Deep tech companies developing science-based solutions to address real-world challenges.
Deep tech companies developing science-based solutions to address real-world challenges.
Meet the startups that are already part of startuplab.01.
Nanotec produces metallic and organic nanoparticles with physical and chemical properties that propose disruptive technological changes in industries, using fewer raw materials and improving their efficiency.
Eko3 is a Chilean technology-based company dedicated to developing sustainable solutions for industrial cleaning and disinfection. Its technology transforms water and air into a highly effective disinfectant solution based on aqueous ozone enriched with silver ions, achieving 99.999% effectiveness against viruses and bacteria, with certification from the Institute of Public Health (ISP). This proposal replaces the use of traditional chemicals, reducing operational, health, and environmental risks. The company operates under a B2B Hardware as a Service (HaaS) model, installing equipment for clients in the HORECA, food production, and facilities industries, who access the service through a monthly subscription. With more than 150 units installed across all regions of Chile, Eko3 has positioned itself as a reliable solution for organizations that demand high standards of safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. With Eko3 IoT, this impact becomes measurable, moving from being an effective and safe cleaning and disinfection solution to becoming an ally in ESG policy compliance and operational excellence.
Pewman Innovation is a Chilean biotech startup that develops applied scientific solutions with high social, environmental, and productive impact on a global scale. Its primary focus is on the research and application of extremophile microorganisms and bionanotechnology to design innovative products, especially in the agricultural sector. The company has created unique formulations that protect crops against the effects of climate change, such as frost and drought, promoting efficient, sustainable, and safe biostimulation for both the environment and people.
BIONAUTE is a Chilean biotechnology company that develops precision biopesticides and RNA-based biostimulants. RNA is a molecule naturally present in all living organisms and essential for regulating cell function.
In agriculture, RNA enables highly specific action on genes associated with plant diseases or stress. This offers a new generation technology aimed at making agricultural production more efficient and sustainable, without modifying DNA or generating genetically modified organisms.
Its solutions control diseases and strengthen crops by directly acting on key biological processes, reducing the use of traditional chemicals and their environmental impact.
Thanks to its precision and biodegradable nature, RNA represents an alternative with a lower risk of resistance and greater compatibility with ecosystems and food security.
The company combines advanced science, innovation, and field validation to develop products targeting high-value crops, such as table grapes and other export fruit trees.
With a strong focus on sustainability and productivity, BIONAUTE seeks to position itself as a key player in the transformation of the agricultural sector, aligning with new international market demands and the growing need for cleaner and more precise food production solutions.
WAS Company is a climate deep tech startup that transforms industrial waste into new sustainable construction materials.
Through its Earth Tech Materials (ETM) technology platform, the company repurposes mining tailings and other mineral-rich byproducts to manufacture Eco Clinker and other alternative cementitious materials with a carbon footprint up to 75% lower than traditional clinker.
Additionally, with its Polycrete product line, they manufacture reusable modular plastic formwork from recycled plastics, replacing conventional wood in rough construction and reducing deforestation and construction waste.
WAS Co has been internationally recognized for its environmental impact and has worked with industry leaders such as Holcim and NEXA Resources. Its mission is to lead the transition toward a truly circular and low-emission construction industry.
Hera Materials is a Chilean-American startup born at MIT that develops smart, compostable, and recyclable biomaterials, such as paper, to replace single-use plastics in packaging.
Its core technology, Woodpack, is a flexible cellulose-based film, designed with artificial intelligence and manufactured from organic waste through a low-energy, electrified process.
The material meets international standards for compostability, recyclability, and food contact.
The technological heart of Hera Materials is Marie Curie, an in-house developed artificial intelligence platform that designs and optimizes sustainable formulations based on multiple technical, production, and environmental variables.
Thanks to the support of CORFO and the work of an interdisciplinary team with a presence in Chile and the United States, Hera is advancing toward the industrial scaling of its solutions, with the goal of transforming local waste into high-performance, traceable packaging aligned with the global circular economy.
We are a startup with a vision to transform desalination plants into carbon capture facilities and producers of minerals and chemical inputs, in addition to water. We achieve this by modernizing the industry and promoting harmony with the environment and society.
We have developed a technology that directly integrates with desalination plants without interfering with their main operation. We designed a compact, easy-to-integrate system that improves water recovery without slowing down production, while also reducing the volume of brine discharged.
The Kendel team is led by Daniel Maturana (CEO) and Álvaro González (CTO). Maturana, a biochemist with a background in anthropology, has over a decade of experience in innovation and sustainability. González, who holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering, brings 13 years of industry experience with a focus on water resource recovery, electrochemistry, and intellectual property.
Together, they drive the company’s strategy and technological development. Our solution aims to mitigate the impacts of climate change and is well-aligned with Startuplab01’s purpose.
From here, we are scaling the technology, making this our operational base.
PureLi develops an integrated system for sustainable lithium production based on Lilypad (2x evaporation), SmartPond (AI for predictive management), and E-LitE (accelerated separation with 92% recovery and 90% water recapture).
Critical mineral supply chains extracted from brines, especially lithium, are fragile, inefficient, and environmentally unsustainable. Current technologies are slow, consume large volumes of water, and do not meet growing demand.
PureLi develops three integrated technologies: Lilypad (floating devices that accelerate evaporation 2x), SmartPond (AI platform for predictive pond digitization), and E-LitE (accelerated separation with 92% lithium recovery and 90% water recapture as freshwater).
Bluera develops modular energy recovery plants that transform hard-to-manage waste into clean energy right where it is generated.
Through its Wastemill technology—a compact, scalable solution—it processes non-recyclable waste such as mixed plastics, textiles, and contaminated sludge using a thermal process with no oxygen, combustion, or toxic emissions.
Its modular approach makes it possible to adapt the technology to different industrial scales, from small operations to larger production complexes.
Founded by Cristóbal Hurtado, Jean Benoit, and Lucas Guzmán, the startup has been recognized as one of the country’s most promising innovations.
In 2025, Bluera was named Startup of the Year by El Mercurio and the Swiss Embassy, and was also a finalist in the prestigious Avonni Awards in the Colbún Energy category.
Previously, the company was selected as the winner of the Know Hub Ignition 05 program, cementing its position as a benchmark in science and technology innovation.
Unlike traditional mega-scale energy recovery plants that require multi-million-dollar investments and years of development, Bluera’s modular plants offer a flexible, accessible alternative that can be deployed directly at industrial sites.
This decentralized approach not only reduces transport and logistics costs, but also enables each company to manage its own waste and generate its own clean energy.
Bluera shows that the circular economy is possible today: each installed module represents tons of waste recovered, renewable energy generated, and a tangible step toward Chile’s industrial decarbonization.
Chile has taken a decisive step in the race for clean mobility, and this time the headline isn’t lithium—it’s local ingenuity.
E2 Engineering emerged as a Science and Technology-Based Spin-Off (EBCT) from the University of Santiago de Chile, specializing in the development of smart electrical solutions for e-mobility. Its core business focuses on the design, manufacturing, and commercialization of semi-fast chargers for electric vehicles, and it has been a pioneer in Chile in the development and certification of this type of technology.
Its offering is complemented by specialized technical support delivered by professional engineers with extensive experience in e-mobility, allowing it to stand out in a highly competitive market.
In addition to its product line, E2 Engineering has a specialized research and development (R) team focused on the formulation and execution of technology and innovation projects.
Key areas of work include initiatives related to the use of second-life batteries, the development of diagnostic and repair solutions for fast and ultra-fast charger modules, as well as participation in applications for public and private funding for applied innovation projects in energy and e-mobility.
The company’s track record is supported by multiple success stories and strategic collaborations with key players in the national ecosystem, including companies such as SUBUS, COPEC VOLTEX, SISERCOM, MOVENER, CONECTA MOBILITY, RBU, among others.
These experiences strengthen E2 Engineering’s position as a key player in the transition toward a more sustainable transport ecosystem, providing locally developed technological solutions tailored to the needs of the Chilean market.
Hero Dynamics SpA is a Chilean science and technology-based company dedicated to developing innovative underwater robotics for data acquisition in extreme environments.
Its focus centers on the design of soft robotics systems and bio-inspired advanced materials, with a special emphasis on energy efficiency and low environmental impact, designed to operate efficiently in challenging underwater environments where traditional technologies face significant limitations.
Through an interdisciplinary approach combining biotechnology, engineering, and materials science, Hero Dynamics seeks to facilitate the exploration and monitoring of underwater ecosystems, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the collection of critical data in hard-to-access contexts.
Hazel is a technology-based company that develops materials with enhanced properties from construction industry waste.
Its work focuses on transforming hard-to-recycle waste into new inputs for the sector, integrating principles of circular economy, innovation, and energy efficiency.
Currently, Hazel is developing a chemical additive for gypsum board panels—a material widely used in building—which improves thermal performance without modifying traditional production processes.
This approach facilitates the industry’s adoption of its developments by reducing technical and operational barriers.
Through these solutions, Hazel seeks to reduce the environmental impact of construction, optimize resource use, and contribute to the development of more efficient and sustainable buildings, aligned with current industry challenges and new sustainability requirements.
Lignium is a deep-tech startup focused on transforming extreme biomass—such as manure, steppe, and agricultural waste—into carbon-negative materials, functional foods, and advanced solutions for ruminants.
From a single biomass fiber, Lignium develops technical biochar, absorbent biomaterials, bioactive ingredients, and regenerative products with applications in agriculture, mining, and animal health.
The company integrates biotechnology, biomass engineering, and advanced analysis to maximize the value of each resource.
Through fermentation processes, enzymatic pretreatments, and analytical characterization (HPLC), Lignium converts plant fibers into functional compounds, polyphenols, antioxidants, and hybrid materials, enabling products with high environmental and economic impact.
Its approach is based on real circular economy: agricultural and livestock waste is transformed into energy, materials, animal welfare, and stable carbon capture, positioning Lignium as a comprehensive platform for bioeconomy and advanced sustainability.
Instacrops operates a smart agriculture platform that integrates over 5,000 proprietary IoT sensors deployed in 7 countries, complemented by prediction algorithms for irrigation, frost, and yield, validated with major exporters, achieving water savings of up to 40% and productivity increases exceeding 12%.
Additionally, the company launched Instadrop AI, a machine learning-based irrigation agent trained with a decade of data, and offers open integrations with ERPs, stations, and satellites.
Lactify develops an advanced technology based on food bioengineering and non-thermal preservation principles that allows for the transformation of human breast milk—a highly sensitive biological matrix—into a stable and functional product through an optimized freeze-drying process.
Its system precisely controls freezing, pressure, and drying phases to preserve bioactive proteins, immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, enzymes, and human oligosaccharides, maintaining their biological activity unlike traditional thermal methods.
Furthermore, it integrates a closed-flow design, strict sanitary controls, traceability, and Good Manufacturing Practices, ensuring reproducibility, prolonged microbiological stability, and regulatory compliance.
With this combination of basic science, process engineering, and sanitary control, Lactify enables new clinical applications by preserving the unique functionality of breast milk in a safe and highly stable format.
Develops probiotic ice cream with stabilized anaerobic strains using a technology that has reached TRL-7, demonstrating a final prototype validated in real-world conditions and capable of overcoming industrial, compatibility, and storage stability challenges.
Their proposal has been corroborated through pilot production at industrial scale, consumer acceptance testing, and clinical and observational studies conducted in Chile and Russia, which show benefits in digestive and immunological parameters and in the inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms.
Although the technology platform already demonstrates a high degree of maturity, the company continues to refine a new version of its probiotic stabilization system, currently in laboratory and experimental validation phases, in order to strengthen the robustness and reach of the solution.
Soquimat develops PhenoX, an antifouling, antimicrobial, antifungal, and anticorrosive additive for the paint industry that works without requiring the release of compounds, setting it apart from traditional self-polishing formulations.
This material is based on abundant biopolymers such as lignin—a byproduct of the forestry and pulp industry—allowing for the recovery of waste and promoting a circular economy.
Thanks to the intrinsic properties of lignin, PhenoX offers low toxicity and “smart” behavior, as it can respond to damage in the paint film through a self-healing mechanism: the additive migrates toward the defect and forms a new protective layer.
Furthermore, its ability to bind to iron released during corrosion processes allows it to passivate the metal surface, providing additional anticorrosive protection and replicating phenomena similar to those of stainless steels.
Nanotec produces metallic and organic nanoparticles with physical and chemical properties that propose disruptive technological changes in industries, using fewer raw materials and improving their efficiency.
Eko3 is a Chilean technology-based company dedicated to developing sustainable solutions for industrial cleaning and disinfection. Its technology transforms water and air into a highly effective disinfectant solution based on aqueous ozone enriched with silver ions, achieving 99.999% effectiveness against viruses and bacteria, with certification from the Institute of Public Health (ISP). This proposal replaces the use of traditional chemicals, reducing operational, health, and environmental risks. The company operates under a B2B Hardware as a Service (HaaS) model, installing equipment for clients in the HORECA, food production, and facilities industries, who access the service through a monthly subscription. With more than 150 units installed across all regions of Chile, Eko3 has positioned itself as a reliable solution for organizations that demand high standards of safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance. With Eko3 IoT, this impact becomes measurable, moving from being an effective and safe cleaning and disinfection solution to becoming an ally in ESG policy compliance and operational excellence.
Pewman Innovation is a Chilean biotech startup that develops applied scientific solutions with high social, environmental, and productive impact on a global scale. Its primary focus is on the research and application of extremophile microorganisms and bionanotechnology to design innovative products, especially in the agricultural sector. The company has created unique formulations that protect crops against the effects of climate change, such as frost and drought, promoting efficient, sustainable, and safe biostimulation for both the environment and people.
BIONAUTE is a Chilean biotechnology company that develops precision biopesticides and RNA-based biostimulants. RNA is a molecule naturally present in all living organisms and essential for regulating cell function.
In agriculture, RNA enables highly specific action on genes associated with plant diseases or stress. This offers a new generation technology aimed at making agricultural production more efficient and sustainable, without modifying DNA or generating genetically modified organisms.
Its solutions control diseases and strengthen crops by directly acting on key biological processes, reducing the use of traditional chemicals and their environmental impact.
Thanks to its precision and biodegradable nature, RNA represents an alternative with a lower risk of resistance and greater compatibility with ecosystems and food security.
The company combines advanced science, innovation, and field validation to develop products targeting high-value crops, such as table grapes and other export fruit trees.
With a strong focus on sustainability and productivity, BIONAUTE seeks to position itself as a key player in the transformation of the agricultural sector, aligning with new international market demands and the growing need for cleaner and more precise food production solutions.
WAS Company is a climate deep tech startup that transforms industrial waste into new sustainable construction materials.
Through its Earth Tech Materials (ETM) technology platform, the company repurposes mining tailings and other mineral-rich byproducts to manufacture Eco Clinker and other alternative cementitious materials with a carbon footprint up to 75% lower than traditional clinker.
Additionally, with its Polycrete product line, they manufacture reusable modular plastic formwork from recycled plastics, replacing conventional wood in rough construction and reducing deforestation and construction waste.
WAS Co has been internationally recognized for its environmental impact and has worked with industry leaders such as Holcim and NEXA Resources. Its mission is to lead the transition toward a truly circular and low-emission construction industry.
Hera Materials is a Chilean-American startup born at MIT that develops smart, compostable, and recyclable biomaterials, such as paper, to replace single-use plastics in packaging.
Its core technology, Woodpack, is a flexible cellulose-based film, designed with artificial intelligence and manufactured from organic waste through a low-energy, electrified process.
The material meets international standards for compostability, recyclability, and food contact.
The technological heart of Hera Materials is Marie Curie, an in-house developed artificial intelligence platform that designs and optimizes sustainable formulations based on multiple technical, production, and environmental variables.
Thanks to the support of CORFO and the work of an interdisciplinary team with a presence in Chile and the United States, Hera is advancing toward the industrial scaling of its solutions, with the goal of transforming local waste into high-performance, traceable packaging aligned with the global circular economy.
We are a startup with a vision to transform desalination plants into carbon capture facilities and producers of minerals and chemical inputs, in addition to water. We achieve this by modernizing the industry and promoting harmony with the environment and society.
We have developed a technology that directly integrates with desalination plants without interfering with their main operation. We designed a compact, easy-to-integrate system that improves water recovery without slowing down production, while also reducing the volume of brine discharged.
The Kendel team is led by Daniel Maturana (CEO) and Álvaro González (CTO). Maturana, a biochemist with a background in anthropology, has over a decade of experience in innovation and sustainability. González, who holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering, brings 13 years of industry experience with a focus on water resource recovery, electrochemistry, and intellectual property.
Together, they drive the company’s strategy and technological development. Our solution aims to mitigate the impacts of climate change and is well-aligned with Startuplab01’s purpose.
From here, we are scaling the technology, making this our operational base.
PureLi develops an integrated system for sustainable lithium production based on Lilypad (2x evaporation), SmartPond (AI for predictive management), and E-LitE (accelerated separation with 92% recovery and 90% water recapture).
Critical mineral supply chains extracted from brines, especially lithium, are fragile, inefficient, and environmentally unsustainable. Current technologies are slow, consume large volumes of water, and do not meet growing demand.
PureLi develops three integrated technologies: Lilypad (floating devices that accelerate evaporation 2x), SmartPond (AI platform for predictive pond digitization), and E-LitE (accelerated separation with 92% lithium recovery and 90% water recapture as freshwater).
Bluera develops modular energy recovery plants that transform hard-to-manage waste into clean energy right where it is generated.
Through its Wastemill technology—a compact, scalable solution—it processes non-recyclable waste such as mixed plastics, textiles, and contaminated sludge using a thermal process with no oxygen, combustion, or toxic emissions.
Its modular approach makes it possible to adapt the technology to different industrial scales, from small operations to larger production complexes.
Founded by Cristóbal Hurtado, Jean Benoit, and Lucas Guzmán, the startup has been recognized as one of the country’s most promising innovations.
In 2025, Bluera was named Startup of the Year by El Mercurio and the Swiss Embassy, and was also a finalist in the prestigious Avonni Awards in the Colbún Energy category.
Previously, the company was selected as the winner of the Know Hub Ignition 05 program, cementing its position as a benchmark in science and technology innovation.
Unlike traditional mega-scale energy recovery plants that require multi-million-dollar investments and years of development, Bluera’s modular plants offer a flexible, accessible alternative that can be deployed directly at industrial sites.
This decentralized approach not only reduces transport and logistics costs, but also enables each company to manage its own waste and generate its own clean energy.
Bluera shows that the circular economy is possible today: each installed module represents tons of waste recovered, renewable energy generated, and a tangible step toward Chile’s industrial decarbonization.
Chile has taken a decisive step in the race for clean mobility, and this time the headline isn’t lithium—it’s local ingenuity.
E2 Engineering emerged as a Science and Technology-Based Spin-Off (EBCT) from the University of Santiago de Chile, specializing in the development of smart electrical solutions for e-mobility. Its core business focuses on the design, manufacturing, and commercialization of semi-fast chargers for electric vehicles, and it has been a pioneer in Chile in the development and certification of this type of technology.
Its offering is complemented by specialized technical support delivered by professional engineers with extensive experience in e-mobility, allowing it to stand out in a highly competitive market.
In addition to its product line, E2 Engineering has a specialized research and development (R) team focused on the formulation and execution of technology and innovation projects.
Key areas of work include initiatives related to the use of second-life batteries, the development of diagnostic and repair solutions for fast and ultra-fast charger modules, as well as participation in applications for public and private funding for applied innovation projects in energy and e-mobility.
The company’s track record is supported by multiple success stories and strategic collaborations with key players in the national ecosystem, including companies such as SUBUS, COPEC VOLTEX, SISERCOM, MOVENER, CONECTA MOBILITY, RBU, among others.
These experiences strengthen E2 Engineering’s position as a key player in the transition toward a more sustainable transport ecosystem, providing locally developed technological solutions tailored to the needs of the Chilean market.
Hero Dynamics SpA is a Chilean science and technology-based company dedicated to developing innovative underwater robotics for data acquisition in extreme environments.
Its focus centers on the design of soft robotics systems and bio-inspired advanced materials, with a special emphasis on energy efficiency and low environmental impact, designed to operate efficiently in challenging underwater environments where traditional technologies face significant limitations.
Through an interdisciplinary approach combining biotechnology, engineering, and materials science, Hero Dynamics seeks to facilitate the exploration and monitoring of underwater ecosystems, contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the collection of critical data in hard-to-access contexts.
Hazel is a technology-based company that develops materials with enhanced properties from construction industry waste.
Its work focuses on transforming hard-to-recycle waste into new inputs for the sector, integrating principles of circular economy, innovation, and energy efficiency.
Currently, Hazel is developing a chemical additive for gypsum board panels—a material widely used in building—which improves thermal performance without modifying traditional production processes.
This approach facilitates the industry’s adoption of its developments by reducing technical and operational barriers.
Through these solutions, Hazel seeks to reduce the environmental impact of construction, optimize resource use, and contribute to the development of more efficient and sustainable buildings, aligned with current industry challenges and new sustainability requirements.
Lignium is a deep-tech startup focused on transforming extreme biomass—such as manure, steppe, and agricultural waste—into carbon-negative materials, functional foods, and advanced solutions for ruminants.
From a single biomass fiber, Lignium develops technical biochar, absorbent biomaterials, bioactive ingredients, and regenerative products with applications in agriculture, mining, and animal health.
The company integrates biotechnology, biomass engineering, and advanced analysis to maximize the value of each resource.
Through fermentation processes, enzymatic pretreatments, and analytical characterization (HPLC), Lignium converts plant fibers into functional compounds, polyphenols, antioxidants, and hybrid materials, enabling products with high environmental and economic impact.
Its approach is based on real circular economy: agricultural and livestock waste is transformed into energy, materials, animal welfare, and stable carbon capture, positioning Lignium as a comprehensive platform for bioeconomy and advanced sustainability.
Instacrops operates a smart agriculture platform that integrates over 5,000 proprietary IoT sensors deployed in 7 countries, complemented by prediction algorithms for irrigation, frost, and yield, validated with major exporters, achieving water savings of up to 40% and productivity increases exceeding 12%.
Additionally, the company launched Instadrop AI, a machine learning-based irrigation agent trained with a decade of data, and offers open integrations with ERPs, stations, and satellites.
Lactify develops an advanced technology based on food bioengineering and non-thermal preservation principles that allows for the transformation of human breast milk—a highly sensitive biological matrix—into a stable and functional product through an optimized freeze-drying process.
Its system precisely controls freezing, pressure, and drying phases to preserve bioactive proteins, immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, enzymes, and human oligosaccharides, maintaining their biological activity unlike traditional thermal methods.
Furthermore, it integrates a closed-flow design, strict sanitary controls, traceability, and Good Manufacturing Practices, ensuring reproducibility, prolonged microbiological stability, and regulatory compliance.
With this combination of basic science, process engineering, and sanitary control, Lactify enables new clinical applications by preserving the unique functionality of breast milk in a safe and highly stable format.
Develops probiotic ice cream with stabilized anaerobic strains using a technology that has reached TRL-7, demonstrating a final prototype validated in real-world conditions and capable of overcoming industrial, compatibility, and storage stability challenges.
Their proposal has been corroborated through pilot production at industrial scale, consumer acceptance testing, and clinical and observational studies conducted in Chile and Russia, which show benefits in digestive and immunological parameters and in the inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms.
Although the technology platform already demonstrates a high degree of maturity, the company continues to refine a new version of its probiotic stabilization system, currently in laboratory and experimental validation phases, in order to strengthen the robustness and reach of the solution.
Soquimat develops PhenoX, an antifouling, antimicrobial, antifungal, and anticorrosive additive for the paint industry that works without requiring the release of compounds, setting it apart from traditional self-polishing formulations.
This material is based on abundant biopolymers such as lignin—a byproduct of the forestry and pulp industry—allowing for the recovery of waste and promoting a circular economy.
Thanks to the intrinsic properties of lignin, PhenoX offers low toxicity and “smart” behavior, as it can respond to damage in the paint film through a self-healing mechanism: the additive migrates toward the defect and forms a new protective layer.
Furthermore, its ability to bind to iron released during corrosion processes allows it to passivate the metal surface, providing additional anticorrosive protection and replicating phenomena similar to those of stainless steels.