Natrx Company Profile

Background

Natrx, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializes in delivering high-performance, nature-based solutions to address coastal resilience and protection challenges. The company's mission is to develop practical and sustainable technologies that leverage the adaptive power of nature to tackle resilience issues. With over 50% of the global population and $100 trillion in assets exposed to risks from erosion, storm surges, and sea-level rise, Natrx aims to provide innovative alternatives to traditional, often inadequate, and ecologically harmful mitigation methods.

Key Strategic Focus

Natrx's strategic focus centers on integrating advanced technology with nature-based solutions to enhance coastal resilience. The company specializes in developing and deploying proprietary technologies such as DryForming™ and ExoForms™, which are designed to improve shoreline resilience and promote biodiversity on a large scale. By targeting coastal regions vulnerable to erosion and environmental degradation, Natrx aims to provide cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable solutions that balance the natural and built environments.

Financials and Funding

As of October 2023, Natrx has raised a total of $3.806 million through various funding rounds:

• Seed Round (October 10, 2023): $3.5 million from investors including Oval Park Capital, Ponderosa Ventures, Fulcrum Financial Partners, Silverstrand Capital, and Titan Cement International.

• Grant (March 30, 2021): $256,000 from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

• Grant (May 13, 2020): $50,000 from NC Idea.

These funds are intended to support the development and scaling of Natrx's nature-based resilience technologies.

Pipeline Development

Natrx has been actively involved in several key projects:

• Resilience Center of Excellence (December 2023): Established a 5,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Amelia, Louisiana, in partnership with Danos. This facility enables large-scale production of ExoForms™ using the DryForming™ process, with a capacity of producing 50,000 tons of modules annually.

• REEFrame Project (January 2025): Collaborated on a coral reef restoration initiative off Waikīkī Beach, Hawai‘i, utilizing 3D-printed reef modules to create permanent coral nurseries on the seafloor.

• Pamlico River Project (October 2023): Deployed 15 acres of 3D-printed artificial reefs in North Carolina's Pamlico River to bolster biodiversity and promote natural reef growth.

Technological Platform and Innovation

Natrx's innovation is anchored in its proprietary technologies:

• DryForming™: A patented manufacturing process that produces ExoForms™, habitat-specific, interlocking modules designed to enhance shoreline resilience and biodiversity.

• REWIRE Platform: An AI-driven remote-sensing technology developed to quantify the economic value of carbon stock in coastal wetlands, integrating remotely-sensed and field-based data to map coastal erosion rates, blue carbon, and biodiversity at high spatial resolution.

Leadership Team

• Leonard Nelson, CEO: Co-founder with extensive experience in environmental solutions and corporate leadership.

• Matt Campbell, President: Co-founder and inventor of DryForming™, with a background in BioAgricultural Engineering from LSU.

• Tad Schwendler, COO: Oversees operations and corporate development, bringing expertise in scaling technology solutions.

• Nick Brady, CTO: Leads technological innovation and development, focusing on integrating advanced manufacturing with ecological solutions.

• Tyler Ortego, General Manager – Coastal Solutions: Manages coastal projects, leveraging experience in coastal engineering and habitat restoration.

Competitor Profile

Market Insights and Dynamics:

The coastal resilience and protection industry is experiencing significant growth due to increasing awareness of climate change impacts and the need for sustainable infrastructure solutions. The market is characterized by a shift towards nature-based solutions that offer ecological benefits alongside traditional engineering approaches.

Competitor Analysis:

Natrx operates in a competitive landscape with several key players:

• Veralto: Provides technology solutions for water and product quality and traceability.

• ChemFinity Technologies: Develops pollution elimination technologies.

• Orbital Systems: Specializes in water technology solutions.

• DuPont Water Solutions: Focuses on water purification and specialty-separation technologies.

These companies offer various approaches to environmental and water-related challenges, positioning themselves as competitors in the broader market of sustainable infrastructure and environmental solutions.

Strategic Collaborations and Partnerships

Natrx has established significant partnerships to enhance its market position and innovation capacity:

• Danos: A Gulf Coast-based energy services provider collaborating on the establishment of the Resilience Center of Excellence in Louisiana, facilitating large-scale production and deployment of Natrx's technologies.

• National Science Foundation (NSF): Awarded Natrx a $1 million SBIR grant to advance the REWIRE platform, supporting the development of AI and geospatial software tools for assessing coastal conditions.

• Wolfpack Investor Network (WIN): Provided follow-on financing, strengthening Natrx's financial position and supporting its growth ambitions.