Dive Brief:
- LiquiGlide, Inc. has received $7 million in funding from Roadmap Capital, allowing the company to grow more quickly and plant some roots at an 11,000 square-foot laboratory and office in Cambridge, MA.
- The LiquiGlide technology is that of "permanently wet, slippery surface coatings" and may be created from edible ingredients, essentially ensuring food safety, according to a news release.
- "Watching LiquiGlide’s technology emerge from the lab and pique the interest of executives at leading CPG companies and prestigious venture capitalists is a great vote of confidence in the market potential for our technology and the capabilities of our leadership team," said Kripa Varanasi, the co-inventor of LiquiGlide and an MIT professor, in a news release.
Dive Insight:
"Since we incorporated LiquiGlide in 2012, we have gotten thousands of inquiries from food manufacturers looking for a safe way to solve their sticky problems," said Dave Smith, LiquiGlide's CEO and co-inventor in a statement to Food Dive. "Our customized coatings for food products use only natural materials, like vegetable oil, which is why it is so appealing to our clients and consumers alike. We are currently in advanced discussions with several industry-leading food companies and expect to see our first products on the shelves this year."
Perhaps LiquiGlide will be a product to watch if these "advanced discussions" continue to make some headway among food companies.