Living in a Materials World

When David Arreaga, Ph.D. starts talking about advanced materials, his passion for these engineered substances is unmistakable and surprisingly infectious.

“Only six building blocks comprise all the polymer materials used in all electronic display,” explains Arreaga, CEO of Ares Materials. “But Ares will transform those everyday materials using fundamentally different chemistry.” The results could revolutionize the look and function of consumer electronics and the way that humans interact with them.

The optical polymer materials sector hasn’t seen much innovation in recent years, and traditional materials companies have been paralyzed by the rapidly changing consumer electronics landscape. Ares Materials' ambition is to change all that. The company has introduced heteroatoms to increase the complexity of molecules one can design, resulting in more durable, flexible, thin and efficient films, coatings and adhesives. The applications are endless, ranging from scratch-resistant and foldable optical film for mobile phones and laptops to weather-resistant film for automobiles.

Typically, it takes up to 10 years and around $400 million to launch a new product in advanced materials. Ares went from product identification to customer acceptance in less than 18 months

Typically, it takes up to 10 years and around $400 million to launch a new product in advanced materials. Ares has already eclipsed this standard, going from product identification to customer acceptance in less than 18 months, and catapulting the startup toward its goal of becoming the fastest and most efficient materials company in the world. They’re manufacturing their first product, Pylux, which is used in flexible mobile phones, laptops and wearable electronics. In the first year alone, production is projected to surpass 200 kilometers per month, and Arreaga expects the material to appear in laptops by mid-2023. (To put this feat into perspective, this is the display industry’s first new optical substrate in more than a decade.)

Arreaga has built a formidable company based on strong scientific expertise, but it didn’t come easily. He was born and raised in northern Mexico, without the background or connections that are typically needed to enter the advanced materials industry. After attending college and graduate school near his hometown, he pursued an academic career at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he developed methodologies with the potential to disrupt an industry that hadn’t seen innovation in more than 30 years. Encouraged by his Ph.D. advisor, he and co-founder Adrian Avendano launched Ares Materials in 2015.

SVLC values the outside perspective and creative thinking that Arreaga brings to his work. While that outsider status made early fundraising more challenging for Ares Materials, it empowered the team to think creatively and venture beyond the traditional expectations for materials. This resulted in novel technology at an unprecedented timeline that will shape how we interact with our devices in the years to come. Soon, we will see Ares Materials’ technologies transform products such as 3D touch sensors, camera lenses, microLED displays, augmented reality, holograms, semiconductor packaging and 5G antennas.

Ares Materials’ success can also be attributed to Arreaga’s resilience and ability to take life’s challenges in stride. Such traits are crucial to survival as an entrepreneur, he says. “You have to be well-calibrated in your head. The bad things can’t ever get too bad, but you shouldn’t get carried away with all the good things, either.”

Ares’ innovative products and AI technology have catapulted the startup towards its goal of becoming the fastest and most efficient materials company in the world.