Established in 2023, TekVentures has backed five early-stage companies since launching its dedicated investment program in 2025, bringing venture capital and a century of industrial experience to the next generation of materials and manufacturing.

Pawtucket, Rhode Island--(Newsfile Corp. - August 13, 2026) - Teknor Apex Company, a family-owned global leader in plastics material science solutions founded in 1924, today publicly introduced TekVentures, its corporate venture and innovation arm. TekVentures invests primarily from pre-seed through Series A, backing founders who are rethinking the discovery, sourcing, manufacturing and reuse of materials that move society forward sustainably.

Established in 2023, TekVentures was created to build a more systematic bridge between Teknor Apex and the founders reimagining materials and manufacturing. Since launching its dedicated investment program in 2025, TekVentures has invested in five early-stage companies, built relationships across the venture and industrial ecosystems, and begun connecting portfolio technologies with relevant expertise and opportunities across Teknor Apex. Today's announcement marks the platform's public introduction—not its starting point.

A PORTFOLIO ALREADY AT WORK

The current portfolio spans new material platforms, circular systems and the industrial intelligence needed to bring innovation into real-world operations:

• VERDE Biomaterials develops a platform technology making advanced biomaterials capable of replacing plastics, petrochemicals, and highly emissive materials across industries.
• Return to Vendor is a circular fashion and materials company that uses regenerated nylon and mono-material design to make 100% recyclable clothing.
• LignoSphere enables bio-based coatings and adhesives for industries requiring high volumes and low carbon footprint without sacrificing performance, cost competitiveness, and process compatibility.
• FirstShift is supply chain software that delivers demand forecasting, inventory optimization, and decision intelligence in a modern, AI-native platform.
• SensFlo gives manufacturers real-time, AI-enabled machine utilization, downtime tracking, and production data across every shift and every site.

Several are already engaging with Teknor Apex through technical evaluation, application development, operational use or co-development — some directly supporting Teknor with their novel solutions — early evidence that this is a portfolio already at work. Today's announcement also marks the launch of tek.ventures, a new home for founders, co-investors and industrial partners to explore the full portfolio, understand TekVentures' investment approach and connect with the team.

"For more than a century, Teknor Apex has advanced by combining deep internal expertise with the needs of the world outside our walls," said Don Wiseman, Chief Executive Officer of Teknor Apex. "TekVentures creates a deliberate pathway for that exchange—connecting us with promising technologies and bringing Teknor Apex's technical expertise, manufacturing capabilities and market perspective to the work of industrializing them. That two-way model can help founders move toward scale while strengthening innovation inside Teknor Apex."

Materials innovation is entering a new era. AI is accelerating scientific discovery, while customers are demanding more sustainable solutions without compromising performance, cost or reliability. TekVentures invests at the point where those forces encounter the practical demands of industrial scale.

"Founders working in materials and manufacturing take on unusually complex company-building challenges—from long development and qualification cycles to the capital and coordination required to scale physical technologies," said Abhijit Ganguly, Managing Director of TekVentures. "We invest with venture discipline, but we also understand the industrial realities behind the work. Our goal is to be a responsive, practical partner and, when useful, bring relevant technical perspective, manufacturing context and connections across the industrial ecosystem."

WHAT TEKVENTURES LOOKS FOR

TekVentures focuses on three intersecting areas where advances in materials and manufacturing can create lasting industrial value:

Next-Generation Materials: new feedstocks, novel chemistry, design for recyclability, and circular systems that improve material performance while reducing resource use and emissions.

The Future of Manufacturing: new manufacturing processes, automation, robotics, and workforce technologies that make production safer, more efficient, and more resilient.

Industrial Intelligence: artificial intelligence, sensing, predictive analytics, and supply chain visibility tools that translate physical-world and industrial data into faster, better decisions.

HOW IT'S DIFFERENT

TekVentures invests with venture discipline and can, where strategically and operationally appropriate, connect portfolio companies with Teknor Apex's technical expertise, manufacturing environments, and relevant customer and partner relationships. The goal is to help founders navigate the point where many industrial innovations stall: translating a promising technology into a solution that can be processed, qualified, and scaled reliably.

Support is tailored to each company and may include technical perspective, manufacturing context, relevant ecosystem introductions, or opportunities to explore pilots and development work when there is a clear strategic and operational fit.

TekVentures invests primarily from pre-seed through Series A and will continue to expand its portfolio and partnerships. Founders, co-investors, and industrial partners can learn more and get in touch at www.tek.ventures.

ABOUT TEKVENTURES

TekVentures is the corporate venture and innovation arm of Teknor Apex Company. Established in 2023, it invests in founders rethinking the discovery, sourcing, manufacturing and reuse of materials that move society forward sustainably. TekVentures draws on the perspective of a global materials manufacturer as it invests in and supports early-stage companies navigating the realities of building and scaling industrial technologies.

ABOUT TEKNOR APEX COMPANY

Founded in 1924 and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Teknor Apex Company is a global leader in plastics material science solutions. The company manufactures garden hose products and a broad portfolio of materials, including vinyl compounds, thermoplastic elastomers, and engineering thermoplastics. Teknor Apex operates across the United States, Europe, and Asia. For more information, visit www.teknorapex.com.

READER INQUIRY INFORMATION

Americas: Teknor Apex Company, 505 Central Avenue, Pawtucket, RI 02861 U.S.A. Tel.: 1-401-725-8000. Email: info@teknorapex.com

Europe: Teknor Germany GmbH, Am Rödlein 1, 91541 Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. Tel.: +49-(0) 9861 97497 0

Asia: Teknor Apex Asia Pacific, 41 Shipyard Road, Singapore 628134. Tel.: 65-6265-2544

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