C02 and VOCs are in the air everywhere, causing sickness - but this is preventable with some incredible new technology.
Let's go behind the scenes with Tim Sperry. Tim is one of my favorite entrepreneurs I met as part of my organization Entrepreneurs That Make A Difference.
Tim Sperry is the founder of Smog Armor which takes everyday products and makes them safer for the air.
It's a carbon tech company that invented a carbon capture technology that can be integrated into other products like paint, cardboard boxes and antimicrobial air purifying paint.
(Be sure to read my last blog Shake Things Up).
At A Glance
∎ Brand New Carbon Capture Tech
∎ Paint extracts carbon from the atmosphere
∎ Fast Company Magazine featured Smog Armor
Paint That Removes C02 From The Air
How can you have a cardboard box that makes the air cleaner? You may ask.
It's really interesting. Tim's background isn't chemistry, he went through pre-law in college and has always had entrepreneurial ventures as an interest. Sperry felt like he needed to make money doing something that he cares about like nature, protecting people and fighting air pollution.
Tim lost a few family members to lung cancer as a result of someone else polluting their air.
He took it upon himself to become a self-taught chemist focusing on nanotechnology that works like a magnetic sponge. It attracts surrounding air - wherever you paint Smog Armor paint - once it dries it's a magnet attracting C02, airborne chemicals and odors that it molecularly binds to the paint.
This paint isn't dangerous like lead-based paint. As far cardboard, this nanotech is integrated into the material. When you're shipping something like fruit in a cardboard box from the factory, frequently you'll have adhesives, formaldehyde, glues and anything off gassing from it - then Smog Armor's treated cardboard will absorb these chemicals.
Poor air quality actually is attributed to higher covid rates and hospitalization rates because it amplifies medical issues.
Smog Armor's Origin
3 years ago Tim went on a journey to find solutions for air pollution. In the beginning, Sperry had multiple computers up researching chemistry on Google Scholar.
After 6 months of reading research publications and niching down, Tim started combining entrepreneurship and chemistry. He began stumping masters students in this field because of the level of detailed research he'd done on just this topic alone.
The cost of solar and wind are at a breaking point with fossil fuels and the world is ready for new tech that protects the environment at a greater scale. Smog Armor has done murals at schools and hospitals with their carbon capture paint after Tim read a Harvard study showing that students score lower on tests when air quality is lower.
(Harvard study can be found here).
Kids in good air environments scored higher whereas students in poorer quality air classrooms scored lower because low quality air decreases cognitive functions leaving you lethargic, and fatigued.
The conversion rates is around 50% and 70% less VOCs and C02s in rooms that have been painted with Tim's Smog Armor paint.
A lot of rooms already have formaldehyde in the air. It's part of glues, furniture, your flooring, wall coverings - almost everything in your house is off-gassing something like new bed mattresses.
The "new car smell" are adhesives. That euphoria isn't just emotional, you're actually sniffing glue. Smog Armor's paint absorbs 40-50% its molecular weight in C02.
So for example 10 pounds of weight in paint captures 4-5 lbs of C02.
Many carbon capture companies capture the carbon, transform it into fuel and readmit it back into the atmosphere, and aren't actually carbon neutral. Smog Armor stores the carbon in the walls which aren't released back into the air unless you decided to incinerate your home. Tim aims to make Smog Armor carbon negative and improve air quality.
Licensing NanoTech
Tim told me, "We are building on the technology. We’ve taken our nature-based nano tech inside the paint, out of the paint and we are licensing it to other countries
like Chile, Mexico, and Spain and someone wants to take over a Smog Armor branch in Europe. We have another partner in Canada."
The idea is by licensing this nanotech, Smog Armor reduced the carbon footprint of shipping 3000 gallons of Smog Armor paint overseas.
TechStars Accelerator
Tim has got a term sheet from TechStars and is taking Smog Armor to the Heritage Group Accelerator powered by TechStars for his other company Carbon Limit (a carbon tech company that finds solutions for carbon pollution).
At the accelerator in Indianapolis Smog Armor is working on developing more carbon capture technology and byproducts including...diamonds!
Trade Blood Diamonds for Diamonds Made from C02
Smog Armor makes diamonds from the C02 they capture. Carbon is the basis of diamonds that have been under millions of years of heat and pressure.
There’s man made diamond machines that put together the components from captured carbon to create these jewels. It’s a 30 day process for growing lab diamonds.
Every 20 tons of C02 Smog Armor captures will create 1 karate of manmade sustainable non-blood diamonds, so you can wear your carbon footprint on your neck, your wrist.
I don't know how I feel about that haha..but it's a fascinating new development.
Also on the horizon for Smog Armor is a feature in Top Doc Lifestyle magazine for painting their brand new Top Doc Miami Clinic in the 4 Seasons Hotel. I like that combination of a hospital or clinic with air purifying paint.
While there are a lot of cool updates coming for Smog Armor, I'm most excited to learn that Tim is considering a Regulation CF where you can take money in from as little as $5 to 10 million. Which means investing isn't limited to just $10,000 dollar chunks. I'll be first in line to buy stock in Smog Armor.
Not just because carbon capture paint is definitely the new new. But because I feel they are doing right by the planet.
Fast Company Magazine, Elon Musk X-Prize Team & Beyond
Smog Armor was featured in Fast Company Magazine, in the World Changing Ideas & Products issue (see Smog Armor on the Fast Company Mag finalist list here). Another notable interview for the company is in Technology Designer Magazine which you can read here.
Tim's company is also an X-Prize Team in the Elon Musk Carbon Removal Competition. Smog Armor is positioning to do an IPO in the next 24-26 months.
There's a lot of investment money coming out across the board right now for carbon capture tech.
An Entrepreneur Making A Difference
Even if governmental regulatory agencies are more interested in cap-and-trade policies (where Exxon or Walmart pays to pollute the rivers and air rather than have environmentally friendly business practices) investors with capital to spend are interested in developing tech that protects the planet's natural resources for a sustainable future.
Smog Armor is a perfect example of of smart money for the long term rather than trying to make a quick buck.
Tim turned down Microsoft during their funding round, because it was way bigger than they wanted to do. Sperry would rather maintain control over the vision, his mission and fulfillment than just make money. And I love this.
If you're accepting money as a B-corp from investors who have over 50% of a controlling share and their philosophies differ then you might have something like:
Clear Air Inc. - sponsored by Exxon
or
Farmers Market - sponsored by Monsanto.
That doesn't exactly match walking the walk - but we see this happen often where chemical factory owners were appointed to the head of the EPA during the last US president's term.
Sperry's philosophy involves leading with empathy. Tim told me this is attracting great people and growing Smog Armor so much more. That's why I chose to feature his incredible story in this week's blog - heart first companies are the keystone to improving the planet.
Tim's definition of success is "Growth." As you may have heard from other blogs, ETMD's motto is Purpose over profit. This is a great example of changing the world for the better.
Connecting With Smog Armor
Tim has worked with a lot of artists, a lot of muralists to do community projects that inspire and help the community. Smog Armor was asked to do something for the Super Bowl, worked with the players involved in the Boys & Girls Club and the UN. Art tells a story and a lot of people need good stories right now.
You can learn more about Tim's work at: www.smogarmor.com
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Love it! Let’s get painting😁