Antefil Composite Tech, the provider of innovative and cost-efficient intermediate materials to produce lightweight structures for industrial applications, has closed a CHF 1.5M pre-seed financing round. Lead investor and seasoned entrepreneur Werner Frei joined the startup’s board of directors.
Alongside seasoned entrepreneur Werner Frei, Antefil’s seed investment round saw the participation of Unifil AG - the company founded by Werner Frei in 1978 -, Serpentine Ventures AG (Rookie Fund I) and the Kick Foundation. The latter two have previously closed convertible loan agreements with the company. The funds will be used to accelerate the industrial production of Antefil’s hybrid fibres.
“We are delighted to have Werner Frei on board as an investor and board member,” says Antefil’s chairwoman, operational lead and co-founder Nicole Aegerter. “His experience and expertise in building and scaling companies in the field of glass fibre materials and industrial production will be invaluable to our company as we continue to innovate and develop new composite materials.”
Founded in 2022, Antefil Composite Tech offers a more cost-efficient and sustainable approach to producing lightweight moving structures for industrial applications. Its patent-pending technology allows the production of glass fibres individually coated with a meltable, recyclable plastic. With these fibres, lightweight structures can be manufactured using minimal pressure and heat. The technology leads to various advantages compared to traditional moulding techniques. Advantages include time and energy savings due to shorter cycle times and aerospace-quality structures that can be recycled.
In addition to his investment, Werner Frei has also joined Antefil’s Board of Directors. An engineer by training, Frei became interested in filter technology in 1972 and founded Unifil AG in 1978. The goal was to develop and produce air filters for general air filtration, especially for clean rooms. Eventually, a filter testing laboratory with international recognition was built. In 1988 he took over Aeroglass Filtri in Ospedaletto, Italy. Aeroglass is one of the few manufacturers of glass fibres for air filtration fleeces.
“I’m thrilled to join Antefil’s board of directors and invest in this innovative young company. Antefil has developed an exciting technology with significant potential to revolutionize the production of composite structures. I look forward to working with the team to scale up production and bring these innovative materials to market,” said Frei.
(Press release/RAN)
Photo L-R: Nicole Aegerter and Christoph Schneeberger
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