InventWood, creator of what the startup describes as a “revolutionary” material – Superwood, has secured $15 million in the first close of its Series A funding round.
This investment marks a significant milestone as the company prepares to begin shipments from its first commercial manufacturing facility in Frederick, Maryland, in the third quarter of 2025.
InventWood has now successfully secured more than $50 million in total capital, which supported the construction of its first production facility and positions the company to scale rapidly.
Superwood represents a fundamental breakthrough in materials science, transforming ordinary wood at the molecular level to create an extraordinary building material that is “stronger than steel”, according to the company.
Superwood outperforms traditional construction materials while preserving all of wood’s beloved natural qualities. The material maintains wood’s warmth, texture, workability, and natural aesthetic while being engineered to withstand extreme weather, high humidity, fire, rot, and pests.
Superwood will enable entirely new approaches to construction as architects and builders seek economic and climate-resilient solutions with dramatically reduced environmental impact.
Alex Lau, CEO of InventWood, says: “Superwood demonstrates what’s possible when we combine nature’s most highly evolved structure with revolutionary science.
“This funding enables us to scale production of a material that will fundamentally change how we build, creating structures that are stronger and lighter than steel while retaining all the biogenic qualities people have treasured in wood for millennia.”
Paul Hawken, environmentalist, author, and investor, says: “InventWood has achieved an extraordinary breakthrough that exalts the genius of the natural world.
“By transforming rather than replacing wood, Superwood has created an astonishing material that will be the future of the built environment worldwide.”
The funding milestone follows InventWood’s groundbreaking research that began in 2018, when founder Dr Liangbing Hu developed the patented process that removes specific components of wood’s cellular structure and compresses it, creating a material up to 12 times stronger and 10 times tougher than the wood it came from.
Dr Hu brought insights and tools from his work in carbon nanotubes the world of wood, with his research leading to a material with “strength-to-weight ratio almost 10x that of steel while maintaining the tactile quality, grain patterns, and natural character that make wood irreplaceable in our built environment”, according to the company.
In an era where America’s reliance on imports of steel, aluminum and other materials is of national concern, InventWood’s Frederick manufacturing facility will utilize a domestically focused supply chain, sourcing wood from responsibly managed American forests and processing it entirely within the United States.
This approach ensures quality control while supporting American jobs and reducing transportation and supply chain risks.
Lau says: “We’re prioritizing domestic sourcing and production to maintain the exacting standards Superwood requires.
“With commercial shipments beginning in Q3 of this year, we’re focused on ensuring every step of our process, from forest to final product, delivers uncompromising quality while supporting American manufacturing.”
The company recently formed a strategic partnership with Intectural, a distributor of high-performance architectural materials, positioning Superwood for rapid adoption across North America. Initial shipments will focus on commercial and residential applications requiring superior strength and climate resilience.
The firm’s development and the launch of its first facility have been supported by the US Department of Energy, the US Department of Defense, Grantham, Builders Vision, the JLL Foundation, and Baruch Future Ventures, showcasing strong investor confidence in InventWood’s transformative technology and commercial potential.
