Albert Invent Corp., an Oakland, California-based developer of artificial intelligence software for chemical and materials research, has secured a growth equity investment from Applied Ventures, the venture capital arm of Applied Materials Inc.
The investment will support Albert Invent’s global expansion and further development of its AI-powered research and development platform, with a focus on chemicals, consumer products, energy and semiconductor materials.
Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
Albert Invent develops chemistry-focused AI software designed to help scientists accelerate materials discovery, manage experimental data and shorten product development cycles.
The company’s platform combines scientific data management, AI-powered analysis and research workflow tools to support organizations developing new chemicals, coatings, batteries, electronic materials and other products.
The investment from Applied Ventures adds a strategic investor with established interests in semiconductor manufacturing, advanced materials and industrial technology.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Applied Ventures as we enter the next phase of Albert’s growth,” said Nick Talken, CEO and co-founder of Albert Invent.
“This investment will help us accelerate our mission to transform how the world’s most innovative companies discover and develop new materials and products.”
Talken said the company plans to use the funding to enhance its AI capabilities, expand internationally and strengthen its presence across industries where materials innovation plays a critical role.
The investment comes as chemical and materials manufacturers increasingly explore AI applications to improve research productivity and reduce the time required to develop and commercialize new products.
Traditional materials research often involves extensive laboratory experimentation, data analysis and repeated formulation testing.
Albert Invent’s software is designed to organize those processes within a unified platform, allowing scientists to capture experimental results, structure research data and apply AI tools to identify promising development opportunities.
The company describes its technology as chemistry-native AI, meaning its models and software are developed specifically for the scientific requirements of chemistry and materials research rather than general-purpose business applications.
Its platform incorporates scientific ontologies, which provide structured relationships between chemical concepts, materials properties and experimental information.
Albert Invent said these capabilities are intended to help research teams use existing scientific knowledge more effectively while accelerating the development of new materials.
The company also emphasizes enterprise security and governance features, including zero data retention, detailed access controls and audit trails for AI-generated reasoning.
These capabilities are designed for organizations handling proprietary formulations, confidential research data and commercially sensitive intellectual property.
Applied Ventures’ investment reflects growing interest in AI technologies that can support innovation across the semiconductor supply chain.
Advanced semiconductor manufacturing depends on continued improvements in materials used in chip fabrication, packaging and electronic components.
As chip architectures and manufacturing processes become more complex, materials development is increasingly important to performance, efficiency and production capabilities.
“Albert is aiming to redefine materials R&D by giving scientists AI-powered tools to move from idea to breakthrough faster,” said Abhishek Sud, senior investment director at Applied Ventures.
“We see tremendous opportunity for this technology across industries, including the growing semiconductor ecosystem, where advanced materials innovation will be critical to the next generation of electronic products and manufacturing.”
Applied Materials, the parent company of Applied Ventures, supplies materials engineering solutions used in semiconductor and display manufacturing.
The investment provides Albert Invent with a strategic connection to an organization operating across the global electronics manufacturing industry.
Mark Saly, managing director of the Chemistry Center-of-Excellence Group at Applied Materials, said Albert’s combination of scientific expertise, structured chemistry knowledge and AI could support improvements in materials development.
Saly highlighted the technology’s potential applications in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing, where accelerating the discovery of advanced materials could help support future product development.
Beyond semiconductors, Albert Invent is targeting industries including energy storage, consumer goods, specialty chemicals and industrial coatings.
Companies in these sectors face pressure to develop new formulations, improve product performance and respond to changing customer and regulatory requirements.
AI-assisted research platforms are increasingly being evaluated as tools for improving laboratory productivity and reducing development costs.
Albert Invent’s approach focuses on embedding AI directly into scientific workflows rather than treating it as a separate analytical application.
The platform captures experiments and organizes research information so that scientists can use structured data to guide subsequent development work.
The company believes this integration can help organizations make better use of historical research data and reduce repetitive experimentation.
Applied Ventures has invested in technology companies across semiconductor and display technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, advanced materials, autonomous systems and other emerging industries.
Its investment strategy includes backing businesses developing technologies with potential strategic applications for the broader electronics and manufacturing ecosystem.
Albert Invent did not disclose its valuation following the investment, the size of the equity stake acquired by Applied Ventures or whether other investors participated in the financing.
The company also did not announce specific hiring targets or geographic expansion plans associated with the new capital.
The funding will allow Albert Invent to continue developing its chemistry-native AI platform while pursuing additional customers and applications across the global materials industry.
For Applied Ventures, the investment expands its exposure to AI-enabled scientific research technology at a time when advanced materials development is becoming increasingly important to semiconductor manufacturing and other industrial sectors.