Nelumbo Wins Berkeley Cleantech University Prize

Nelumbo has developed an omniphobic nanocoating which accelerates water shedding and reduces contaminant build-up on surfaces. We are using our OMNIPHOBE™ coating in air conditioning systems to raise efficiency by up to 25%. Our coating is 200X thinner than a human hair, conducts heat, and adds less than 2% to the manufacturing cost of an AC unit, allowing for cost-effective universal application on any scale or geometry. By applying OMNIPHOBE™, we can reduce maintenance costs, decrease energy consumption, and improve air quality for the next generation of air conditioning.

The Berkeley Cleantech University Prize (CUP) Competition was a four month long intensive program for Cleantech start up companies, including mentorship, entrepreneurial training, and access to prototyping spaces at UC Berkeley. The program culminated in a pitch prize for $100,000 and advancement to the national competition in June 2016.

At the annual BERC Energy Summit on February 18th, Nelumbo (Liam Berryman and Lance Brockway) were awarded first place for continuously showing high potential as a team and a strong value proposition for their innovation.

The research that led to the invention of the technology was supported by the Singapore-Berkeley Building Efficiency and Sustainability in the Tropics 1, 2012 to 2017 | Return to SinBerBEST 2 (SinBerBEST) program, part of the Berkeley Education Alliance for Research in Singapore (BEARS), which is funded by Singapore's National Research Foundation (NRF).

To access the Department of Energy press release, please click here.