Novyte Materials raises Rs 4.15 Cr from Theia Ventures for AI‑driven discovery
Novyte Materials just closed a Rs 4.15 crore round, led by Theia Ventures, to push its AI‑driven platform deeper into the chemistry lab. The infusion backs a team that believes the bottleneck in new product development isn’t talent or capital—it’s the palette of substances engineers can actually work with. While the market has seen a surge of AI tools for drug discovery, few have turned their gaze toward the raw materials that underpin everything from batteries to building blocks.
Here, the startup’s algorithms map molecular behavior, aiming to replace trial‑and‑error with data‑backed predictions. Investors are betting that turning chemistry into a set of quantifiable parameters could shrink development cycles and lower costs for industries that have long been hamstrung by trial‑based methods. As the funding round wraps up, Ajaz Khan, founder and chief executive of Novyte Materials, observed that current innovation is constrained by the materials available.
“By decoding complex chemical interactions with AI, we are turning the search for new materials into a predictable, scalable engineering process,” he said.
Ajaz Khan, founder and chief executive of Novyte Materials, observed that current innovation is constrained by the materials available. "By decoding complex chemical interactions with AI, we are turning the search for new materials into a predictable, scalable engineering process," he said in a statement. The investment marks Theia Ventures' fourth deployment from its new fund, which announced its first close in October 2025.
Theia Ventures said the investment in Novyte Materials aligns with its focus on AI, deep tech, energy transition, and decarbonisation. Its investment portfolio includes Sarla Aviation, Climitra Carbon, and Lemnisca, with more investments planned for the current financial year. Novyte Materials said it is addressing long development cycles in materials science, where traditional discovery often takes years due to trial-and-error processes and fragmented validation.
The company claims its AI-driven approach can cut research and development timelines by up to ten times and reduce early-stage physical testing costs by up to 90%. The startup's generative AI system designs, validates, and reverse-engineers materials using physics-based simulations. It targets applications across composite materials, advanced manufacturing and speciality chemicals, as industries seek materials with improved performance and reliability.
"As AI becomes foundational infrastructure for every industry, Novyte is bringing that transformation to materials discovery," said Priya Shah, founder and general partner at Theia Ventures. She added that the platform could speed up innovation in energy, aerospace and manufacturing. Novyte is incubated at ICT-NICE, the Institute of Chemical Technology's innovation hub, and operates within the institute's research ecosystem while building its own synthesis lab and research infrastructure.
The company plans to initially partner with firms seeking alternative materials to produce speciality chemicals, polymers, paints, adhesives, and coatings. Novyte seeks collaborations and strategic partnerships as it works to shorten development timelines and make the path from laboratory research to commercialisation more predictable.
Novyte Materials has secured ₹4.15 crore in pre‑seed capital, with Theia Ventures leading the round and participation from Sandesh Paturi and Niharika Jain. The infusion is earmarked for advancing the startup’s AI‑driven materials discovery platform and launching early pilot projects. Founder Ajaz Khan argues that current innovation stalls because of limited material options, and that decoding chemical interactions with AI could transform material search into a predictable, scalable engineering process.
The company’s statement emphasizes speed and collaboration as core goals. Yet, the claim that AI will reliably predict complex chemistry remains untested; it is unclear whether the platform will achieve the level of predictability Khan envisions. The funding milestone signals investor interest, but the practical impact of the technology on material development timelines is still uncertain.
As the pilots unfold, the industry will be watching to see if the promised engineering‑style approach materialises or stays theoretical.
Further Reading
- Novyte Materials raises pre-seed funding from Theia Ventures, others - The Economic Times
- Theia Ventures Leads Pre-Seed Round in Novyte Materials to Accelerate Collaborative Materials Discovery - NewsVoir
- Theia Ventures leads pre-seed investment in AI-native materials discovery startup Novyte Materials - Theia Ventures
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Common Questions Answered
How much funding did Novyte Materials raise and which investor led the round?
Novyte Materials closed a pre‑seed round of Rs 4.15 crore, with Theia Ventures leading the investment. The round also included participation from individual investors Sandesh Paturi and Niharika Jain.
What is the primary bottleneck in new product development according to Ajaz Khan?
Ajaz Khan, the founder and CEO of Novyte Materials, says the main bottleneck is the limited palette of substances engineers can work with, not talent or capital. He believes AI can decode complex chemical interactions to expand the usable material space.
How does Novyte Materials plan to use the AI‑driven platform in its chemistry lab?
The funding will be used to deepen the AI‑driven discovery platform within the lab and to launch early pilot projects. By applying AI to predict chemical interactions, the company aims to make material search a predictable, scalable engineering process.
What milestone does the investment represent for Theia Ventures' new fund?
The investment in Novyte Materials marks Theia Ventures' fourth deployment from its newly launched fund, which announced its first close in October 2025. This demonstrates the fund’s focus on early‑stage AI applications beyond drug discovery.