Molekule
FormerlyTransformair, Aeroclean
TypePrivate
IndustryManufacturing
Founded2014
FounderJaya Rao, Dilip Goswami[1]
Headquarters
Palm Beach Gardens
,
United States
Key people
Jason DiBona, CEO [1]
ProductsMolekule Air Pro, Molekule Air Mini+
Websitemolekule.com

Molekule is a science and technology company headquartered in San Francisco. It designs and manufactures air purifiers that use photoelectrochemical oxidation (PECO), a technology that the company claims may be useful against chemicals, microbes, allergens, and other forms of air pollution.[2] The devices were found to be ineffective by The Wirecutter in independent product tests,[3] and Consumer Reports ranked Molekule as the third lowest in a 2019 test of 48 air purifiers.[4] The Better Business Bureau asked Molekule to stop a range of claims the company made about the effectiveness of its devices.[5] The company's research and development takes place at the University of South Florida campus[6] and started shipping to Canada, India and South Korea in 2020.[7][8][9]

History

During the 1990s, Dharendra Yogi Goswami started developing photo-voltaic technology to break down air pollutants in his home due to his son's severe asthma.[10] Goswami created air filtration prototypes that used photoelectrochemical oxidation (PECO) and nanotechnology to eliminate indoor pollutants on a molecular level. The technology was patented in 2014 by Goswami's children, Jaya and Dilip, and founded under the name Transformair.[11] By 2016, the company was known as Molekule.[12][13]

Molekule's first product, Molekule Air, started shipping in early 2017. The company completed a Series A funding in July 2017, raising $10.1 million.[14] In late 2018, Molekule announced $25 million in funding led by the Foundry Group.[15] The company announced in May 2019 that it would open a U.S.-based manufacturing plant in Polk County, Florida, which was the first in the Tampa Bay Area.[16] The company released the Molekule Air Mini, a miniature version of its Molekule Air purifier, in October 2019.[6] The Air Mini purifier, along with the Air Mini+, received FDA approval for use in hospitals or home health in April 2021.[17]

It raised $58 million in Series C funding by early 2020, later releasing an Air Mini+ purifier.[18] During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company's chief scientist claimed that "[Molekule's] technology will destroy coronavirus", which was criticized by Vox as a method of profiting off the pandemic.[19]

In September 2021, Kevin Love was announced as an investor in the company.[20] Molekule expanded its product line into Europe that November.[21] The company added a feature known as the Molekule Air Score that displays levels of particles and chemicals in the surrounding air in 2022.[22] In 2022, the company launched the Tri Power filter, which both uses PECO technology and meets HEPA filtration standards.[23]

On October 3, 2023, Molekule filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company stated it will continue to operate its business as normal during the bankruptcy process.[24]

FDA regulation, marketing claims and reception

In 2016, Popular Science recognized Molekule as one of its "10 Greatest Home Innovations Of The Year".[25] In 2017, the company was a finalist at the SXSW 2017 Interactive Innovation Awards for Health, Med, & Biotech, also receiving the Silver Edison Award for Environmental Quality later that year.[26][27] It was listed as one of the TIME "25 Best Inventions of 2017" and was an honorable mention at Fast Company’s 2018 Innovation By Design Awards.[28][29]

The Molekule Air received positive reviews from Popular Mechanics and Business Insider.[30][31] The same device was criticized as ineffective by Wirecutter and Consumer Reports.[3][4] Wirecutter also tested the Molekule Air Mini, and described the two as "the worst air purifiers we’ve ever tested", noting that "at a certain point, these results look worse than what you see with no purifier running at all."[3]

In October 2019, the Better Business Bureau's National Advertising Division (NAD) recommended that Molekule stop 26 advertising claims about the effectiveness of its devices after a complaint by its competitor, Dyson.[5][18] Molekule complied with some of the recommendations (e.g. removing references to "independent testing"[3]) but appealed others, arguing that the NAD had not taken into account some newer test results.[5][18] In June 2020, the BBB's National Advertising Review Board rejected Molekule's appeal almost entirely, with Molekule agreeing to remove various additional claims, including its longstanding slogan "Finally, an air purifier that actually works", and to modify others to clarify that they refer to the PECO technology rather than its actual products.[3]

In April 2020, Molekule received 510(k) clearance from the FDA for a new product, the Molekule Air Pro RX, as a Class II medical device.[32] The Air Pro was cleared for medical use in the destruction of viruses, bacteria and mold the next year.[33]

References

  1. 1 2 "Molekule". Molekule. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "How this startup is battling the airborne toxins of wildfire season". November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Heffernan, Tim (2020-06-10). "Molekule Retracts Most of Its Advertising Claims". Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World. Retrieved 2020-06-30.
  4. 1 2 Santanachote, Perry (9 December 2019). "Does the Molekule Air Purifier Live Up to the Hype?". Consumer Reports. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "NAD Recommends Molekule Discontinue Pollution Elimination, Asthma and Allergy Symptom Relief Claims for its Molekule Home One Air Purifier; Advertiser to Appeal Certain Findings". Advertising Self-Regulatory Council. 2019-10-29. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  6. 1 2 "Air purification company Molekule releases its newest product". Tampa Bay Times.
  7. ↑ "Molekule Air Purification Solutions Enter Korean Market with Increasing Global Demand and Interest from the APAC Region". www.prnewswire.com.
  8. ↑ "Molekule Air Purifiers to Now Start Shipping to India". www.prnewswire.com.
  9. ↑ "Molekule's Award Winning Air Mini+ now available in Canada". www.newswire.ca.
  10. ↑ "Molekule hopes to clear the air with $58 million in Series C funding and Berkeley Lab's testing". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  11. ↑ "Meet Molekule, the sleekest air purifier on the market". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  12. ↑ Galaris, Marianne (September 20, 2016). "Introducing the revolution of indoor air purification in a single Molekule". 83Degrees. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  13. ↑ "Molekule | About". Molekule.
  14. ↑ "Molekule Raises $10.1M in Series A Funding". FinSMEs. 2017-07-19.
  15. ↑ "Molekule Announces $25 Million in Series B Funding to Tackle the Global Air Pollution Crisis".
  16. ↑ "USF-born startup chooses Polk County for first U.S. manufacturing plant". Tampa Bay Business Journal. 23 May 2019.
  17. ↑ Christina Butan. "This Mini Air Purifier Is FDA-Approved to Kill Germs in Healthcare Settings".
  18. 1 2 3 Desantis, Nick (2020-03-02). "An air purifier company just raised $58m, but an ad watchdog says something stinks". The Hustle. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  19. ↑ Heilweil, Rebecca (2020-03-11). "The most ridiculous ways companies are trying to profit from the coronavirus outbreak". Vox. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  20. ↑ "San Francisco company scores an investment from Kevin Love". 16 September 2021.
  21. ↑ "Leader In Air Purification, Molekule, Launches In Europe To Deliver Clean Indoor Air To Everyone, Everywhere". 23 November 2021.
  22. ↑ "Molekule Air Pro Update Turns On Air Purifier's Secret Sensors". 25 January 2022.
  23. ↑ "What is Molekule's new PECO-HEPA Tri-Power filter?". Molekule Blog. 2022-10-20. Retrieved 2022-12-20.
  24. ↑ "Molekule files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy". MarketScreener. October 3, 2023. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  25. ↑ "The 10 Greatest Home Innovations Of The Year". Popular Science. 19 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "65 Finalists Announced for the 2017 Interactive Innovation Awards". January 23, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Edison Awards™ - Honoring the Best in Innovation and Innovators". www.edisonawards.com.
  28. ↑ "The 25 Best Inventions of 2017". Time.
  29. ↑ Gagne, Yasmin (September 10, 2018). "Building a better air filter". Fast Company.
  30. ↑ "10 Air Purifiers That Will Actually Help You Breathe Better". 8 October 2021.
  31. ↑ Brains, James. "The best air purifiers". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  32. ↑ "USF-patented air purifier receives FDA 510(k) Class II Medical Device Clearance". www.usf.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-15.
  33. ↑ "Molekule Air Pro Air Purifier Receives FDA Clearance for the Destruction of Viruses, Bacteria, and Mold". 2 September 2021.
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