Why We Invested in Solve Chemistry: Rebuilding the Foundations of Chemical Manufacturing
- Thomas Panton
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
Chemical manufacturing underpins everything from medicines to crop protection. Yet one of its most critical steps remains fundamentally broken: developing and scaling new chemical processes is still slow, expensive, and inefficient.
Decisions that shape manufacturing routes for decades are often made with incomplete data, long development cycles, and significant waste in materials and energy. The result is higher costs, slower innovation, and structural inefficiency baked into global supply chains.
Solve Chemistry is fixing this.
When we first met the founders Dr. Linden Schrecker and Dr. José Pablo Folch, it was immediately clear this was not another “AI for science” company applying software on top of legacy workflows. They are rebuilding the core engine of chemical process development itself.
We invested in Solve’s £4m seed round because they are tackling a foundational industrial bottleneck with a solution that is commercially compelling today. This round is led by XTX Ventures, joined by SuperSeed, Creator Fund, and notable angels.
A Compounding Technical Advantage
Solve’s advantage comes from tightly integrating automation, data generation, and machine learning into a single system. The result is a powerful feedback loop: more experimentation leads to better models, which lead to better commercial outcomes.
Over time, this creates a compounding moat that is difficult to replicate and increasingly valuable to industrial customers. It is also why leading chemical and pharmaceutical companies such as BASF are already working with Solve to explore how faster, more reliable process development can translate into real operational advantage.
A Rare Founding Team
To build infrastructure that industry will trust - the team combines scientific depth, engineering discipline, and commercial urgency.
Dr. Linden Schrecker and Dr. José Pablo Folch met at Imperial College London, combining deep expertise in chemistry with advanced machine learning and applied mathematics. Long before incorporation, they were already building and running systems capable of operating at speeds and reliability levels that most industrial teams never reach.
Their execution has been exceptional. Solve moved from academic origins to commercial engagement at industrial pace, securing early revenue and partnerships with global leaders in a sector known for slow adoption.
Commercial Impact First. Climate Impact Follows.
Solve sells speed, confidence, and lower cost. Their platform supports:
Lower material consumption through better reaction optimisation
Reduced energy use in development and scale-up
Fewer failed runs and pilot batches
Earlier adoption of greener chemistries when they become economically viable
The specialty, agrochemical, and pharmaceutical sectors alone emit hundreds of megatons of CO₂e annually through inefficient process design and scale-up. Solve’s ability to accelerate route optimisation and improve process efficiency positions it as a powerful enabler of emissions reduction across these industries - not through subsidies or mandates, but through better economics and faster innovation.
Why This Fits Endgame
At Endgame Capital, we back near-market technologies that win on cost, speed, and performance, with climate impact embedded in the model.
Solve fits squarely within that strategy:
Climate-denier-proof: Faster development, fewer experiments, lower costs.
Tech moat: A novel data-generation engine coupled with advanced ML.
Asset Light: Automated lab infrastructure, software-led scalability.
<2 years to commercialization: Projects with BASF and global pharma companies.
Climate impact: >50 million ton GHG impact potential from efficient processes, lower materials and energy use, and faster adoption of greener routes.
Solve is building a new foundation for how chemical processes are developed and scaled. We believe this platform has the potential to reshape a critical part of the global industry.
We’re proud to back Linden, José, and the entire Solve team as they build the next generation of chemical manufacturing infrastructure.
