cost alternative to traditional chemical manufacturing.
KEY QUOTES
“Aether is building the foundation for the next industrial revolution. This funding will allow us to accelerate the discovery of proteins with transformative applications, including stronger, more scalable materials for defense and aerospace, and bring our first commercial products to more industries. Our latest funding positions us to turn breakthrough science into real world solutions.”
Pavle Jeremić, CEO and Founder, Aether Biomachines
“We have seen many AI companies focus on discovery, but no one has taken the leap from designing proteins to delivering physical, market ready products until Aether. Aether is proving that its approach is not just innovative in theory; it is faster, more cost effective, and higher performing than traditional methods, setting the standard for what AI driven chemistry can achieve in the real world.”
Arjun Sethi, Chairman, Tribe Capital
