NanoFreeze "A new way to refrigerate naturally"

According to the International Institute of Refrigeration, refrigeration is the second most polluting industry in the world, because it requires constant use of energy and it is responsible for 17% of the world's energy demand and therefore it generates 10% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Although Refrigeration is highly polluting, it is fundamental to preserve medicines, biologicals or food, however, it is challenging to keep a stable cold chain during long journeys, so when transporting pharmaceutical products, approximately 33 billion dollars are lost due to the cold chain breakage and besides, in the food industry around 121 billion dollars. These losses in addition to being an economic loss, can cause serious illnesses in users by ingesting rotten products. One of the causes of these large amounts of losses are the inefficiency of the existing cold chain solutions as for example the expanded polystyrene coolers that, in addition to being highly polluting, the material is disposable plastic that never breaks down and that do not keep the cold chain stable for long distances. After doing field research and visiting rural areas in Colombia, the NanoFreeze founders found that the biggest challenge of not having access to electricity was the lack of refrigeration because of the implications that it has on their quality of life, because if they decide to kill a chicken, they have to eat it all the same day, otherwise it will rot the next day. The lack of health and well being is also an implication of not having constant access to electricity. This situation involves 32% of the Colombian population and 18% of the global population where according to UNICEF approximately 2.2 MM children die every year due to preventable diseases.

NanoFreeze creates integrated solutions for refrigerated transport and active refrigeration systems through the use of a novel bio-nanotechnology which allows natural refrigeration, reducing by 50% the carbon footprint of the refrigeration industry. NanoFreeze's bionanotechnology is manufactured through the process of functionalizing proteins into different nanometric particles. With this bionanotechnology it is possible to freeze water above 2ºC, and at the same time double the heat capacity of water, from 4.1 kJ/Kg to 8.3 kJ/Kg, creating an ice/solid that can cool from 2ºC to 8º during 200 hours, and that besides cooling, it is a coolant that can insulate because of its low thermal conductivity of 0.03 w/m·K. The way in which NanoFreeze sells this technology to the market is refrigerant products such as Ice Packs, Coolers, and Panels:

Cold Chain Products (Ice Packs and Coolers): These products were done to preserve the cold chain during long periods, up to 200 hours of cold, to avoid economic losses due to the perishable waste and also to avoid styrofoam and toxic coolant waste. The NanoFreeze cold chain solutions are 100% sustainable given that the coolant is biodegradable and the coolers are recyclable, allowing companies to replace styrofoam waste on their operations. 

Panels: This product was done to reduce by 50% energy consumption on refrigerators, small cold rooms and shipping containers in order to reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions on refrigeration. NanoFreeze Panels are a retrofit solution with a modular design that can be adapted in refrigerators or different indoor spaces, including cold rooms and containers, reaching up to 50% of energy costs savings once the solution is installed. 

NanoFreeze has 2 different products that can impact the users lives differently:

Cold Chain Products: This solution impacts the direct customers such as pharmaceutics and food companies that rely on a huge waste every month due to the broken cold chain. Besides avoiding food waste, this solution can  also benefit the final consumers because it will guarantee the quality of any perishable ensuring the efficiency of the medicines, but also avoiding any illness caused due to the broken cold chain. On the other hand, thanks to the cold chain length of 200 hours of the NanoFreeze coolers, it would be possible to bring vaccines to remote areas as for example in Colombia, where 32% of the population is rural.  It is a solution that could help to immunize these vulnerable populations in order to prevent deaths of any other child due to preventable diseases. 

Panels Impact: This product was done to impact both the beverage international companies by reducing their carbon footprint on refrigeration, but also the community of retailers who own small businesses where they have more than 3 refrigerators per store and their energy expenses are mostly attributed to the refrigerators. This solution was born to bring refrigeration everywhere in the world, including rural areas where access to electricity is not constant as for example in Colombia, where they need to have a refrigerator back up when the power goes out to be able to preserve their meats and food during those periods. Finally, The NanoFreeze panels is a solution that can impact the entire world because of the impact of decarbonizing the refrigeration industry including NanoFreeze panels for fossil fuel consumption reduction in refrigerated shipping containers and energy consumption in refrigeration. This solution on a large scale could improve the air quality of millions of people by putting a limit on global warming and the need for more polluting refrigeration.

Considering the climate change problems that our world has, the founders and team members found their passion to work on innovation for the refrigeration industry since it is one of the markets least explored for sustainability but it is the second most polluting one worldwide, the more the planet warms, the more refrigeration we need. The NanoFreeze lead team is formed by the Founders, both Bio-Designers, that created the NanoFreeze solution after visiting rural communities in Colombia to understand which was the most challenging part of not having electricity. NanoFreeze also has as investors the Coca-Cola ex-president of Asia Pacific and the Marketing president in Converse who are part of the board. The technical team is formed by a chemical engineer, a designer and mechanical engineer with strong capabilities to perform data analysis, thermodynamic experiments, perform pilots with clients and design the product according to the cooling performance insights. Finally the commercial team is formed by 2 individuals who are passionate about selling products that will benefit the clients but also the planet.

Cold chain solutions: The development stage for the Cold Coats and the Foldable Coolers Today is Minimum Viable Product (TRL 8) which means that are products already industrialized and that are being used by customers such as Compensar to transport biologics and also with a bunch of agricultural exporters in herbs and food industry. These products already have INVIMA certification which allow us to sell our products with health institutions, however, today NanoFreeze is looking for funds to certify its solution with FDA and ISTA 7D (Cold chain certification) to finally be a solution accredited by the World Health Organization to transport vaccines. NanoFreeze has also developed prototypes of Huge Coolers (TRL 4) for large storage capacity that today has shown a durability of 124 hours which means that it could be an stable solution for cold shipping with bionanotech to refrigerate. Today the startup is also looking for funds in order to industrialize the Huge Coolers for large storage of biologic samples, vaccines and medicines. 

Panels: Today the NanoFreeze Panels are a Minimum Viable Product (TRL 8) which was industrialized and it is being piloted at different ABInBev Beer sales points in Mexico and Colombia. This product today is being commercialized with supermarkets and beverages companies who want to diminish the energy costs and their carbon footprint attributed due to refrigeration. The NanoFreeze Panels today is a certified solution in energy consumption by third parties such as Challenger in Colombia where the technical validation showed that by using NanoFreeze Panels it is possible to reach 44% of energy savings. NanoFreeze worked on the Panels development for the past year and during this period of time the company created the Panels ideal design in terms of shape to boost the bio-nanotechnology coolant freezing activity at higher temperatures, but also to add an insulator for the refrigerator walls, and to act as an energy sink to cool the beers while the refrigerator remains OFF. The grills were designed to increase the airflow all over the refrigerator, so for that reason the product is full of holes and the Panels full of under relief channels to favor the air flow. Also, the solution is modular so it is a product suitable to different refrigerators dimensions such as 15ft, 20ft, 26 ft or 46ft. 

NanoFreeze's goal is to scale up the Panels and Cold chain solutions worldwide in order to have a real impact on the planet. If the Panels solution could be scaled up in 5 million refrigerators over the next 5 years, it will be possible to reduce 1.6 million tons of CO2 every year. However, NanoFreeze is currently facing a major challenge: While we have built an impressive pipeline of prospective clients (AB InBev, Coca-Cola, Johnson&Johnson, other food and beverage companies, flower and herbs exporters, food exporters, etc), the sales cycles for these types of products tends to be very long and require significant investment in pilots and personalization of the solutions to each segment.  Modifying a cold chain is a big decision, and companies are slow to make these decisions.  As such, we need the ability to continue to fill the pipeline of business development over the next couple of years without relying on revenue (which, as mentioned, takes time to materialize).   Solve can help us in 3 ways:

1. Mentorship: With the help of the program mentors, who are experts in market adaptability, building business revenue models or market research it will be possible to identify the right path to accomplish the product sales scale up. The opportunity of belonging to the Solve community means value in terms of connections, journey insights of all the entrepreneurs and potential partnerships in order to extend the NanoFreeze solution to other territories and communities where we could have partners. 

2. Market Access: The good will and visibility that can be generated through the MIT Solve name, and through the network, would help us accelerate our pipeline.

3. Budget for Pilots and R&D: The prize money and network of investors would enable us to continue to run pilots and conduct R&D with prospective clients worldwide. 

NanoFreeze innovative approach to reducing the energy consumption of refrigeration, combining coolant for passive refrigeration with active refrigerators, has reached up to 50% of energy savings.   Energy is the most polluting industry in the world because it is based on fossil fuel consumption which generates more than 37 Bn tons of carbon dioxide every year. There is a lot of innovation to generate clean energy, but the generation of thermal energy (to generate cold or heat) is the most significant use of energy, and that's the reason why Refrigeration is the second most polluting industry in the world. NanoFreeze can help move the market towards truly sustainable technologies, forcing accelerated transformation of existing players, and putting pressure on equipment manufacturers to dramatically improve their technologies to compete. 

• Regular coolants are corrosive and toxic for the environment, in the case of the gasses such as R22 are the ones responsible for breaking the ozone layer and for liquids  like glycol, petroleum or paraffins are responsible for drying and harming the lands. NanoFreeze created the first non toxic and biodegradable coolant that can insulate thermically, generate cold up to 7 times longer than other coolants and also, it can freeze at higher temperatures, which requires less energy to change phase. 

• Cold-chain equipment manufacturers (refrigerators, ref-trucks, ref-containers, air conditioners) will understand that, using bacteria enzymes, NanoFreeze created the most efficient bio-nanotechnology to refrigerate in a natural way, using 50% less energy and having a clean end-of-life.  

Today this innovative technology has pending patent applications in the United States, Mexico and Colombia.

1. NanoFreeze refrigerating bio-nanotechnology addresses different environmental problems with different advantages that are unique in the market: 

   1. Food and Medicine waste: Every year there is a loss of US $121 Bn in the food industry due to the broken cold chain and in the pharma industry it is about US $33 Bn. NanoFreeze bio-nanotechnology coolant has the capability of cooling for longer periods of time, reaching up to 200 hours of cold without requiring access to electricity, avoiding the broken cold chain in transportation. After 8 months of implementing NanoFreeze cold coats in the agro exports, we have been able to reduce more than US $250 K in food waste.

   2. Access to refrigeration to rural populations: Access to electricity is not constant in developing countries, as for example in Colombia, where 32% of the population is rural and they don't have access to electricity, so they don't have access to refrigeration. NanoFreeze initially was born to address this challenge, to make refrigeration accessible to everyone, including rural populations. The NanoFreeze Panels are a solution to bring refrigeration to remote populations where access to electricity is not constant so they can benefit from cold temperatures for a certain number of hours until they can be reconnected. This solution will avoid the rotten foods during disconnection of electricity. 

   3. Energy consumption and CO2 Emissions savings: Refrigeration is responsible for emitting 2.95 Bn Tons of carbon dioxide every year. NanoFreeze Panels were done to reduce energy consumption by 50% on refrigerators, cold cabins and small cold rooms. The energy savings will represent the carbon emissions reduction and energy prices. Today NanoFreeze Panels have reached from 30% to 50% of energy savings in Mexico and Colombia in beverage coolers. If this solution could be scaled up with just one major beverage producer in Mexico or Colombia it could reduce emissions 13,000 Tons of CO2 per year. 

   4. Toxic and corrosive coolant waste: Regular coolants in the market that can last for long periods are made of paraffins and petroleum, which is toxic and corrosive for the environment. NanoFreeze coolant besides being highly efficient, it is 100% biodegradable, it is the first environmentally friendly coolant that can be disposed of as plant fertilizer.

   5. Styrofoam waste: Styrofoam is the most commonly used material to preserve cold temperatures, however, it is non recyclable plastic that also never breaks down. NanoFreeze creates 100% recyclable coolers, made in EPP Foam in order to replace the styrofoam or polyurethane coolers for cold chain logistics. NanoFreeze coolers have a shelf life of 5 years, and after it, NanoFreeze practices circular economy with suppliers that process polypropylene. After 1 year of implementing the solution with Compensar EPS ( a Colombian health supplier) NanoFreeze was able to reduce more than 958 Kg of styrofoam with only 1 client. 

1. NanoFreeze has diverse impact goals regarding the multiple benefits that the solution can bring to the entire refrigeration and cold chain industries:

   1. Food waste: NanoFreeze's goal is to avoid the broken cold chain during transportation in order to avoid the perishable waste. NanoFreeze Cold Coats are a low cost solution, very practical that can be adapted to any cardboard box and keep the refrigerated temperatures during export journeys. The indicator to measure the impact of the NanoFreeze Cold Coats is by measuring the average food waste before and after  implementing the Cold Coats in the clients export operation. Today NanoFreeze works with agricultural crops in Colombia that exports their vegetables, herbs and fruits. NanoFreeze has reduced from 30% to only 5% or sometimes to 0% the food waste in the agro export industry.

   2. CO2 Emissions: NanoFreeze goal is to decarbonize the refrigeration industry by 50% using this novel bio-nanotechnology. The NanoFreeze Panels are a solution that reaches from 30% to 50% of energy savings, which results in less carbon emissions and cheaper energy prices. The target indicators of the efficiency of the solution are the energy consumption in kWh, energy prices according to the territory, and refrigerator performance. The way NanoFreeze measures the energy savings impact and refrigerator performance is by including a smart wattmeter per refrigerator and installing it 2 months before the Panels implementation. The smart wattmeter allows measuring the energy consumption before and after installing the solution. Also, it is possible to track the Panels energy savings through the energy bill of the stores before and after the solution was installed. After 1 month of implementing the solution in Colombia and Mexico, we have reduced the energy prices  by 35% in more than 20 stores and the carbon footprint was reduced by the same. 

   3. Styrofoam and toxic coolant waste: NanoFreeze goal is to offer solutions that could play the role of  sustainable alternatives for cold shipping. The NanoFreeze coolers are 100% recyclable and the coolant is 100% biodegradable, allowing the clients to preserve their refrigerated goods safely without polluting the environment. The indicators to measure the NanoFreeze coolers impact are the customers average styrofoam and toxic coolant waste per month or year before implementing the solution. Today NanoFreeze has sold more than 600 coolers to a health company in Colombia and the impact is being measured jointly with the client. NanoFreeze measures the plastic and toxic coolant waste reduction by comparing the customer styrofoam and coolant waste before and after using the NanoFreeze coolers on their logistics. By measuring the impacts closely with the clients, NanoFreeze has other insights like the economic savings that the client gets by avoiding to pay the monthly fee for styrofoam and toxic coolant waste disposal.

The water regularly freezes at 0ºC with the presence of ice nucleating particles which can be dust, pollen or bacteria. However, without ice nucleating particles water must be placed at a temperature of -41ºC in order to freeze it. NanoFreeze has created the most efficient ice nucleator by using ice nucleating enzymes but making them more resilient through nano-engineering processes where multiple enzymes end to be suspended in nano particles of one of the best insulating materials ever known. With this novel technology it’s possible to create a water-based coolant that freezes up to 4ºC, that has a strong cooling capacity of 8.3 kJ/Kg and at the same time that can remain frozen for up to 200 hours depending on the cooler insulating material. The technology of NanoFreeze besides being an efficient cooling component, it has insulating properties which helps to also insulate the cold shipping boxes and in certain cases, it allows to avoid the use of insulation because it naturally gains heat very slowly. On the other hand, NanoFreeze bio-nanotechnology coolant is the first non toxic and not corrosive coolant, 100% sustainable with the environment since it uses natural resources as bacteria enzymes, so when it fulfills its shelf life, it can be disposed as plant fertilizer. NanoFreeze bio-nanotechnology today is under patent request in Colombia, Mexico and the United States. Comparing NanoFreeze technology with regular coolants or Phase Change Materials, the main differences are the number of hours that it can last in passive shipping containers, but also the sustainability component. Regular coolants that can offer the cold chain durability of NanoFreeze technology are made of paraffins or vegetable oils like petroleum which at the end are too expensive and too polluting for the environment.

NanoFreeze has a patent request in process (Request Number: WO2021224833) that protects the bio-nanotechnology invention in Colombia, Mexico and United states. This patent includes many of the freezing point experiments and also thawing experiments that show how our technology can last twice times longer as ice. Besides the patent, NanoFreeze has done the characterization test with an external laboratory named Texas Oil who certified the coolant specific heat of 8.3 kJ/Kg which is the double of water specific heat of 4.1 kJ/Kg. The NanoFreeze coolant composition is 99% water and less than 1% bio-nanotechnology and the specific heat characterization test shows the efficiency of NanoFreeze bio-nanotechnology that makes water based solutions last twice times longer than ice or any coolant in the market. 

NanoFreeze has also performed characterization tests where the coolant has also shown insulating properties of 0,03 w/m·k, this is the property that also helps the coolant to gain heat very slowly, allowing the cold chain last for even 7 more than other coolants in the market. The characterization test of NanoFreeze coolant has also shown that the latent heat is equivalent of 200 J which also helps this novel material to have very efficient passive cooling performance. 

On the other hand, the NanoFreeze Panels energy consumption tests were validated by Challenger laboratories in Colombia, a qualified appliances company that also offer energy consumption testing services. This technical validation showed that by using NanoFreeze Panels it is possible to reach 44% of energy savings, a result certified by ONAC and according with the international SAB Miller protocols for energy consumption testing. 

In the links below are the respective papers and validations mentioned above:

Patent & Characterization: https://we.tl/t-nrECu39zPx

Panels energy savings: https://we.tl/t-oX1joTBedm

NanoFreeze has 7 employees full time. The company direction is led by Isabel Pulido (CEO) and Paola Camacho (CDO), both biodesigeners with specialization in Business and Architecture respectively. In the technical area there is Ricardo Cogua, the CTO, a chemical engineer who works on biotechnology and operations. NanoFreeze also has a mechanical engineer in the technical team who works on thermodynamic tests, his name is Jefferson Zapata. Finally, in the commercial area there is Ingrid Reyes and Andres Ospina, both with backgrounds in business. In the finance area there is Sandra Villamarin who works tirelessly to enforce the budget projections.  

NanoFreeze started as a university project in 2018, and since then the founders worked on the idea of a new way to refrigerate naturally. The first year the team worked on the bionanotechnology research and on the first prototype of a vaccine cooler to transport medicines to remote areas. After graduating, in 2020 the startup was officially founded and since then the two founders were dedicated full time to to raise the first investment round in order to scale up the bionanotechnology, create the first minimum viable products and perform market validation with prospect clients.

NanoFreeze is a startup in the refrigeration industry, which is mainly led by engineers in the masculine gender. According to The United States Department of Labor, 98% of the people working in the active refrigeration industry were men, and only 2% women. The NanoFreeze team is led by 2 young women under 30 years old, with a background that mixes science with design, being part of the 2% minority of women working in the refrigeration industry and even more minority by being women leaders with background in science. NanoFreeze also looks to be gender diverse by having 4 women in the finance and administrative area and 3 men in the  technical and commercial area. The startup team besides being gender diverse, it is also multidisciplinary, having scientists, designers, engineers and business/market experts, who all play a key role for the company growth and success in the future. NanoFreeze also has a strong equity in the recruitment area by hiring outstanding individuals with scarce resources from public universities in Colombia, giving them the genuine opportunity to grow professionally and economically despite their university name but more for their capabilities and performance doing their work. In order to support the employees growth and well being, NanoFreeze never pays the minimum wage despite the university they came from or the background, but also there are no abrupt differences between salaries in the spirit of seeking equality, and that they feel that each person's work is equally valued.