Why we invested in HTMS – With Shubham Jaipuria
When we first delved into the history of Danilo and Richard, they didn’t start out in a lab or a factory; they were in their kitchen.
Two founders experimenting with Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) on a kitchen table, driven by curiosity and a belief that these extraordinary materials could be made more accessible.
Fast forward to today and HTMS has raised a £1.3m seed round to scale a breakthrough approach that could reshape how industries from aerospace to defence think about high-temperature materials
Why CMCs matter
Danilo and Richard were fascinated by CMCs because they combine the heat resistance of ceramics with the strength and flexibility of fibres like carbon or glass. Imagine a material that’s lightweight, incredibly tough and can withstand extreme heat, which is perfect for defence vehicles, motorsport and aerospace, where failure isn’t an option.
The problem? CMCs have historically been expensive and complex to produce, limiting their adoption. That challenge became the founders’ mission to make CMCs affordable without compromising performance.
The HTMS breakthrough
Their insight was simple but powerful, if you could process CMCs at much lower temperatures, you could unlock a whole new world of cost-effective fibres and applications. Traditional methods require 1200–1700°C. HTMS manufactures CMCs it at under 400°C!
This innovation means:
- Lower costs: Using fibres like basalt instead of expensive oxide fibres.
- Flexibility: Tailoring composites for specific applications without sacrificing performance.
- Accessibility: Opening up high-temperature solutions to industries that were previously priced out.
As Danilo puts it:
“We wanted to break the cost barrier. High-performance materials shouldn’t be reserved for a handful of companies. They should enable innovation everywhere.”
Why now
- Cost barriers are crumbling: UK companies have relied on costly imports for years. HTMS offers a domestic, high-performance alternative.
- Strategic need for UK supply chains: With geopolitical uncertainty, building resilient local supply chains is critical and HTMS is positioned to lead.
From kitchen table to manufacturing powerhouse
What started as a passion project has become a serious commercial opportunity, powered by Danilo and Richard’s technical expertise and relentless curiosity. Their journey embodies what we love about deeptech founders – grit, vision and the ability to turn bold ideas into reality.
With Annalisa Gigante joining as chair, HTMS is building the leadership team to scale.
We’re proud to support Danilo, Richard and the HTMS team as they transform a kitchen experiment into a UK manufacturing success story.
If you’re a founder working on materials innovation or deeptech with commercial potential, we’d love to hear from you.