Molekule
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | |
| Formerly | Transformair, Aeroclean |
|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Manufacturing |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Founder | Jaya Rao, Dilip Goswami[1] |
| Headquarters | , United States |
Key people | Jason DiBona, CEO [1] |
| Products | Molekule Air Pro, Molekule Air Mini+ |
| Website | molekule |
Molekule is a science and technology company headquartered in San Francisco. It designs and manufactures air purifiers that use photoelectrochemical oxidation (PECO), a technology that the company claims may be useful against chemicals, microbes, allergens, and other forms of air pollution.[2] The devices were found to be ineffective by The Wirecutter in independent product tests,[3] and Consumer Reports ranked Molekule as the third lowest in a 2019 test of 48 air purifiers.[4] The Better Business Bureau asked Molekule to stop a range of claims the company made about the effectiveness of its devices.[5] The company's research and development takes place at the University of South Florida campus[6] and started shipping to Canada, India and South Korea in 2020.[7][8][9]
During the 1990s, Dharendra Yogi Goswami started developing photo-voltaic technology to break down air pollutants in his home due to his son's severe asthma.[10] Goswami created air filtration prototypes that used photoelectrochemical oxidation (PECO) and nanotechnology to eliminate indoor pollutants on a molecular level. The technology was patented in 2014 by Goswami's children, Jaya and Dilip, and founded under the name Transformair.[11] By 2016, the company was known as Molekule.[12][13]
Molekule's first product, Molekule Air, started shipping in early 2017. The company completed a Series A funding in July 2017, raising $10.1 million.[14] In late 2018, Molekule announced $25 million in funding led by the Foundry Group.[15] The company announced in May 2019 that it would open a U.S.-based manufacturing plant in Polk County, Florida, which was the first in the Tampa Bay Area.[16] The company released the Molekule Air Mini, a miniature version of its Molekule Air purifier, in October 2019.[6] The Air Mini purifier, along with the Air Mini+, received FDA approval for use in hospitals or home health in April 2021.[17]
It raised $58 million in Series C funding by early 2020, later releasing an Air Mini+ purifier.[18] During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company's chief scientist claimed that "[Molekule's] technology will destroy coronavirus", which was criticized by Vox as a method of profiting off the pandemic.[19]
In September 2021, Kevin Love was announced as an investor in the company.[20] Molekule expanded its product line into Europe that November.[21] The company added a feature known as the Molekule Air Score that displays levels of particles and chemicals in the surrounding air in 2022.[22] In 2022, the company launched the Tri Power filter, which both uses PECO technology and meets HEPA filtration standards.[23]
On October 3, 2023, Molekule filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company stated it will continue to operate its business as normal during the bankruptcy process.[24] The company successfully completed the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process in February of 2024, and is continuing normal operations.