Science

Science

It all starts with R&D. We're Ph.D. chemists, physicists, and materials scientists, creating the fundamental breakthroughs that make all we do possible.

Engineering

Engineering

If R&D makes it possible, engineering makes it scalable. We're cutting-edge engineers and developers, taking our fundamental breakthroughs and transforming them into scalable platforms.

Design

Design

Design makes it beautiful and usable. We're world-class industrial, interaction, and visual designers, leveraging the power of our platforms to craft products that are as beautiful as they are revolutionary.

Our Leaders

  • Karen Chan

    Antonio Facchetti
    Co-Founder & Chief Science Officer

    Antonio is so passionate about chemistry that when he isn’t inventing the next breakthrough electronics material, he is cooking up a feast. Antonio obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the State University of Milan. He did his postdoctoral research at the University of California-Berkeley and then at Northwestern University. Antonio has been elected a Fellow by the Materials Research Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Kavli Foundation, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He has published over 350 research articles, 12 books/book chapters, holds over 100 granted U.S. and foreign patents. He was selected as one of the top 100 materials scientists in the world by Thomson Reuters.

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  • Brendan Florez

    Brendan Florez
    President

    Brendan has worn many hats at Polyera since joining in our early days, and is incredibly excited about the opportunity to help build a world-class company. Prior to joining Polyera, Brendan was an early employee at Rosetta, the largest privately-held digital marketing agency in the United States (acquired by Publicis for $575 million). While at Rosetta, Brendan lead an effort to restructure the project-management function and helped manage early M&A efforts. Brendan has also managed multiple teams creating strategic marketing programs for clients including Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Church & Dwight, Novartis, and others. Brendan holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University.

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  • Karen Chan

    Karen Chan
    General Counsel

    When not hunting for the latest restaurant opening, Karen crafts patent strategies to protect Polyera's breakthrough technologies, and advises on all contractual matters between Polyera and its partners and customers. Prior to joining Polyera, Karen was a senior associate at international law firm K&L Gates, where she helped build Polyera’s IP portfolio from its very early days. Karen received her J.D. from Boston University, and her BSc Honors in Chemistry from McGill University. Karen is a registered patent attorney and is admitted to practice in Illinois and Massachusetts.

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Our Board & Advisors

  • Michael Li
    Board Member

    Michael has more than 20 years of combined experiences in venture capital, investment banking and technologies. He is currently a managing partner of Tsing Capital, focusing on renewable energy, energy efficiency, new materials, sustainable transportation, environment protection, robotics, IoT and smart digital. Previously, Michael was a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers (KPCB) China, a general partner of Pine Tree Equity, and a principal at Shanghai NewMargin Ventures. He has backed a number of successful IPOs and M&A. Before his career in venture capital, he worked for Lehman Brothers in New York. Michael received his BEng degree in Computer Science from Tsinghua University, China and MASc degree in Electronic Engineering from University of Waterloo, Canada.

  • Tobin Marks
    Co-Founder & Scientific Advisor

    Tobin is Ipatieff Professor of Chemistry, Professor of Materials Science, and Professor of Applied Physics at Northwestern University. His recognitions include the U.S. National Medal of Science, the Principe de Asturias Prize, the MRS Von Hippel Award, the Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences. He is a member of the U.S., German, and Indian Academies of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Royal Society of Chemistry Fellow. Marks has published 1175 peer-reviewed articles and holds over 200 granted US and foreign patents. Degrees: B.S. from the University of Maryland and Ph.D. from MIT.

  • Phil Inagaki
    Founder & Board Member

    Phil is currently CEO of Voxel8, a 3D printing company. Phil’s passion lies at the intersection of science, technology and product design, and loves working on bringing audacious technologies to the market in an entrepreneurial setting filled with brilliant people. Phil founded Polyera after graduating from Princeton University with a degree in Physics magna cum laude.

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  • Pei Kang
    Board Member

    Pei is currently a managing partner of Chengwei Capital, a venture capital investment firm that focuses on investing in companies in the greater China region. Pei has sat on the board of more than 20 companies in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Pei has over 30 years of experience in the hi-tech industry, including over 18 years of experience in various technical and management positions with IBM across Asia. Pei received a Bachelor of Science degree from Chinese Culture University, Taipei.